Thursday, November 26, 2009

Day of Thanks

On this day of Thanksgiving, I have so much for which to be thankful, so here are some of them, in list form, in no particular order:

  • I am thankful for my beautiful wife.  She has been busting her ass for the past year and a half in law school and I couldn't be more proud.  This semester she has been working part-time at a law firm and going to school with a full-time schedule.  I can't wait to show her off at my 10 year high school reunion!!!
  •  I am thankful for my dog Brodie, for always keeping me in the moment, because when I'm not in the moment, I might miss his awesomeness.  Like this morning, while playing fetch, he saw a prairie-dog hill, so he struts over, lifts his leg, and marks it as his territory.  I'm not certain that dogs possess emotions other than excitement and fear, but today, I'm certain, he had a look of pride on his face at a job well done.
  • I am thankful that my sister stayedwith us this summer.  It was great having family out in Omaha and she pulled us out of our cocoon of comfort because the wife and I don't mind being boring, but we can't have my little sister thinking we're boring.  We went to concerts, tried different restaurants, went to baseball games, and took the dog to the lake and state park.  It was also awesome that our being in Omaha allowed the Sis to work at a very fine contemporary art studio as an intern.  
  • I am thankful to have a great political sparing partner in my brother-in-law.  At his blog, he has started putting out policy proposals, which I challenge him over, but I feel the need to make my own counter proposals so as to not just be the grumpy, anti-government curmudgeon sitting on the sidelines throwing stones.  I need to actively defend and explain my beliefs. 
  • I am thankful that we were able to move to a better part of town and live in a modern home.  This summer the wife and I moved from our Mid-Town duplex to a home in west Omaha.  The neighborhood is much, much nicer, and the house is not drafty and old.  It also has a half-basement which is the perfect place for the pup to hang out while we are at work.
  • I am thankful for technology.  This past year, I joined Facebook and Twitter, and started blogging.  I doubt that I ever would have done this had we not moved away from home.  These online places allow me to be connected with my family and friends no matter where we are.  I have also reconnected with some old friends, which never would have happened had these sites not existed.
  • I am thankful to have experienced one of the greatest golfing years ever.  I got to play weekly at an amazing course for free.  I played in three tourneys.  I created my perfect bag of clubs.  My golf goal is to work my handicap down to under 10 next year.  I also want to play as many different courses in the area before we leave.
  • I am thankful that our basement is so awesome.  Half of the basement is our two-car garage.  The other half is a family room.  I have a place for my drum set and the wife has a place for her treadmill.    But what makes this room the great room, is that it is the perfect set up for a home theater.  We bought a digital widescreen projector, which throws nearly 100 inches of picture onto our wall.  We also have our surround sound system set up, which provides the most amazing home movie experience we've ever experienced.  This has also lead me to start playing my PS2 football games again, which has been nice now that the weather and shorter days have limited my golfing.
  • I am thankful for my awesome parents and in-laws.  The wife and I would definitely not be where we are today without their support and guidance.  I can't wait to see them this Christmas.
  • I'm thankful for all the visitors the wife and I have had this year.  We've had my sisters, parents, in-laws, wife's cousins, my cousins, and my wife's lifelong friend all come to visit.  I has been fun trying to find new ways to entertain our guests.  It has lead us to find countless new restaurants, which we've enjoyed.  
  • I am thankful that I got to see the Dave Matthews Band in Des Moines with my cousins, and that I saw Mat Kearney with both of my sisters, and OAR w/ Brett Dennen, and The Script with my sister who stayed with us this summer.  It was a great year for concerts and for music.   
  • I am thankful for five years of marriage to an amazing woman.  To celebrate this milestone, my wife and I went on our first cruise.  Also, my mom and dad had their 30th wedding anniversary, and my wife's mom and step-dad were celebrating their 5th anniversary, so we made it a family event and all 6 of us went cruising.  Our trip took us to San Diego, Catalina Island, and down into Baja, Mexico.  We had a great time.  The wife and I also made a trip out to Colorado over Labor Day weekend where we and my siblings suprised my parents with a weekend in Estes Park to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.  It was a great year for marriages.
  • I'm thankful that I was fortunate enough to be able to watch one of my high school classmates, Luke Hochevar, compete in professional baseball this past season.  He started the season with the Triple-A Omaha Royals.  It was such a treat to be able to head down to the ball field and watch him compete at a high level.  And no one tries harder to get you to have a fun time than a minor league ball club.  $1 beer nights and $1 hotdog nights were my favorite.  When Luke got called up to the big league, I was able to go to five of his Kansas City Royals games and watch him pitch against the best of the best.  Also, sports related, I am unthankful for the thunderstorms that ruined the one drag racing event I was able to go to this year to watch my cousin race. 
  • I am thankful that my mother-in-law loves me so much that she would pack four Pass Key Specials in her carry-on luggage when they came to visit us.
  • I am thankful that I have been able to raise $226 for prostate and testicular cancer research during Movember, and that my team has raised over $500.
  • I am thankful that I have a stable job and a steady paycheck and get to work with some really great people.
You get the idea.  I know I'm forgetting countless things I am thankful for, which shows me how blessed I really am, and for that I am thankful. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

1 comment:

  1. This list is the perfect example of why you are such a great guy. You love the simple things in life and appreciate that you have them. I love that. -Rach

    ReplyDelete