Happy Belated Thanksgiving

So, I was super busy over the weekend, I couldn't blog a Thanksgiving/gratitude post like I wanted until now.

I hosted my immediate family's Thanksgiving celebration for the first time ever, now that we are in a home big enough, with enough furniture and dishes to handle my family size. It was exciting, fun, scary, chaotic, and I'd love to do it again so I'm doing Christmas for Sean's family at our house this year as well. My first turkey was given the thumbs up, of course I did have mom on the phone for a bit and then hovering to help the last hour of cooking : ) My mom and sisters all brought dishes to help out, which they ended up partially preparing at my place and my new, large kitchen all of a sudden seemed small. It was a little like bumper cars because no one knew where all the dishes and utensils were, which we all have memorized in mom's kitchen, but it worked and dinner was great! The kids were also a handful, being in a new place they hadn't been yet, with a kitty that they are both fascinated with yet terrified of, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with them, as I always do.

We also celebrated Sean's birthday on Friday at Flea Whiskey's, playing some pool, as well as at both our Thanksgiving gatherings, as per usual. Thank goodness, because otherwise we would have 2 desserts for his birthday and then 2 again for Thanksgiving!

There was only one damper on the weekend. We got a call early Sunday morning about Sean's brother Scott, who has an evening/weekend part time job delivering pizzas, and the night before, Saturday around 9 pm, he was jumped - robbed of the pizza money (none of his possessions were stolen) and beaten very badly. His cheek bone is broken in 4 places and they almost thought he may need facial reconstruction. This is just another in a string of bad luck he's had over the last few years and it's amazing he's still such a survivor, we almost wish he wouldn't be/act so tough some times.

So on that note, here is my list of things I am so very grateful for this year (in no particular order):
Scott's health and safety - that his wounds did not require surgery, they just require time to heal, and that he didn't lose his life or his car/possessions in the robbery
Our Family - it is great to be surrounded by family that gets along so well, we enjoy each other's company and time we get to spend with each other, and who we can rely on and draw support from during the hard times
My Hubby Sean - my husband rocks, I have been given so many reminders of how much he means to me and does for me, and I am learning every day what marriage is supposed to look like, and how deep love can grow, when the decision is made to let God work on it with us. I look forward to every morning I get to wake up and face the world with Sean, especially knowing no matter what happens we will be falling asleep in each other's arms every night.
Our Home - I am constantly reminded of how God has blessed us with this perfect home, the timing was impecable from the sale of our home, to the offer on this one, to the changing market and mortgage rates, everything worked out in our benefit and we are so blessed. We now have the home we've always wanted, where we can feel comfortable having lots of friends and family over, hosting events/meals, having room to expand our family if that's what God blesses us with. And it's a home we could immediately settle in to without a lot of work, all the work is purely cosmetic for our own tastes/comfort. Not only did we end up with our perfect house but God took care of us financially, between the sale and purchase of our homes, the only debt we have is our mortgage and our lease, we were able to put a big chunk down on our new home and have savings to spare. We are honored God has heaped all these blessings on us.
My Job - I love what I do, I love that I get to be the administrative wizard who gets to help people every day doing the things I'm good at, and they appreciate me!
My Admin Assistant - who was finally offered the job on Tuesday and is signing the offer letter as we speak....and she just so happens to be a friend! It will be so great working with her, not only because she's a great friend but because I know we will be an awesome team, she will be someone I can really rely on
Our Friends - people who have always been there to share life with, even after times of busyness and being incommunicado, we can always pick up right where we left off. Some move away and others move back, but the encouragement, support, caring, laughter and love are never far away. We are especially glad our friend Ben will be leaving the army in a matter of months and will never have to go to war again.
My Country - the election this year may have been deemed a 'complete waste of time' by some but this election really spoke to me this time, about why I should be grateful to live in Canada. First of all, I am grateful I have the right to chose who is going to govern most of the things that will affect my life; the economy, the laws/justice, freedoms, finances, our environments, education, health care, etc. Second of all, I am grateful for some of the silly squabbles between our parties, because our main concerns are not genocide, famine, extreme poverty, huge populations ravaged by easily treated diseases, a war torn country, dictatorship, violations of human rights, etc.
My God - who never gives up pursuing a perfect relationship with me, no matter how imperfect I am, He never lets me feel guilty or unworthy, He always reminds me He loves me the way I am and just encourages me to draw nearer to Him. He has changed me so much over the last year, both inside and out, changes I've tried to make on my own for ages, changes I didn't think I had needed to make, and He has made my life so much more healthy, fulfilling and enjoyable, despite being in limbo about motherhood. There would be nothing to be grateful for without Him.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and an opportunity to reflect on all the blessings in your own life!