Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are doing something wonderful with family and friends today. Jesse, Mia, and I are going to my mom's for 28 pounds of turkey (!) with her, my stepdad, Jake, my uncle Howard, his wife Nancy and his son Dustin, stepbro Jeremy and his wife Krissy and her bro David, plus one of my mom's co-workers. I made a pumpkin cheesecake and I'm starting sweet potato casserole in a few minutes. The house will get warm from the fireplace, and the noise level will raise the roof, overall a perfect holiday at Mom's.

Every Thanksgiving morning I wake up and turn on the Macy's Day Parade excitedly, and every year I am disappointed. I don't care about celebrities and their latest pet project, and I really don't care about Broadway musicals that are going to fold in less than a year. I want to see the floats, the balloons, and the bands. Mia won't even watch the parade; it's too boring for her. I flip back and forth between CBS and NBC trying to avoid the worst of the non-parade stuff, but it's becoming a frustrating Thanksgiving tradition I may soon end.

No book review today; instead, I wanted to share a list of the things I am most thankful for this year.
10. Lower gas prices: I fueled up my van for under $50 yesterday!
9. My job. I really do love what I get to do.
8. My home. It's warm and safe, and I am so blessed to have so much more than many others all over the world.
7. My blog. I love what I get to do here every day. And yesterday, I purchased the domain name: www.christysbookblog.com so if you just type that in your addressbar, you'll come right here. How cool is that?
6. Healthcare in the US. As bad as it can be, and as expensive as it is, I am grateful to have more than many others. This next week, my family has four doctor appointments, and while it will cost big $$, I'm glad to know that Mia and Molly's eyes will be taken care of, plus both Mia and my RA. (Mia's having a flare-up, please say some prayers for her)
5. My friends. I have so many people who care about me, online and off, who ask me how I'm feeling and genuinely want the answer to the question. That's an awesome blessing.
4. My RA has been much better this last month. I've had a few flare-ups that send me to bed. BUT the laundry is done, the house is clean (other than the girls' bedroom, and I'm going to get to that), and I even made supper last night. It's been so amazing to serve my family again. Jesse has been very appreciative, and that helps too!
3. My family, especially my parents. I'd be completely lost without them.
2. Jesse and the kids. I don't have the older two kids today, their father always has them on Thanksgiving, and so the house and my heart feel a little empty. But Molly and I texted a bit this morning and last night. We're never far apart. Mia has decided that she is almost six, because Christmas comes right after Thanksgiving, and her birthday is right after Christmas (Jan. 31), her birthday is just around the corner. It's going to be a very long two months. Molly is so busy with school; I'm so very proud of her. And with Doogie, it feels like this is the last year of so much with him graduating in May. Every moment is a little more precious. And Jesse and I have been enjoying a renewal in our marriage. It's been a good month.
1. My God. I am so grateful for saving grace and for knowing that I can always turn to Him and lean on Him in everything. I've seen so many answered prayers recently: Jake was ok after being hit by a car, Johnny's clean bill of health from cancer, relief from my pain. If you aren't already relying on God's strength, consider it today. He will never let you down.

Today's picture is from Halloween. The local photographer took pictures of kids during trick-or-treating to help get the word out about his new business. Full disclosure: His name is Mike Kallies, and he's my older two kids' uncle. He does absolutely amazing work. I can't wait to show off the senior pics he took of Doogie. Check out his site and click on senior; you can see some of them there on pages three and four.

Have a Happy Turkey Day!