The thanks I give.

Here we are again: the last few months of the year that usually fly by in a flurry of travel and food and loved ones. It's always nice to take stock of what I'm thankful for, and so here I am. I'm thankful for the opportunity to explore so many different hobbies, for a boyfriend who's supportive of me and who's allowed me to take over the second room in our apartment with all of my stamps and fabric and yarn. I'm thankful for a job that I enjoy, people that I love working with and for, and a company led by someone I support. I'm thankful for the past three days off, for the rest of this week off, for the rest and the company and the productivity I've enjoyed. I'm so thankful for the security of my work and the flexibility of it all.

I'm thankful for all of the usual things: friends, a home, family, my job, living in a city and a neighborhood that I love, books, baked goods, coffee, my sewing machine, my You've Got Mail DVD. I'm thankful for a boyfriend who loves laying head to toe with me on the couch covered in the big duvet from our bed, reading or watching Freaks and Geeks and tickling each other's feet. I'm grateful for friends who introduce me to other wonderful people just when I'm feeling in a rut, as if they knew. I'm thankful for friends who meet up with me for a random lunch on a weekday, for friends who invite me over for wine and always make the trek out to our not-so-convenient apartment to help me make cookies or sit quietly while I work from home. I'm thankful for a sister and brother-in-law who make it a priority to keep me updated on my niece and nephew's lives, to make sure my face is a face they recognize, their laughter is a regular sound for me. I'm thankful for the technology that makes that possible. For Mike's family, for how welcoming they are, and how they're very existence has eased the distance between me and my own family.

And right now, most of all, I'm thankful for the cinnamon pull-apart bread that will be in my oven shortly. Safe travels to everyone!