simple blessings...

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
My holiday has officially begun, as I took a personal day today to stay home and cook and prepare for Thanksgiving at our home this year! Mom and Dad B will be here from Chicago later today, and then my parents will be over tomorrow. Shopping and relaxing, my work Christmas Party at Watermark CC, and and heading up to Ludington with my side (parents, sister Annie & husband Kyle, niece Emma & nephew Luke) to cut down the Christmas Tree are all on tap.
Some of my fellow bloggers have taken a moment to list what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving, and I was inspired to do the same - so here is my list of what I am thankful for...

*My husband, Kevin and the home we have created in our awesome neighborhood in Caledonia.
*My family, including my 5 nieces and nephews - Alexander, Lindsay, Emma, Syndey, and Luke who all keep my fridge decorated with pictures. And my "disney family"
*My dog, Koda and more importantly Animal Rescue Sanctuaries (we rescued Koda from the Illinois Cocker Spaniel Rescue, who saved him from being put down)
*My church and our small group.
*The company I work for - Creative Dining Services - and my co-workers, and my staff at Calvin College.
*The medical community!
*My circle of friends, that I swear gets bigger every day with reconnecting through blogging and cyberspace. What an amazing blessing to be able to stay in contact even though we are miles away and support one another.
*living in America... we have two family members overseas right now fighting for what we have.

Wow. Such a simple list, talk about getting back to the basics. I think I need to print this out and keep it with me throughout the Holiday season when there is so much pressure to spend money and out perform one another. It is so easy to get drawn in to the "Black Friday" hype and ads.
I read a great article "Gifts Gone Wild" (click for link to read) in Woman's Day last night. Now, it was easy for me to read and "get" because I don't have little ones making lists and counting down the days until Christmas to open presents. But, I know from my friends that are parents that this is an issue and is so easy to get out of control and spend, spend, spend... Actually, the entire magazine was devoted to getting back to the basics and not giving into the over-consumption and consumerism. I think I need to save this for the one day we will experience that, because this article put it in perspective.
Now, I think I need to give my mom a call and ask what the heck she was thinking getting those cabbage patch kids for my sister and I during Christmas 1986...I don't think I ever asked her (or thanked her for what she must have gone through) how she and my grandma nailed those, on a "Black Friday" none the less... and there was no eBay back then!
Happy Thanksgiving...