Obligatory Thankgiving post

Brace yourself….. because today I did the unthinkable. It is exactly one day until Thanksgiving, I have three papers and two presentations all due within ten days, have yet to run/workout/or walk any farther than the refrigerator since Monday, I am behind on my workload (crossing my fingers my boss isn’t reading this), and I haven’t slept for more than five hours in weeks. I am seriously beginning to feel the pressure of EVERYTHING, and although I would love to demand (in my best diva voice) for the earth to stop spinning, I seem to be helpless when it comes to stopping time—even for a nano second.

So what did I do??? (Drum roll please….) . I shut my laptop, put a ball cap on my head, and took my three amazing (and totally bored with Thanksgiving break) kids to the zoo. To say it was a restful experience would be like comparing Mt. St. Helens to a party popper. The kids were loud. The zoo was hot. The traffic was insane, and at least 15 slug bugs drove by causing World War Three to erupt in the backseat.

All that considered, I wouldn’t change a thing about today. You see a year ago, Thanksgiving was a MUCH different story. Jim was overseas in Iraq, Anna had such a bad case of separation anxiety that they had to pry her off me at preschool drop off, and JD couldn’t stand to be alone—even for a second. All of us were struggling to find that elusive holiday magic, and Thanksgiving seemed like just another blip on the calendar that only served to remind us of all we were missing.

But that is thing about being thankful… sometimes you can’t see how truly blessed your life is until you realize just how meaningless it would be without the crazy madness of family. Kids add mayhem, fingerprints, and stretch marks to your life, but they also add bedtime stories, belly laughs, and a valid excuse to make rice krispee treats at two in the morning. Thanksgiving IS a time to be thankful, and I honestly believe that ALL of us can find something amazing to be grateful for.

I know I am. This year I am thankful for the soldiers who are finally home, and for the soldiers that still fight overseas. I am grateful for the chance to go back to school, and for the fact that I am not the only thirty-something trying to make a career change. I am thankful for the way my 5-year-old looks at me like I am the most important person in the world, and the fact that my son wholeheartedly believes that moms are more valuable than Bill Gates stock portfolio. I am thankful for friends and family, and the fact that a turkey is a damn ugly bird (so I have absolutely no guilt eating it). And believe it or not, I am thankful for the experiences—the good and the bad—of being a questionable sane Army Wife. The deployments, coffees, promotions, foxtrots with the senior grades, and the throw-backs with the junior grades—they have all helped shape the woman you see today.

(But I would really love the chance to be thankful for University of Texas destroying (or at least not losing by more than 8) Texas A&M on Thanksgiving Day too… and so would my tuituion)

(If only all days were THIS perfect....)