gratitude 2011

I confess....I am compulsively early.  In college, it was pretty much the norm to be late and I recall one friend saying she tried really hard to be on time w/ me because she knew being 10 minutes late meant I'd been there for 20.  In one organization, they told people to put "1:50" on their calendars for a 2PM meeting.  They told me to put 2:10.

So, a pre-turkey gratitude post.  I am focusing on the past 12 months rather than just the world in general so don't expect the more general "having food to eat" stuff.  I AM grateful for such things, but I want a more specific focus.  And bullet-points.

In 2011, I am grateful for:

• Finding MM.  There's so much I could put here but I'm gonna limit myself and go with the moment I said I was jealous of the backrub he was giving the host at a NYE gathering and the "Don't worry, you're next" response.  We'd talked a bit earlier in the evening and the first kiss didn't come till the next night (we go with 1/1 as the official marker...the backrub was well after midnight) but that's when it really started.
• My mom "letting" me go to move in with MM even though it was crazy fast but more because I know she and my step-dad would always take me back in if it hadn't worked.
• My dad for answering all the million medical questions and for him and my step-mom babysitting me when I first got out of the hospital.
• My bones for growing.  I see horror stories of surgeries failing and knowing that bone growth was happening was a relief.  Hopefully next year I'll be grateful for being "fully fused" (i.e. the bones have grown all the way and the surgery was a success) and for the pain being a memory.
• Centre County, PA.  Despite the press deluge on our area recently, I really like it here.  It is such a friendly place...our mail-lady chased us down so I didn't miss a package once and several people came to help when my car got stuck after some snow. 
• Fireballs.  Yes, they make the list.  Think jalapeno poppers but in pizza dough.
• Risotto Cakes.  I'll stop at two food nods.  MM uses credit card points for Omaha Steaks orders and we added these since I'm not a big red meat gal.  They are freakin' awesome.
• A home treadmill. Yes, it is an odd one to include (though pairs well with the food), but I really love having it. It has been especially helpful in recovery since going to the gym and being able to only do a slow walk would have been even harder for me and having full cable (only about 10 channels at my gym and obv do have to consider other folks) is really helpful when I'm on the "long and slow" route.
• Electric fireplaces.  I've never had one before and didn't really "get" the concept but it totally keeps the living area warm without turning up the oil heat.  It is pretty too....not quite the same as a "real" fire but it also avoids having to leave the flue open and losing heat after plus it is super easy. 
• The fact that I can say I have been paid to write.  It isn't fancy, just ghost-writing for an attorney's blog (personal injury focus but also branching out) and the style is dictated by the forum, but it totally still counts.
• People who actually read my blog.  Love that the number of followers went up a bit and know other folks click over from FB or use blog reader apps. 

I inevitably think of other things to say after I hit post.  No promises that I won't come back and edit.  But I'll throw in a catchall and note that I'm thankful for the things and folks I've found in the past year that enrich my life and I think the best things are sometimes the ones we don't even think to list.