Pressing the Rewind Button.

There's no better time to be thankful for your blessings then on the last day of the year. 2009 was a tough year, but there are sooooooooo many things to be thankful for. I will not name ALL my blessings one by one, but I'll sum it up to the best of my ability:

I am thankful for my family. Although this is the first holiday season my family is not geographically complete, I am glad that distance does not stop my family from being a family. We laugh, we talk, and we laugh some more. I am also thankful for today's technology, which allows us to stay in touch, whether we are meters or miles apart. I am blessed to be part of this family, and at the end of the day, there is nowhere else I'd rather be but home.

I am thankful for my niece and nephew. Yes, they are technically part of the family, and I have already expressed how thankful I am to have them--but these two little runts are always the highlight of my day. I am fascinated by how much they can change on a daily basis, how quickly they learn new tricks, and what amazing people they are already turning out to be at such young ages. Because of these two babies, I am more appreciative of life and its wonders :)

I am thankful for friends. As you get older, you gain some friends, but you also fall out of touch with the others. 2009 was pretty much a year of renewing and solidifying old friendships. Yay for that! :)

I am thankful for lessons learned in 2009. I've made some drastic life choices, and I do not regret them. I believe that I am in more tune with myself than I have ever been--and this is something I truly consider an accomplishment.

I am thankful that I have had time to read more books (which I have really missed doing), and that although I am no longer employed full time, I can still afford to purchase these books--and have the occasional salmon sashimi!

And last but definitely not the least, I am thankful for another year with JV. I am even more thankful, because I KNOW that there are many, many, many more years with JV to come :)

Bring it on, 2010!

Happy new year! :)