Forever thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Today I'll be spending the day with my family, enjoying lots of food and of course, football.  I'm excited for Aubrey to spend some time with her cousins and to just relax for a change.  For that, I am VERY thankful. This past year has been a trying year for both T and me, but it has also been a blessed year.  We started the year celebrating Aubrey's one-year birthday in February, celebrating with family and friends.  We've watched her grow into such a big girl these past few months, and it has been so much fun despite the periodic days of "terrible twos."  She has changed so much and learned so much.  I love spending time with her singing and playing, and hearing the words "mommy" and "daddy" never grow old.  I am excited to see what year two will bring us. T and I have begun taking more time for "us" this past year, recognizing that we had quickly become only parents and forgetting where the "we" came from before Aubrey.  We have been fortunate to have family and babysitters to help us so that we could go out and be together.  I look forward to our yearly "night on the town," thanks to my sister for watching Aubrey over night.  We've been able to join our church's marriage ministry and make a lot of friends along the way. I am thankful for the friends, old and new, that I have.  I am thankful for certain friendships which have started and grown this year.  I am forever grateful for the support, laughter and love I receive through these people. While this past year has been rough as I have gone through ups and downs in terms of money and career, I am grateful for where I am now, the decision I have made and the changes I have made in my attitude and motivation with this choice.  I am also thankful for the numerous opportunities I have been given in terms of writing, which, in turn has brought me back to my passion of writing as well as the ability to contribute more financially to my family.   I am thankful for my husband, his love, his friendship and his continued support in everything I do.  I appreciate his encouragement and for being my biggest supporting and being by my side during those rough times.  I am thankful for his joy and happiness in the "up" times.  I am thankful he is such a wonderful father to our daughter.  And I am thankful that no matter what, he loves me unconditionally and with his whole heart.   So I do have a great deal to be thankful for this year.  And it's not just the minor things I mentioned yesterday in my random post.  No, all of those small things come together into one thing - my life.  I am blessed, and forever and always I will be thankful. This post has been linked up to the weekly Spin Cycle brought to you by Gretchen at Second Blooming and Ginny Marie at Lemon Drop Pie.  Click on the picture and see what others have to share!  And Happy Thanksgiving!