Turkey Bone Sculpture

It's already December, and our BIG Christmas tree is up, and our little Christmas tree is up. There are even lights on the outside of the house and list of cookies and goodies to bake. However, even the Christmas Holidays are about being thankful for all the things you have. So, is this a late Thanksgiving post? Sure. Is it corny? Absolutely. It's like the acceptance speeches at The Academy Awards. It probably reads that way, too.




These are a few of my "thankfulness" things (they're also my favorite things):

Stephen. Without him, I'd be either homeless or living in a tiny room at my parents house (no offense Mom and Dad, but having my "own" house is much better, for all of us!)

My "little" family. Stephen, Anya, Hamez, and I. That is my happy thought.

My parents. Rhonda picked a great couple to raise me, even if I spent most of my adolescence trying to convince them otherwise.

My extended parents. Sue, Sam, and Richard. I could NOT have gotten better in-laws. You guys are so great.

My sisters. Megan and Samantha. They are the best. The absolute best.

Okay, my entire family. Grandma Rao, Papap, Grandpa Tom and Grandma paula, Grandpa Greg and Grandma Karla, all of my Aunts and Uncles and super-awesome cousins. I'm especially thankful for the time I get with them, because it's never enough. And I'm thankful for the time I got with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Rao, because it wasn't enough, but I'm glad I at least got what I did. Some memories are better than none.

The Werner's - who are basically family.

My "old" friends. Hamez, Brittanie, Tracy, Brad, Rachel, Carl, Josh, Shayline, Kendalynne, Kent, Matt, Adam, and about a billion more. You guys have been my rocks, keeping me sane in this insane world.

New friends. Rachelle (Matt couldn't have picked a better wife), Aaron, Haley, Jeff, Tristan, Nicole, Nate. I knew when I married Stephen I'd inherit a family, but it never occurred to me the great friends I'd get, too.

All my other friends, new, old, the ones I talk to frequently, the ones I talk to infrequently. (And Cecil, without whom I probably would have failed grammar, and gone completely insane in all of our classes)

My dog. Sounds goofy maybe, but she's been my best friend since the awkward-pre-adolescent years and has done nothing but love me and keep me company. And make me laugh. She's the perfect companion.

My health. (Let's face it, even though I'm sick all the time, at least I don't have some incurable disease. It could be loads worse, at least I can hear and see and eat and move).

My ability to read, and my fantastic taste in literature. Weird, yes, but it gives me the escape I need that even movies can't provide.

I complain a lot (at least to Anya and Stephen) that a lot of the movies I really want to see I will never actually be able to see. I love silent films, but most of them are lost forever, and I tend to focus on the tragedy of that, when really, I should focus on the fact that I get to see any at all, that some of the ones I've seen on dvd are my favorite movies.

My awesome supervising teacher from student teaching. Going into it, I thought, "I probably won't like this, and will have to find another profession. I have no idea what I'm doing." I think without Dorell, I may not have liked teaching, let alone loved it and decided for sure it's what I'm going to do (if I ever get a job). At the time (a year ago, in fact), I was freaking out and upset because I didn't get placed at any of the schools I applied for. Little did I know that God had a bigger, and much better, plan by placing me with the best teacher ever. Who would not only become a fantastic mentor, but also a really great friend. I could never thank her enough for all the help she's given me.

All of the opportunities I've been given, in music, in writing, in school, in education, in my entire life. Pretty sure my life's awesome. Can't really be more thankful for anything else.

Also, I'm really thankful for the holiday season. It's my favorite.




Stephen's favorite things (aka his list of thankfulness - have no fear, I'm a much more condensed writer than Ness):


My WIFE!!! And my "little'' family. Hamez and Anya have been a nice addition to me and Nessa.

All of my family. Mom, Dad, and Sam (I'm so lucky to have such great parents). Jenny and Chad and my two awesome nieces and my soon-to-be-here-unnamed Nephew.

My extended family. Grandma, Aunt Sara, Uncle Bob, Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Steve, Zeb and Angie. And my in-laws. They're pretty cool.

My friends. Ness basically covered all of them - they're awesome. And I like that that they're friends with her, too.

Have a job - even if I don't like it all the time. At least I'm not stuck working at McDonald's or Walmart.

Vanessa having sub work and being really good at what she does.

The fact that progress is always being made on the house. I.E: water and ice in the refrigerator door :)



Anya's list of "thankfulness" (yeah, we went there):


Cows cows cows cows!

Nessa and Stephen.

Fuzzy blankets.

Cookies.

A backyard to run in without being on a chain.

Places in my house to sit and look outside all day long.






So, it being the Holiday season, we hope that you have as many things to be thankful for as we do - we sure are very lucky. We could both be homeless, or living in a tiny apartment, rather than this awesome house that my parents let us rent. Or we could be sick. Or about a billion other things.

We hope your Holiday season is as wonderful is ours is shaping up to be! It is, after all, the most wonderful time of the year. Don't believe me? Just ask Andy Williams.

Our "little" Family.

Love,
Vanessa, Stephen, and Anya