More Koolaid, Please

SO it's almost 7:00 p.m., and I feel like I should be doing something semi-productive with so many hours still left in this wonderful day. However, as you can see, I am sitting here on the computer instead.

I hope everyone has tons to be thankful for today. Friends, family, food, you name it- none of it should be taken for granted. Not only today, but the other 364 days of the year as well. Sometimes it's really hard to be thankful for things, isn't it? In the past year some pretty heavy stuff has happened to many people, and it's often very difficult to look back on the year and pick out the things you're fortunate to have. Just from reading my blog and knowing how whiney I am, I'm sure you're wondering what on earth I was able to come up with today. Well, let me make a list for you! (I like lists. I'm THANKFUL for lists.)
1.) I am so very thankful for my family. I consider myself so lucky to be part of a group that's so caring and welcoming. Even though our traditions have changed, and some of them have even been lost, we've stuck together and been strong when it wasn't very easy to. I love them all so much.
2.) My friends, oh, my friends. Where would I be without them? Too many things have happened to me in the past year that were hard to understand, and fortunately there have been several people who have been by my side the entire time. I owe them so much for what they have done for me and I'm so thankful that they're in my life.
3.) I'm very thankful that my parents chose to raise me here in Wausau. Even though there's not much to do here all the time, I've recently come to realize what I great childhood I have had because of where I live. And come to think of it, there are actually plenty of things to do here. Not so much along the lines of parties and clubs and whatever else teenagers look for, but we have beautiful parks and buildings and are fortunate to live in a city where things like that are plentiful.
4.) Going along somewhat with where I live, I'm thankful for my education and the school I go to. The new building is gorgeous and anyone that goes there to learn everyday is receiving a better education than most other high school students in this country. Living in WI where our quality of education is incredible, as well as attending a state-of-the-art high school, we really couldn't ask for anything more.
5.) I'm thankful for my past. Yes, all of it. I wouldn't be exactly where I am today if it weren't for every event that has happened in the past. And I'm certainly thankful for where I am today.

There is a much longer list than that, but those are the highlights. I was also thinking that Thanksgiving is the day to be thankful for what you discover on Leif Erickson Day. Because, you see, Leif Erickson discovered America, thus Leif Erickson Day, and then the Pilgrims all gave thanks together when they landed here, thus Thanksgiving. So there's a direct connection, plus the fact that I'm just really thankful for the discovery I made on that day, as well as what has come from it. Hopefully everyone participated in the whole discovery process and is able to share in that joy along with me. ;)

Well, with all that said, Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Hope the day has been great. REMEMBER TO BE THANKFUL!