Thankful Thursday--December 29

I can't believe this is my last Thankful Thursday post of 2011.  When I started this whole categorized blogging experiment in February, I didn't realize that Thankful Thursdays would be the day I fully embraced.  I'm so glad I have, though.  When I look back at the things I've expressed thankfulness for this year, they range from the mundane to the deeply meaningful.  J pops up more than once, but I suppose he should, shouldn't he?  I've been thankful for each of my jobs this year at some point or another, and as the year ends, I continue to be thankful for each opportunity to earn money that has presented itself this year.  I'm thankful for my talents, and for those times when others recognize them (and really, especially so when they pay me for them.). While I'm not certain what form the MP will take in the new year, I think it's safe to say that Thankful Thursdays will continue.  I appreciate the structured opportunity to take a minute each week and reflect on what (and who) has been most meaningful to me that week.

So this week, I'm thankful for the many family members and friends J and I were able to spend Christmas with.  We saw all of our parents, many of our dear friends, all of J's nieces and nephews, as well as some of the surrogate nieces and nephews we are blessed to have in our lives (with two more to go this weekend).  In addition to spending time with those we love, J and I were blessed with some pretty awesome Christmas gifts, too.  We're pretty lucky.

I'm thankful, too, for a week off.  I knew when I went back to W-S for the holidays that I was signing on for a busy 6 weeks or so, and that I may be without much time off.  I don't think I realized just how busy I would be or just how few days off I would have in December (let's just say there were only one or two days and those came in the first week of the month).  As a result, I spent much of the month wishing it away and focusing on getting through Christmas.  While I wished those days away, I'm reveled in these days off--three whole days with practically nothing to do have been especially appreciated.  I start working myself back into the whole work thing today, but it is with a renewed appreciation for my job(s)!

Finally, this week I'm thankful for you.  I don't know who most of you are, since you're not commenters, but I love checking in on the stats page and seeing that you exist or hearing you mention something I posted about in conversation.  Thanks for reading and for caring about happens in our little corner of the world.

What are you thankful for this week?