Giving Thanks

Somehow, I was able to slip away from slaving in the kitchen with my mom in order to spend a few minutes thinking and writing about what I am thankful for this year :)

I have so much in my life to be thankful for. My husband, my daughter, my family and friends, my job, pretty much everything.

I am thankful for my daughter, Brooklyn Marie. She brightens up my days and makes me smile when I am at my lowest. She has such a big heart and always teaches me things, makes me stop and notice the little things in life... the little things that most adults will walk by every single day and not even notice. My favorite time with her is at the end of my work day, when I come to pick her up... for the 15-20 minutes in the car ride home, we sing and dance to our favorite songs on the radio. She allows me to be a kid again, even on the days that I am stressed out the most. She has such a huge personality, such a great sense of humor. Yesterday, she told me that she is missing her grandpa in heaven. I told her I missed him too, and she said, "He misses you too mommy, and he is in heaven looking all over for you because he wants to see you." That made my heart melt, it really made my day. She drives me crazy sometimes but I truly am grateful for every single second I get to spend with her, learning from her. I just wish she would stop growing so fast!!!

I am thankful for my husband, although we have only been married for 7 months and stress has pretty much been at 200% for the past 7 months, I know we will get through it as we always have for the past 5 1/2 years. He is the love of my life, my soulmate. The person who keeps me laughing even when I want to hate him... It is never a dull moment in our household just because of him. I am able to make jokes and laugh with him and not have a care in the world. And, at the end of every day, I still fall asleep in his arms... even if I do roll over as soon as I fall asleep and sleep with my back to him for the rest of the night. Ha ha ha ha ha. 

I am thankful for my parents, without their love and support I would not be here today. My dad is not here with us anymore, but I know he is looking down and smiling every day... I know I am making him proud and that certainly keeps me going :) And my mom, although we have had our ups and downs, is always there for me; especially in these past few months that I have been in North Carolina. I am thankful that she still lets me go food shopping in her fridge and cabinets when we have no food in our house... ha ha ha.

 I am thankful for my family... MOST of them have been there for me for as long as I can remember. My cousins Chris, Staci, and Jessie, who are at times like brother and sister to me. Chris was the one who always kept me busy during the summer when I came to visit, with trips to Canada, Six Flags, and my favorite place... the Jersey Shore. I will never forget my summers with him.... we always had a blast. Staci; my maid of honor, and Brooklyn's godmother... and my new goddaughter Cierra who I cannot wait to meet. Words cannot express the love that I have for you and your family, and I cannot wait for you to be closer. And my godmother Jessie, who although I am not as close to, I think it is just because we are so far away from each other. I truly wish I could I could spend more time with you and your family, I miss you more than words can say. I have tons and tons and tons of family.... and I really cannot name every single member... but this post would not be complete without mentioning my cousin Christian. We have had our ups and downs.... hell, when you were born I decided that I did not like you and I kept to that promise for a very long time, ha ha ha. But over the years we have truly grown close to each other, and my life would be incomplete without you in it. I love you and I fully support every single thing you do, because I have faith in you and I know that you are meant to be someone in this world. There are times that I disagree with you... but I let you know, and I am always there to give you my advice and opinion, whether you ask for it or not... ha ha ha.

I am thankful for my friends, some of whom are always there for me day or night. My friends truly showed their loyalty earlier this year with my wedding, both my bridesmaids and non-bridesmaids were there for my every single call, and really did everything in their power to help me make my day special. They endured my freak outs, my attitude, my bitch fests... LOL.... and I thank all of them for it. Samantha, the past year has brought us closer than friends; we have become sisters and I wouldn't have it any other way. I wish we talked more, I wish I could see you more.... Hopefully one day you will get your butt up here and be as happy as we are in our little country town. Steph and Joha, you girls are like my other two sisters. All of you knew Tj before you knew me, but yet you took me in like you knew me forever. You have always been there for me and have always stood behind me when it came to Tj... Lol, Sam, Steph, and Joha would be the first ones to fuck him up if he did something wrong. We are a family and I wish we were all closer and could spend more time together, I wouldn't have it any other way. And my Nathan... even though he loves Tj more than me, he DOES ask for me from time to time lol and I love him more than anything <3 My future son in law right there ha ha ha. And I am thankful for all my other friends who I couldn't even begin to mention, because I would be here all day explaining what each of you have done for me over the past few years. The true friends know who they are <3 I love you!!!

I am thankful for the Android operating system, without it I don't know how I would survive. My Dell laptop which has taken a hell of a beating, my UGG boots, my Bella girl, Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Pinnacle Whipped Vodka and Godiva White Chocolate Liquor which is keeping me feeling pretty good right now, Facebook, White Chocolate Kit Kats, my hair straightener, GPS; without it I would be lost. My mom's cooking, my zebra blankie, my comfy pillow, Drake and Lil Wayne, country music, and many many more things that I don't feel like naming right now. 

Back to slaving in the kitchen some more... as if I haven't cooked enough today ha ha ha...

OH! Here's what's on the menu for today, from breakfast to snacks to dinner:

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Chips w/ 4 Layer Dip

Creamy Deviled Eggs...

(made a lil different w/ Ranch and cream cheese)

Roasted Turkey

Glazed Ham

Mom's Homemade Stuffing

Mom's Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Mom's Homemade Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce...

(the jelly kind in the can... I don't care what you say, it is the best thing out there, period. Ha ha ha)

My Crescent Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheel Rolls

Peanut Butter Fudge

Baked Apple Pie w/ Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

Paula Deen Pumpkin Praline Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

And of course, lots and lots of Creamsicles for me with my beloved Pinnacle Whipped, Godiva Liquor, and orange juice... yummm

Can't wait for dinner... it's gonna be soooooo good. Mom's cooking beats anything I have ever had, and my new creations are gonna be a great addition :) After dinner it's straight to sleep for me.. gotta be back up at 9 tonight to start my shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Kayla <3