"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

This blog has been three days in the making. Between the baby and work, I didn't really have enough time to get this ALL done in one sitting. It was supposed to be a Thanksgiving post, but it's a few days late :)
I am going to warn you in advance that this blog is going to be epic. I have so many things to be thankful for, and I want to make sure I get most (for I can not get all, there isn't enough time or computer space) of those things.
I truly believe that I have to be one of the most (if not most) blessed people in the world. I have so much love, kindness, compassion and well wishes in my life, it is incredible. I don't ever have time or a reason to be sad, because I have all these wonderful things and people in my life. And now I would like to share with you all some of the (many many many) things I am thankful for in my life.

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." -  Elizabeth Stone


   The cheese to my macaroni, the bread to my butter, the key to my heart, the most beautiful baby girl in the world, my daughter Harlow Marie.
  I'm not sure if my life ever had meaning before I had her, I'm not sure how I ever had a moment of true happiness before I had her, I'm not sure how I ever felt joy in my life before I felt her kick or saw her face.  The moment I went from being just a normal, average run of the mill person to the highest title a woman can have, "Mother", was the day my life began. All I have ever wanted to be my whole life was a mother, and I finally had my chance. It didn't matter that I was young, it didn't matter that she wasn't planned, it didn't matter that I was going into my first pregnancy as a single parent. All that went through my mind was I finally had the one thing I had dreamed about since I was a little girl, and how someone must be looking down on me and smiling, as this was truly a gift and miracle from some higher power.
   I have never loved anyone or anything more deeply in my life. I have lost countless nights of sleep just so I could stay awake all night and watch her sleep. I would give absolutely ANYTHING for the safety, happiness, and well being of this little girl. And I would have from the moment I met her. It is TRULY amazing how much love you can have for someone you just met. If it's true what they say, that a baby chooses it's parents before it is born, then I am the luckiest woman alive to have gotten the child I did. She is perfect in every way, shape, and form, from the top of her fuzzy little head down to her ten tiny little toes and everywhere in between. Thank you for choosing me, thank you for choosing our family, and thank you for being exactly who you are. You are my life, you are my love, you are my dream, and I am so beyond happy and thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.  <3

"In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony." - Eva Burrows


If you ever wonder why I'm loud, outspoken, quirky, goofy, kind, hard headed, mouthy, independent, loving, or anything else, look at my family, and you will see where I get it from. Mostly women, (there are only tow men in my family, my Papa *grandfather* and my nephew) they are the strongest group of people I've ever met.  And also the most loving. You would be pretty hard pressed to find a family nowadays as close knit as we are. I am EXTREMELY thankful that I was raised by ALL of my family, because I picked up a few little personality traits from them all, which I love.
They are so loving, and supportive, I can't imagine what I would do without them. We've all been through so much together, and it has done nothing but made us stronger. We are always there for each other, no matter the time, no matter the situation, no matter what. Just a bunch of good, honest people, who would give you the shirt off their back any day of the week. And that attitude has shaped me into the person I am today. I will do anything for the people I love, and I know that comes from being raised by this fabulous group of people. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, and I know they feel the same about me. If what I said above about babies choosing their families is true, then I made the very best decision of my life <3

 

 

"That's what a friend is for, when your lost in darkness and searching for the light, to help you through those lonely nights, when everything around you fails just hold out your hand, and I'll come running, that's what a friend is for." -Marty Keith 

 

And last but CERTAINLY not least, my friends. And as you can see, there are a whole lot of them. These people are just way too amazing for words. The most amazing group of people I've ever had the privilege of calling friends. Most of them I've known since high school, maybe longer, and a few are new. Regardless, they are the most down to earth, honest, true people on the planet, and I am extremely lucky to have them. I've definitely had my share of flakey "friends"; "friends" who used me for my money, my car, "friends" who would constantly put me down and talk down to me, for whatever reason, "friends" who where never really friends at all. I can safely say that all those people are out of my life, (thank God!) and now I am only left with the good ones.
I truly believe that these people are my soul mates. I have never been one to think that you need a man or significant other to make you happy, and I know that if I can spend the rest of my life with these people and be just as happy as I am right now, then I will be perfectly fine with being single forever.
We are loud. We are outspoken. We are about as goofy as they come. We giggle like school girls over the dumbest things. We make obnoxious TV/Movie references at the most inappropriately appropriate times. We drink like Jersey kids. We dress depending on our moods. We dance like it's going out of style. We'll hold each others hair and earnings whenever the time calls for it. We can't keep anything from each other, no matter how stupid or ill planned that something was. We laugh at each other, we cry with each other. We are weekend warriors. We are machines. We are the happiest little clams on the planet, and nothing can bring us down.
We are who we are, and we are damn good at it.



That, ladies and gentlemen, is my epic Thanksgiving post. About three days too late, but better late then never right? Obviously I couldn't list EVERYTHING or EVERYONE I am thankful for, because I mean hey, this took three days, it would take me years to write one about everyone and everything I am thankful for! But this is a pretty good start, and I think I will post further on the things I am thankful for, even though it isn't Thanksgiving, because I am thankful for new things each and everyday :)

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was as good as mine was!