As Thanksgiving rolls around today, I find that I have many, many things to be thankful for. I typically just create a list, but I think I'd like to write a bit more this year. So, I'll keep the list, but make it a bit shorter and expand a bit. I hope everyone takes some time today to think about the things they are thankful for.
1 - I am very thankful for my fiance Kate. She is smarter than me, better looking than me, and generally more pleasant to be around. I love her very much, and am eagerly anticipating Thanksgiving 2013, when instead of a "fiance," she will be a "wife."
2 - I am also very thankful for my family - my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousins and assorted other relatives. They are continually supportive of me as I enter adulthood, and are ready to tell me the right thing to do, even if its not what I want to hear.
3 - I'm thankful for my five brothers - Benjamin, Michael, and Kris (the manboys), and Scott and Josh. I will be very honored to have all five present at my wedding in October as groomspeople, and am looking forward to many good times both before and after. They are not just friends, they are family.
4 - I am thankful for the new house Kate and I own in South Minneapolis. It is beautiful, with a quaint backyard (note - perfect for summer parties...), more than enough space, a Dylan themed kitchen dining area, and an ugly ass Miami Vice wolf hanging over a bar. Doesn't get much better than that.
5 - I'm thankful for Basil, our new greyhound. He is incredibly nosy, very needy, and unkempt. He has taken all my money to pay for his licenses, multiple giant dog beds, toys, food, and treats, not to mention the Bissel "Spotbot Pet" cleaning robot to clean up the piss he deposited on my beautiful mod rug (I could have had a robot that made me a gin and tonic - instead I have this...). He wakes me up at 5:30 for no particular reason, steals my shoes, and barfs on the floor. Love him anyways.
6 - I'm thankful that I still have the opportunity to play the trombone. Although it is not as much as I may like, I get the same joy out of it that I did at Luther College.
7 - I am thankful for having a job as an attorney. Sometimes it is difficult to remember, but I am leaning a lot and developing the skills that I will need in whatever comes in the future.
8 - I'm thankful to live in a city that values alternative, healthy transportation, and makes it easy and fun to get around by bike. Work seems so much better when I know I can ride to and from on the Midtown Greenway. I'm thankful that due to this great cycling infrastructure, I have biked nearly 1,000 miles so far this year.
9 - I'm thankful for my good health.
10 - I'm thankful for hot summer days and nights spent watching my beloved Twins at beautiful Target Field with good friends, a Surly Bandwagon in one hand and a polish sausage in the other. I would be even more thankful if the Twins could add some starting pitching...
11 - Speaking of, I'm thankful for good beer enjoyed amongst friend. What a perfect simple pleasure.
12 - I'm thankful for my new family members - Kate's parents, sister, brother in law, and then too many random other relatives to count. I felt very fortunate to have been invited on their summer trip to Yellowstone, and I very much enjoyed seeing the natural wonders and getting to know them all a little bit more. I'm thankful that Kate's dad always makes steak for every meal, because I'm typically too cheap to buy it otherwise.
13 - I'm thankful for having been able to see Bob Dylan perform in person. Through whatever else, the power of his words and music are unchanging.
14 - I'm thankful for the continued community at Christus Victor Lutheran Church, and the ability to serve as a council member/trombonist for hire. The folks there have supported me since I was very young, and they even supported me as I struck out to end to the 2012 God Squad fall softball season.
15 - I'm thankful for the time Kate and I spend at Timberwolves games. It has been fun becoming basketball fans together, and I'm thankful for how nice and pleasant the Timberwolves staff has been to us. I'm also thankful that Kevin Love is returned from his hand injury...
16 - I'm thankful that the marriage and voter ID amendments were defeated in Minnesota. I will be even more thankful when all my friends will enjoy the same civil rights as I do.
17 - I'm thankful for all my friends, be they from high school, Luther, Hamline Law, or elsewhere.
18 - I'm thankful for coffee - what a delicious beverage.
19 - I'm thankful for the cold weather. I'll be more thankful once the snow falls, and I can (hopefully) get some more skiing in this year.
20 - I'm thankful that I got to fulfill a long time dream to spend a few days in Fort Myers at Twins spring training. We had a great time doing nothing at the beach, watching baseball, and eating and drinking together.
21 - I'm thankful for the memory of my grandma, who passed away this past March. I always remember her kindness and humbleness. Her last words to me were asking if the Twins won.
22 - I'm thankful for tacos.
23 - I'm thankful for long drives with the windows down, and the radio turned up.
24 - I am thankful to live in Minnesota, which is such a great community with so many enriching things to do and see.
25 - On that note, I'm thankful to have spent a day this past June with two of my favourite people at Rock the Garden, enjoying being alive.
So, there you have it. Certainly not an exhaustative list, but I think I hit the big points.
Hope everyone has a very nice day - happy Thanksgiving.
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