Thankful.

What am I thankful for?

• Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, Brussels sprouts sauteed with shallots, stuffing, garlic-mashed potatoes with gravy, popovers, and desserts.
• Family: eccentric, loud, bossy, loving, funny, encouraging--my teachers, my coaches, my cheerleaders, my listeners, my protectors, my roots.
• Friends: my comedians, bodyguards, chauffeurs, sisters, big brothers--the ones who send me flowers when I'm sick, who laugh at my tales of bad dates, who answered my tearful late-night phone calls, who dance with me to the oldies, who let me pick out their clothes, who anticipate my PBR needs, who let me be the little spoon, who teach me the ways of the world, who weed out the bad ones, who have brought out in me the person who was hidden under wraps for far too long.
• 2009's big events: good or bad, they shook me out of the slump I didn't know I was in. They have helped me be stronger, louder, skinnier, more confident, more passionate, more self-aware, more everything.
• Charleston: a city filled with beautiful houses, warm sand, ghost stories, ocean views, wild thunderstorms, delicious food, magical friends, cobblestones, art, heat waves, cute boys, and pirates.
• Miscellaneous: Henry Cavill, thrift stores, dark chocolate Reese's cups, the way Maya looks when her lip catches on her teeth, the internet (namely Google and Wikipedia), Anthropologie, my bed on weekend mornings, Sunday brunch, stories that make me laugh until my stomach aches, letters, great works of fiction, poems that make me dizzy, music and those who create it, people who appreciate my nose, strong coffee, and more little and big things than I can put into words.

Happy Thanksgiving.