Giving of Thanks...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it seems only fitting that I write a blog about the things I am thankful for, with an AmeriCorps lens, of course.  So, in no particular order, the things I am thankful for:

1.  My teammates, who are all "squares"
2.  My family, who loves me enough to buy me a $600 plane ticket home for Christmas and has not nagged my broke ass yet about repayment...
3.  My cat, who seems to be maintaining the level of bizarreness that drew me to her in the first place
4.  My dog, who looked extra dopey, yet excited, to hear my voice on skype today
5.  The Thanksgiving dinner that just graced my stomach, especially the fact that it wasn't bad like I had originally feared it would be
6.  My newly acquired towel flicking skills, a result of hostile kitchen encounters in 946
7.  The fact that I can turn my neck again and don't feel half as bad as I originally anticipated I would a few days ago, thanks to some intense sleep and a Z Pack
8.  The 24 some odd days that separate me from being home for the holidays (!!!)
9.  MY FRIENDS that send me cards, text me, call me, and read this blog... I think I would go crazy without you.  Seriously.  I love you all.
10.  The partial completion of my NYU Wagner application... more to come on that
11.  The football game that was FINALLY played today and was actually organized and a ton of fun
12.  The cheap moccasins I bought from Target that call my name every cold morning after PT
13.  The teachers at Larchmont that go above and beyond
14.  For not getting shot despite the lockdown and seemingly perpetual violence that occurs in the surrounding neighborhoods.  (I'm partially joking, but I'm also thankful to be safe, especially when so many others in this area are not.)
15.  For getting better at planning PT for my team and for improving my baseline scores (50 push ups, biddies!).
16.  For the 30,000 people that participated in the Run for the Hungry bright and early today and for the 10 out of those that actually listened to my crowd control directions.  But seriously, it's the largest Thanksgiving day race in America!
17.  For my sister, who gave me updates on the hour, every hour of all of the antics performed by my relatives and pets throughout the holiday.
18.  For the lack of snow in November and the thought of encountering it at Christmas.
19.  Our van, the silver surfer, rolling with the new back tire it gained this week and coming back to life after playing too much music for us, despite the truck helping us getting stuck and the jumper cables not working correctly the first time.
20.  For finally getting into AmeriCorps and having the opportunity to gain some new experiences, friends, traveling adventures, and street cred.

That is all for now, but there will be more to come soon.  The past few days have flown by, and we've had random service projects lately, since Larchmont has ridiculous amounts of vacation.  But, needless to say, Thanksgiving was lovely and I can't wait to find out what our next project will be and where... which will hopefully be occurring this week.  We shall see.  Time to give in to the tryptophan.