Giving Thanks.

Things I’m thankful for this year (in no particular order):


1. My parents. Over the last two years, it has really hit me exactly how much my parents have sacrificed for me…how hard they have worked to provide for me the things their parents could not. Together, they put my brother and me through private school from the time we were 2 until we finished the 8th grade. They are currently putting me through a 4-year university undergraduate education. My mom went back to school and got her Masters in order to make sure the rest of my family could still function while doing so. My parents have come to my school on two occasions simply because I needed them to. The second time they drove 3 hours to get there, since all of the freeways were closed due to the fires. The sacrifices are endless. When I grow up, I want to be the kind of parent for my kids that my parents are for me.

2. My brother. So I wrote a post a few weeks ago highlighting some of the things I love about my brother. But the list is endless. I love that he always acts so insensitive, but when it comes down to it, he has one of the biggest hearts I know. He knows how to add humor to every event. He knows how to show people he cares without actually saying the words. He gives the best hugs. He knows when something is wrong before almost anyone else. Of course, he understands all the mishaps within our family. He sees the good in everyone, but isn’t afraid to point out when you mess up. I am so lucky to be able to call my brother one of my best friends.

3. My best friend. It has been six years since my best friend and I met in that English Honors class our freshman year. Little did we know that peer editing those essays would lead to the best friendship of our lives. Over the last six years, we have helped each other through all of the fun stuff of growing up. She is the one who understands me when I don’t. The one who can tell all of my stories just as well as I can, and probably better. The one outside the family who has actually become a part of the inner-workings of the family. The one who has no problem asking me all of the tough questions. The one who has no problem leading me to all of the tough answers. The one who I cannot imagine my life without. I cannot imagine anyone else helping me through the rough-me-up-stuff the way she does. Her patience, her understanding, and her love have gotten me where I am today. Every day, I cannot believe that I am so blessed.

4. My older cousin. Growing up, we were not close at all. He is 10 years older than me. He was in high school and I was just a little brat. But as we’ve gotten older, we have become friends. He is one of the most amazing guys I know. He worked his way through school, spending three years at a community college before transferring to UCLA. He is now a sports writer for a local newspaper, covering UCLA and the Dodgers, and anyone else they ask him to cover. He has worked for everything he has ever been able to really call his own, which is a deep contrast from his little sister. He takes it all in stride. He cares deeply about everyone, and even when they treat him poorly, he repeatedly shows that he is the better man. Over the last year, our relationship has deeply changed for the better. When his little sister decided she was going to marry someone that none of us approve of, we needed each other. I was to be the maid of honor, and he was not even asked to be a part of the ceremony. Over the last year, we have both been taken for granted and treated remarkably poorly in the midst of the wedding planning. Without each other, we could have never gotten through it. The wedding is now a month over, but the support and strength of that relationship is still there. We may not have wanted it to happen, but we have surely benefited from its occurrence. Again, I am so blessed to have someone in my family who is not someone I just see at the holidays.

5. My friends. I absolutely love the group we’ve developed since graduating from high school. Five of us still hang out on a regular basis. We spend our holiday weekends together. We bake cakes at 3 in the morning. We play Cranium, Pictionary, and a mass of other games regularly. We know and love each others' families. We represent 5 different universities. The blend is amazing. My weekends would be nothing without them. I am also extremely thankful for my college friends, the high school friends I still talk to, and all of the other random friends I’ve met along the way. They have helped shape my heart and soul in remarkable ways.

6. The rest of my family. Especially since I left for college, they have become a remarkable support system. I am one of their own, and they couldn’t be more proud of what I’m off doing. Simultaneously, I couldn’t be more proud of them. They’re all amazing people leading amazing lives, even when I don’t always think of it that way. I certainly have my moments of hating the idea of family events, but once I’m there, I couldn’t be more thankful for the family I have.


There are many many more things that I am thankful for every day. We live in a blessed nation, and though things might not always be going the way we would like, it is important to realize just how lucky we are.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!