Thanksgiving.....this is going to get cheesy. Are you ready for it??

This is always a time of year where people begin to reflect on this past year and what has happened in their lives. It is weird to think that just one year ago I was living in California and this is the weekend that made me decide that I wanted to move back to Chicago. Four months later it happened. What triggered the final decision was a voice mail that I had received from my Grandma. I was in the happiest place on earth (Disneyland) and all I could think about was how much I missed my family. There was nothing special or out of the ordinary about the message I received from my Grandma. She was just simply calling to catch up but when I heard it I broke down. It was in this moment that I realized how much I needed to be surrounded by my family and those that I love.

Now that I have been back for a while there are many things that I am thankful for. The first and most important it my family. Not just my immediate family but my extended family as well. I am so blessed to be living so close to all of them and that we are able to get together as frequently as we do. These people are where I come from and helped shape me into the person I am today. I thank each one of them for the role that they have played in my life and the support they have given me. They mean so much to me and now that I have spent some time away from my family I have realized how blessed I am to be able to see them so often. I love my family so much and am so grateful.

There are also 2 big events that have happened in my immediate family this past year that I could not imagine missing. The first was the birth of my beautiful niece, Gwen, on May 2. She is the most precious little girl and I am probably the most proud aunt you will ever meet. I cannot say enough how much I love that girl. She means so much to me and she is not even 7 months old! She has 2 pretty amazing parents as well. The other event was the wedding of my sister Elsa to Matt Johnson. Even though she is my little sister I look up to her so much. I thank Elsa and Matt for setting such a great example of what a relationship looks like and how you are blessed when God is the center. They are 2 of the most wonderful people I know.

Another thing I am grateful for are my friends. It is amazing to know that you have such a solid group of girlfriends who I know are always going to be there to support and challenge me. At this age it is so important to have those kinds of friends who will just kick you in the butt when you need it and then lend their shoulder for you to cry on. I really have the most amazing group of girlfriends and feel so blessed by each of them.

The last thing I am grateful for is my job. For those who don't know, I am working at National Covenant Properties. This is the first time I have really felt like I am supposed to be here for a long time. I love the people I work with. I love what I am doing. I love the meaning behind what I am doing. I love that I work for the Covenant. It is so nice to know that I am 24 and I think I have found the place where God intends on me staying for a while. It is a great feeling.

This leads me to the thing I am most grateful for, God. Without God and His faithfulness I could not be as happy and content in my life as I am right now. I am so grateful for the life I lead right and how He provides. I could go on and on but I think you have the picture. This is getting long enough anyways.

Thanksgiving.....I have a lot to give thanks for right now. Life is great and I could not ask for anything more.

Sorry for the delay with my next posting...I had some technical difficulties :)

Here are some pictures from about a month ago at Annie Jensen's (now Engelman) wedding. She was a gorgeous bride and we all had a great time. Who doesn't have a great time in Florida???