THANKSgiving

You know me. I am not prone to extravagant displays of love and affection. In fact, my heart is firmly encased in a thick protective layer of irony and sarcasm. (My sixth grade science teacher told me I was so sarcastic that people were afraid to be my friend....maybe if the girls in the burgeoning "clique" had not been so mean to me in 5th and 6th grades, I would now be writing romantic poetry and working on my disney princesses movie collection instead of finely honing my dry wit and snarky sense of humor...but we'll never know now, will we?)
Anyway...in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday (which is Richard's favorite for three reasons: 1) it's all about food; 2) there are no presents to exchange thereby leading to inevitable disappointment; and 3) did I mention the food?), I thought I would try to lower my defensive irony, and name some things for which I am thankful this year.

1) Lucy and Richard. This has been kind of a tough year for me, and I have not always been much fun to be around, but Lucy and Richard have been great. Lucy is so incredibly smart and funny -- she is just way cooler and more confident than I will ever be, and I am proud to be her mom. Richard is the best husband there is -- supportive, helpful, a great dad -- and smart and funny too. I love them both very much.
2) My siblings. My brother and sisters are the best. We have so much fun together, I sometimes feel sorry for other people who hang out with us and have no idea about half of the things we are talking and laughing about. Awesome.
3) My parents (and my stepmother). My dad is my hero. Totally level-headed, but funny as hell (we all live to make my dad laugh -- there is nothing like it), and always supportive. My mom can be prickly, but she loves us all like a lioness, and would do anything for us. And if I don't know how to cook something, I always call her first. My stepmother Jenny is under appreciated. She is willing to help us in any way she can, and she is a great Granny to Lucy.
4) My fake family -- the Trigg-Lowry-Lebberns. I've known these guys since I was six, and I love them all to death. Even though Lindsay and I make each other a little nuts (we are very different people), she is my best friend in the world. Barbie is like my second, much cooler, mom. And Jocelyn -- what can I say? Cyber-stalking JoJo is one of my favorite pastimes. I can't wait until she is back on the east coast so I can even see her in person. It was such a treat to spend time with everyone in California this summer -- I had a blast (shout out to the whole fam: Linz, Ian, Max, Barbara, Justin, Jocelyn, Ally, and Skip).
5) My siblings' significant others, roommates, and friends. I love that they are willing to spend time with my crazy family even when they don't have to. I love Marianne, Brian, Chelsea, Andrea, and Tall Chris. So cute.
6) All my creature comforts. I am definitely thankful that I have the financial resources to allow me to be a member of the bourgeoisie. Sometimes I feel guilty that I have so much stuff, but most of the time I am just happy it's all there -- the nice house in the cute neighborhood, the pets (namecheck: Sadie, Butterstick, Fred Weasley, Chomper, Oliver, and Maddie), the giant TV and digital cable, my iPod and my iBook. Which brings me to...
7) The internet. What would I do without Facebook, Google, Blogger, Flickr and iTunes? I am a web-a-holic. Mostly I love how the interweb let's me keep up with friends that I don't often see in person (like Jocelyn and Ran).
8) Pharmaceuticals. As I mentioned before, this was kind of a tough year for me. But, thanks largely to the power of prescription drugs, I am feeling and sleeping much better. Thanks, big Pharma.

There are many more things for which I am thankful (PostSecret, podcasts of This American Life and StoryCorps, arts and crafts, books, crossword puzzles, Tom Bergeron, etc.) but I can feel the snark creeping back into my heart. So, in closing, have a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for everything. Love love. Kirsten