Gratitudes during Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to compile a list of things for which I am grateful. I wanted to be inspired by Susan Wiggs, but I was too much into procrastination to get out a post a day. So, here are 30 things for which I am thankful, one for each day in November. These are in no particular order.

1. my family
2. Diet Coke
3. Friday Night Lights which is the best show on television. I love Kyle Chandler. However, it is worth noting that Gaius Charles was outstanding this year as well.
4. macaroni and cheese - I'm really not a snob. I make my own sometimes, but I love the blue box, too.
5. my friends
6. second frames in bowling because sometimes you can't hit all 10 pins down the first time (or the second for that matter...)
7. hand santizer like Purell and my favorite scent, Cucumber Melon.
8. sales and coupons
9. new book smell
10. my co-workers
11. Jim Henson's legacy
12. smart, imaginative, clever people (I don't want to name any specific names because that might make the unintelligent, non-creative, dull folk feel bad so you can all just think you're a person that fits into this category.)
13. matchbox twenty for writing lyrics like "I'm sorry 'bout the attitude/ I need to give when I'm with you/ But no one else would take this shit from me/A nd I'm so/ Terrified of no one else but me/ I'm here all the time/ I won't go away" from "Long Day" and "You've been so composed/ But we all know there's/ Always something/ Tearing you apart/ Always so much longer/ Than you counted on/ It hits you so much harder/ Than you thought/ But you don't worry/ Don't worry/ Cuz you got soul" from "Soul". They aren't actually my favorite matchbox twenty songs, but they always make me feel better.
14. Aaron Sorkin at his best. I have been quoting this quote lately from The American President - "Oh, you only fight the fights you can win? You fight the fights that need fighting!"
15. Wii - now, I don't own one and probably wouldn't use it if I had one, but I love how it really brings people together. 4 generations of my family played last summer. I've been to parties where we've played. It's a lot of fun and still can be social.
16. the Internet for letting me look up things which I do not know, for giving me new recipes, for being a great resource for new parents, and for connecting me with friends with whom I had lost touch
17. Supernatural because I'm not far from being a total fangirl for Jensen Ackles
18. indoor plumbing because it's genius
19. Target for having everything I need and then some...
20. my digital camera for allowing me to take photos, delete the non-keeper photos, and for being almost indestructable
21. manicures/pedicures
22. my quilt - my quilt is 15 years old, a graduation present, and I sleep with it every night. It's the perfect balance of light cover in the summer and super cozy in the winter.
23. author websites - without naming anyone specific, it's a great marketing tool for authors to have a website and even have contact with readers. It's great for new information as well as a connection.
24. iTunes and my iPod - even though my batter died (or is close to it), I listen to my iPod every day. I love that I can have a crazy eclectic playlist and never know what song will pop up next while I'm working.
25. hot chocolate with real whipped cream
26. Bones - this show just makes me happy. The ickiness and murder appease my morbid side and the writing just makes me laugh. I felt last year wasn't its best season, but it's been really enjoyable so far this year.
27. contact lenses - not that I don't love my glasses, but I love having contact lenses
28. books
29. handbags - seriously. I love how all purses fit. I don't have to worry about size or if it'll make me look fat. It's perfect just as it is. There are big ones, small ones, casual ones, formal ones, and all sorts of colors and patterns. The one to the left is not the one I'm currently using, but it's the closest I could find. I was obsessed with the Pink Elephants pattern by Vera Bradley. Living outside of D.C. and during an election year, I was afraid the pattern would associate me with the Republican party, but I sucked it up and bought it anyway. It just makes me happy.
30. USA - which is lame, but I love living in this country, and I wouldn't live anywhere else. It's not perfect. I disagree with a lot of things going on now, in the past and, I'm sure, in the future, but its diversity is why this country is so strong.

So, there is the list of things for which I am grateful. There are things that I'm leaving out, but I wanted it to be a list of all sorts of items. Right now, I have to say I'm grateful for an empty (and almost clean) apartment and being right on schedule with the holiday planning and decorating as well as my work agenda.