Lots of things I am thankful for....

I am thankful for Herman

I am thankful that I am in love with a man who understands and accepts that

A. I am always going to want to go see the Disney Princesses live and

B. I am always going to want to dress up like afore mentioned princesses to see the show.

While watching television one night an ad for the Disney show came on showing fantastic musical renditions of 3 of my favorite princess stories and of course in true Erin fashion I just blurt out "ohhhh I want to go see that". Now we all remember how burned I was about the 1 ring circus so it would be understandable that Gus would back away from taking me to another performance at the SIU arena but instead defying all obstacles he literally ran (and the boy runs like a little Ethiopian fleeting from cheetahs) to the box office to buy me surprise tickets for the next night.

He came home beaming tickets in hand and I immediately began trying on my tiaras trying to think of the perfect one to wear :) Anyway this is just a little example but I have found someone who really does understand and love my crazy even if sometimes he is forced to pretend like he does not know me i.e. when I do my patriotic rendition of "God Bless America" at my local watering hole. I think the patrons call of encore are really just an excuse for more mockery.

Anyways, he is amazing and I love that not only is he brilliant but he never acts like he is too cool to take his favorite 9 year old trapped in a 27 year olds body to the show and while he rolls his eyes a little he still helped me pick out a ball gown to wear and I think he was a little proud that I was the best dressed princess of them all. Granted the rest were three and wearing their Halloween costumes but still :)




Um yes and in case any of you are wondering this is my Homecoming dress from my SOPHOMORE year of high school which means this dress is almost 13 years old and I could still make it zip up. Barely but it did which means either I am destined to be essentially the same size my entire life or I was a really big high school sophomore...yikes.

I am thankful for banana

I am thankful for the unconditional love of a crazy puppy who wants nothing more than to be right on top of me cuddled at all times. Yes she is a little trollup and her affection is often doled out excessively and indiscriminately but I really love my little hoochie momma chiweenie.

I am thankful for my familia

I am thankful for an incredibly close, loving and crazy family and I am not just saying that. I am lucky in that my parents still love each other and all of my relatives are in good health and spirits with the exception of a little arthritis and general aging malaise, and really what’s a big aching toe in the scheme of things. We as a clan have been extremely blessed in the lack of tragedy, chaos and general ickyness that I feel is such a part of so many people’s daily lives and it is important to me to give thanks for that.

I am thankful for my crazy betches

I am thankful that even though I have moved far away and am not the best at staying in touch I have a close knit and fabulous group of friends who love me and think that I am fun. It is easy to feel alone out here when you have to beg people to play with you but a quick look at my facebook photo albums assures me that my kindred spirits are indeed out there in the universe and that I am just an obnoxiously long and daunting drive away from being reunited with my gorgeous, classy, bananas group of broads.

I am thankful for gainful employement

I am thankful for being employed. Even though I oft grumble to Herman about the monotony and sometimes downright annoyance at screening substance abusers all day I am making a small contribution I feel to the betterment of society and if I am able to help one person quit smoking because they saw a flyer and called me than maybe I saved a life. I sound so noble don’t I? Also out here there are a lot of people who don’t have jobs and I was one of them for too long so I am very grateful to count myself among those gainfully employed.

I am thankful for 2011 Elm St.

I am very thankful that there is a roof over my head and that it does not leak. Granted sometime the basement might leak a little but much less now after Herman dug the moat around the house:)

Sometimes when I am being grouchy about having to dust constantly or the fact that my BLUE (yes blue) counter tops show literally everything that ever touches them it becomes easy for me to lose sight of the fact that I have a lovely home to live in. It is warm in the winter and cool in the summer and through some trickery even has a big enough space to hang all my dresses. Yes it is in the middle of the Midwest and yes the floors creak and I am in a constant battle with spider crickets but it is a home that Gus and I have made together and I am very blessed to be so fortunate as to be able to call it our own.

I am thankful for being thankful

I am thankful for still retaining a sense of wonder. Now this is a strange one keep with me. Gus and I were driving home from Cleveland and had no audiobooks to listen to so we were forced to talk to each other for 20 hours roundtrip. Luckily he is kind of interesting so it was not that bad. Gus however works in an industry of sorrow if you will. He deals with the darker side of life, drug abuse, neglect, poverty really sad stories of people really down on their luck and he is essentially their last line of defense. Now that is a lot of pressure and he copes with it by playing fantasy football and watching way too many zombie shows.

I however have a really hard time listening to these stories and it is easy for me to become very deflated and sad as I begin thinking about the tragedy of life on a global scale. Deep huh? What I am thankful for is that I am able to get out of that and twist it into positive things. I am glad that I have retained a reserve of optimism even in the face of what seems like overwhelming gloom. Sometime you just gotta Pollyanna that shit up. I still believe that everyone fundamentally has some good in them. It might not be a lot but it is there and I don’t care if that makes me seem naive or idealistic because I think those traits are positive ones.

I am always going to cry at Folgers and Visa commercials. I am never going to enjoy watching someone lose or have their dreams dashed. I am always going to get excited about the Muppets, and the Disney Princesses and I will continue to sing along to musicals and wish my life was more like one. That is not going to change, in fact having Gus provide some perspective to my life I think has made me a better person. As they say you can’t have light without the shadows, it just makes you appreciate the sparkle more.

I am thankful for bunny life

I am thankful that Gus has not killed our bunny and made her into dinner.

I am thankful for Bruce

I am thankful that Bruce Springsteen is making a new album and embarking on what I am sure will be an incredibly spectacular world tour.

thankful for Mexican ...

I am thankful that I have a fabulous Mexican restaurant nearby and that everyone there treats me like family and the queso flows as abundantly as the margaritas :)

I am thankful for you...

I am thankful for you all, my fearless readers who call me out on month long hiatuses and lack of insights. Your quiet support radiates through my computer monitor and forces me to be more insightful about the everyday occurrences of my life. You have given me the gift of reflection and an outlet for all of my nonsensical ramblings and observations. Thanks loves J