Thankful.

Oh, wow, where to begin... First, a public reminder of why I blog in the first place. (This reminder is more for me than it is for you.) I started our blog to capture this time in our life. I wanted it to be a he said/she said documentation of our time as newlyweds. And if you've been reading along on our journey you've probably noticed that our blog has been more of a one sided, she said version of our story and we're not so newly wed anymore. Alas, our mission remains true - journal, remember, appreciate, reflect. This blog is for me to figure out my thoughts and log our adventures big and small. Sometimes you might wonder why I shared a story or didn't share another or shared way too many details on one and not enough of another. I guess it's the classic case of why the good guys always win - because they are the ones who write the history books!

So let's play catch up. Since my last real update, we bought a house, celebrated our third wedding anniversary, went to Little Rock to learn my family's recipes, moved into said house, celebrated our ninth year as a couple, started a new job, changed jobs, stood in two of my best friends' weddings, and celebrated Thanksgiving at the Ranch for the first time as husband and wife. As I remind myself of the importance of remembering the details of the above events, I will do my best to go back and fill in the blanks. And to not fall farther behind, I'll start with Thanksgiving.

This year my parents and siblings, Grandma and in-laws, Grandma-in-law, Aunt and Uncle, cousins and In-Laws-in-law (what do you call the parents of your aunt who is married to your Dad's brother?!) were all at the Ranch. Ah, the Ranch, that's another blog post in itself. In true cheese ball tradition, we all went around the table and said what we were most thankful for from the past year. And in true crybaby fashion, I completely lost it at the Thanksgiving lupper table. Oh yeah, the Harbergs do Thanksgiving at 2:00pm Central Time. I was only the 6th person to share (out of a possible 17) and all I got out was, "I have so much to be thankful for..." Now, I'm a cryer, but sometimes things hit me and I just can't stop. I mean, I had to excuse myself from the Thanksgiving table before everyone had had a chance to share. Classic. My sweet husband covered for me and as he squeezed my hand under the table said, "I'm thankful for my emotional and sensitive wife and for everyone being together this year for Thanksgiving."

So what would I have said if more than 8 words passed my lips before the emotion of the past year reached my throat and ended all communication for the subsequent several hours? I hope it would have sounded something like this:

"I have so much to the be thankful for: I am thankful for our move to Austin - our beautiful new home and amazingly sweet new friends. I am thankful we both have jobs we enjoy that allow us to meet smart and inspiring people and live our dream life in the best city in Texas. I am thankful for our families who continue to amaze us with their support of us as individuals and a as a couple. I am thankful for my loving husband and our rambunctious almost-one-year-old puppy, Markley, with both of whom I am clinically obsessed. I am thankful for everything we have experienced as a family and everything that is to come in this next year. I am thankful to be aware of my experiences and know in the moment how lucky I am to be living the life I am living. I have so much to be thankful for and I am truly thankful."