Update: Jote, a fellow Austin Food Blogger, has begun a very heart warming challenge on her blog, Bless Her Heart. For 30 days, she'll be cataloguing all of the things that she is grateful for, calling the project "30 Days With a Grateful Heart". She's invited fellow bloggers to join in, and for me, this challenge couldn't have come at a better time. The end of the year is a natural time to reflect on your accomplishments and your goals, and I believe that remembering all that you have to be thankful for helps to put those things in a healthy perspective. I'm going to re-use this post to kick off my own 30 Days of Gratitude. I have so very many things to be grateful for, and a hefty portion of those things are edible. If you'd like to join in the fun, or browse other blogger's contributions to this project, visit Bless Her Heart.
P.S. To see all of my posts for 30 Days With a Grateful Heart, just click here.
——————————————————————————————-
Day One
Thanksgiving is a day that calls for a little reflection, and a lot of gratitude. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to share with you all today, but I felt compelled to take a few minutes to think about what I have to be grateful for, and to attempt to pin it down in words.
All in all, it has been a pretty good year for my husband and I. Our little family was reunited after a couple of years of turmoil, and the setting couldn't have been better. We'd made a cross country trek to make a new start in the city of our choice, beginning the next phase of our lives on our own terms. After spending a short six months in a temporary apartment we moved down to Barton Creek, and are living in our first semi-permanent home in well over two years. It's amazing how wonderful painting a wall can feel, or hanging photographs. Digging in can be a real pleasure, and we have relished every moment awarded to us.
Gracie loves living in Austin too. It's dog friendly atmosphere has greatly improved the life of our little friend. She adores running free through Zilker and Red Bud, getting snuggled by strangers wherever she goes, and tagging along when we go out for dinner or drinks. She sure is an Austin dog.
Scott has found not only a steady workplace at his new job, but a whole new circle of friends. How much nicer is it to go to work and be surrounded by people you love spending time with? Austin has also gifted Scott with his latest hobby, Disc Golf. No need for details. I'll just say that the man in obsessed.
Austin has been good to me as well. The food community here has made me feel right at home. Through organizations like Austin Bakes, The AFBA(Austin Food Blogger Alliance) and ATX Swappers, I have been given the opportunity to make friends, gain new skills, and get inspired by other amazing cooks. I feel like I have truly found my niche in the food community here, but how could I not? Everyone I've met or worked with has been warm, friendly, and brilliant. If only the rest of the world could get along so well.
Speaking of food, living in Austin has made activism on behalf of sustainable food a regular part of my life, for which I couldn't be more grateful. I've been active on internet campaigns for years, but attending rallys, protests, and functions with other real, live people, who care about what I care about sometimes brings me to tears. It can be easy to feel alone when you care so deeply about an issue. I couldn't be more thankful for discovering that I am not alone on this. I've seen the faces of hundreds of others who are fighting with me, and it's a wonderful sight.
I'm thankful for the adventure my parents are about to embark on. Tomorrow they fly to their new home in Switzerland, where they will live for at least three years. Now that the last of my sisters has moved out, it couldn't be a more perfect time for them to spread their wings and start enjoying the next chapter of their lives. I imagine them exploring Europe, one little trip at a time over the next three years and I'm bursting with happiness for them. You never know where life will try to bring you. I'm thankful to have been born to people who are brave enough to find out.
While my folks are gallabanting across the Alps, Scott and I will be quelling our wanderlust for a while in hopes of starting a family. Finally living close to my sisters, Heather and Sarah, makes that a real treat. In about a year or so, we'll be joined by the littlest sister, Caity, which will complete our pack of siblings. We've been living apart, stretched over different states and sometimes countries for the better part of the last decade. How can I describe my gratitude for coming back together again, especially at this phase of our lives. Before we know it, babies will be on the way. How thankful am I for knowing that my sisters will be here to share that?
Which brings me to what I am most thankful for, this year, and every year it continues to grace us with its presence: Hope for the future. I'm filled with happy expectations for the year to come. I treasure each goal, every fantasy, and all of my ever-changing plans. This was a good year, and next year will be a great one. To everyone and everything that has lead us here, Thanks.