Today is My Favorite.

My mom has this Thanksgiving tradition where she has my family write down the things we're thankful for--some years on a place mat, some years on card stock leaves, some years on strips of paper. For the month of November, we would all write things down--big, small, serious, hilarious. 

These things would get put away and then pulled out year after year. A way of reflecting on the past, of seeing how you've changed, and of remembering all you have to be thankful for. 

I remember being so nervous to write down Christopher's name in November 2009. We'd been dating for 5 months, and while I was definitely thankful for him, I couldn't help but wonder how I'd feel the next year when I saw his name. Nostalgic? Angry? Sad? Happy? Would I be able to show him and say, "Look--I wrote this down last year when we'd only been dating for a few months!" Or would it be something my little brother would make fun of me for, saying, "Ha, you wrote down that guys name that you only dated for six months!" 

In the end, I decided to write it. That year was paper leaves, so I figured I could run interference and toss it in the trash the next year if things went south. (Because let's just say there are some names in permanent marker on a placemat from one year that I would really love to get rid of, but there they will stay forever..womp womp).

And here we are, 5 years later, on one of my favorite days of the year. 

Today's the day we celebrate Thanksgiving, just the two of us. We go to Whole Foods and buy really fun stuff we normally wouldn't buy, then we come back here and think we're professional chefs and make our own Thanksgiving dinner. 

Today, I just can't help but think about the day I stood in my parents' dining room, trying to decide if I should write his name down or not. 

I can't help but think of how little I knew what the future would hold...how little I knew just how thankful for him I would one day be. I had no idea the insane love I would feel for him. I didn't know that we'd be a family someday. Didn't know the joy it would bring me to run around Whole foods the night before Thanksgiving, laughing and rushing and having the best night ever. 

And when I think about all of those things, my heart just feels like it's going to explode with thankfulness. 

If you have a significant other, make sure you celebrate them this week. Yes, it's a holiday about friends and family. Yes, it's a busy week. But make sure you take the time--whether it's tonight or actually on Thanksgiving day or the days after thanksgiving--to celebrate how thankful you are for your partner in life. 

And if you need suggestions on how to do so, I highly recommend going to Whole Foods the night before Thanksgiving.  Insanity doesn't even begin to describe it, but it is so, so much fun. 

  

Babe, I'm so thankful for you. Here's to many more Thanksgivings spent together. I love you.

Who are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?