A is for...appreciation, aunts, and ambrosia.

In the past I've always claimed that Thanksgiving was my least favorite holiday. I mean, the idea of Thanksgiving is great, but shouldn't we be thankful all year round? And I've never been a huge fan of the food we eat on Thanksgiving....I mean , why turkey? Why can't we eat burgers or steak or even tacos? And pie? Why not chocolate cake? I guess really the only thing I liked about Thanksgiving was getting to see my family and having a week off of school. But this Thanksgiving, however, I've gained a new appreciation for the holiday. I'll admit, I went into it with kind of a poor attitude, but five hours later, I can say that this year has been the best Thanksgiving yet! I had a great time visiting with all of my family and the food was definitely good enough to be eaten by the gods (ambrosia=nectar of the gods by the way). Maybe my new opinion of the food has been provoked by eating cereal and ramen for the past three months, but still, I couldn't have left my aunt's house feeling any happier or any more full.

In light of the holiday, I have decided to write a brief post of some things I am most thankful for in my life. If I were to list them all out, I would be here typing for an awfully long time and you would probably get bored pretty fast so I'll limit it to just the two things I have felt the most appreciation for lately.

First of all, I am thankful for my friends. During my short holiday-induced reprieve from school, I was able to see my best friends in Idaho, Krista and Kelsey. I wasn't even home an hour before they made the trek out to my house to steal me away for a night full of wonder and mystery. Okay, maybe it was a night full of hot tubbing and Denny's but same thing right? It's funny, I can't even count how many sleepovers I have had with those two over the years, and not once have we stayed up later than maybe 2:00. This time, however, we recognized that it was our one chance to see each other for the next month and we simply did not have time to sleep. So we started off with the traditional hot tubbing, telling all our juicy secrets and crazy stories from college, then we moved it inside to reminisce on the good old days, before heading to Denny's at 2:00 for a nice (post) midnight snack.

Denny's! 2:00 am

The plan was to go home and go to bed after Denny's, but somehow we ended up rampaging Walmart for another hour, and then getting a Redbox movie before heading home. Our intentions were to watch the movie and all eventually doze off, but somehow we all managed to stay awake throughout the movie and then stay up laughing and enjoying each other's company for an hour after it ended. Finally, at 6:00 we dozed off! As much as we would have all loved to sleep in, we just had too much to do and were up and going at 10:00 the next day. Sure, we may have been zombies, but down the road, we can now say "Hey, remember that time we stayed up all night?" and have great memories come flooding back. I mean, how often do you hear someone say "Remember that time we all had a great night's sleep?" Yeah, exactly! So basically, I just have the greatest friends in the world and I wouldn't trade them for anything. They've been there for me through thick and thin and I'm grateful for the great influence they've had in my life.

Secondly, I am thankful for an amazing family. It wasn't until I moved out that I realized just how much they did for me. I've been so blessed to be a part of a family who is so loving and willing to help out whenever help is needed. Spending Thanksgiving with my Siddoway family was such a blessing this year. With several cousins who are married and have their own families, it's rare that we are all together. And while not everyone could be there, I was able to spend time with family I haven't seen for a long time. And we certainly ate, drank (water), and were merry today!

There are a few family members who I am especially thankful to have in my life.
First of all, my mom. She is the most amazing woman on this planet! I literally would not be here today if it wasn't for her. She has been a perfect example to me and has always worked towards providing a bright future for me. I know that whenever I have a question about cooking or laundry (which is basically any time I engage in either of those activities) I can count on my mom to answer the phone and help me out.
Secondly, my dad is one of the most influential people in my life. He is such a hard worker and has the best sense of humor that he has passed on to me. There is never a dull moment when he is around. While he may seem tough and mean on the outside (you're welcome for the compliment Dad), he's really a big softie on the inside and I know he would do anything for me.
Today at Thanksgiving, I discovered that this blog actually has a fan base that consists mainly of my aunts. So I'd like to take a second to say that I have the greatest aunts in the world! My aunt Nichole is one of the spunkiest people out there! She has a great sense of humor and loves to have fun! My aunt Cindy is probably the nicest person I've met (besides my dad of course)! She would seriously do anything for anyone and I aspire to be like her! My aunt Alicia is just the greatest! I don't think it's even possible not to love that woman! She is so supportive and so much fun to be around! And even though I didn't get to spend Thanksgiving with her, I'd like to mention how grateful I am for my aunt Jessica. She is literally my best friend down in Utah and I know I can count on her to take me in whenever I need a weekend away from school! She is a huge influence in my life and I look up to her so much! So there ya go, you lovely ladies! A mention in the good ol' blog! You're basically famous now! You're welcome! ;)

So yep, I pretty much have the best family out there and you should all be jealous...unless of course you are a part of my family, in that case you can sleep well tonight knowing that you are a part of the greatest family in the world. I hope you all had a Thanksgiving as great as mine and now that we are all full of delicious food,  it's time to take a nap and get ready to go out and fight the crowds of Black Friday (that has somehow turned into Black Thursday Night). Best of luck to you in your battles for great deals!