Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I thought I'd take this time to write about some of the things I'm grateful for, at this very moment. :)

1. My incredible fiance ... 

He has somehow managed to light up every dark corner of my life. This year has been filled with so many tough and painful moments, but I got through them and as cliche as it sounds, I really don't think I could have done that without his support. I always hoped I'd meet someone who I deeply admired, more than anybody else in the world and here I am, engaged to a man who's heart, mind, and soul have left me wondering time and time again if maybe he's truly an angel... I wish I could clone him - if more people were like him, the world would suddenly find itself more beautiful. 

He has somehow managed to turn all of our yucky, sick moments into "dates". All of our scary, "What do we do?" moments have passed, because of his calm, reassuring presence.

And all of our amazing, over-the-moon, happy moments? They only happened because of his amazing spirit. 

I can't wait for this man to be my husband. I've said it a thousand times, but I cannot say it enough. So, so grateful for him.

2. My family

You learn quickly, when you're living in a brand new place, so far away from home, that family is irreplaceable. It's such a wonderful feeling when we go back to New Jersey, to find that even though it's been awhile, everything is still the same. There's a comfort in that, in family, that you can't find anywhere else.

I'm so grateful that even though, at times, it was hard to understand our willingness to hop on a plane and move so far away, they've supported us in our adventure here. My mom is always just a phone call away and I can't imagine not having her to vent to, laugh with, and share my life with.

I'm grateful that despite work, my dad is flying here tomorrow to spend time with us and help us. It means so, so much to us.

And for my brother, and the unique, fun relationship we have. We're so much alike and he understands things about me that very  few people do! 

And of course, my 3 lovely sisters and everybody else in my family, who love me for who I am and have since I was born.

3. Our home

We're both so homesick, and there's a part of me that will always feel that New Jersey is my home, but I am so grateful for our beautiful house here in our perfect, little town. Sure there have been moments where we doubted ourselves, wondered "What are we doing here?", but we've been so lucky to find a place that fits our personalities and health issues so well. 

A scenic, beautiful place where you can take a deep, clean breath and listen to the quiet sounds of nature around you - without car horns beeping, or faceless people rushing by you. Here, you run into people you know every single day (which at first, was odd!) and they say hello and smile. That's something that I will never take for granted. There's a sense of calm when you're out and about and even though you're so far away from family and friends, you don't ever feel totally alone.

In the Summer we complained about the gray days and of course, the humidity and heat, but Autumn has brought about such beauty and cool, perfect weather.

There are so many little quirky things that we enjoy here - the old-fashioned movie theater with one movie a night (which is somewhat annoying; like when you want to see the new Twilight movie and it's not playing until like a month from now and you're too sick/lazy to drive 45 minutes!), lots of antique and thrift stores (we just bought our wedding guest book at one!), and old bookstores too! 

4. My Ginley

A little over two years ago, I adopted my wonderful little Ginley. He's been such a happy part of my life and he's actually been the only constant thing in my life for these last two years!

So much has changed - moving to Jacksonville and then again, to be here, all of the traveling in between, and the one thing that always stayed the same was that my faithful little Ginley was always right there with me!

He seems to know when I'm not feeling well and is extra snuggly - like right now, looking at me with his worried, little black eyes. Love him! 

5. Our doctors here

It's so nice to finally have good medical care. To have a GP who actually calls you up after your appointment because she just wants to see if you're okay; who reassures you that things will get better. We gave her a book about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and she's actually reading it! She's so knowledgeable, but still wants to expand her knowledge and learn more about our conditions... what a relief.

Our chiropractor has gone out of his way for us time and time again, and I'm so hopeful about the enzyme therapy I've started with him. He has such a grasp on what we're going through, and I feel like we're really heading down the right path with his treatment plan.

6. The kindness of people

We've come across so many kind people here - our landlord, who is only just getting to know us, told us that if ever our car breaks down, we can use his. Who does that? He's been so wonderful to us.

We're constantly greeted by people in every store we go in, as though they've known us for years.

Even the EMT's have been exceptionally nice. After living in Jacksonville and having the meanest EMT's in the world (isn't that crazy), you come to appreciate things like that!

7. The little things

Cuddling with Dustin on sick days, watching The Office, laughing even though we're feeling yucky. Apples with cinnamon. Our backyard. Country music. The way the squirrels run across the wire outside our window (they're fun to watch on stuck-in-bed days), dragonflies, apple cider, my new boots that actually support my wobbly, EDS ankles!, my laptop, scenic drives, hand written letters....

Hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and a year that brings a lot of gratitude and happiness! <3