NC Meets DC: Read This If You Love World Peace

This post is overdue. One week overdue, in fact. For, just one week ago, we were all (hopefully) sitting down to a table filled with food, family and friends, thinking about what we are thankful for and about how many antacids we can take in a 24-hour period following our unnecessary overindulgence.

This, my friends, is my Thanksgiving post. It will be short, sweet and filled with pictures of Baby Charlie because, well, the only thing we did more of than eat and drink was take pictures of the baby. It was great to spend a weekend with my family, just hanging out, cracking jokes, eating food, and drinking all the wine. For that, I am thankful.

Many of you participated (and are still participating) in "gratitude month" on Facebook and are posting what you are thankful for each day in November. At first, I didn't really know what was going on. I thought you guys were all spammed by some weirdo inspirational spammer. Instead of "Day #2: Lost 5 pounds without even trying - find out how!" the posts read "Day #2: I love my family! They are always there for me when I need them!"

I wish spammers spammed like that.

I also wish those "lose five pounds without even trying" spams were accurate.

I didn't participate in "gratitude month" because, even though I'm on Facebook an alarmingly high number of times per day, I usually try to avoid Facebook trends, unless they involve posting pictures of hilarious animals. See Exhibit A:

Yes, "gratitude month" is totally different than a "Post this if you love Jesus!" trend and I enjoyed reading your grateful messages, but I just never came around to joining in.

Those Facebook trends are a slippery slope, you know. You click on one "Share this if you have a Mom and think she's the greatest" and suddenly you're locked in. "Umm...Lindsay proved she loved her mom but she didn't share the picture of the puppy to prove she wants all puppies to have food...LINDSAY HATES ANIMALS."

Fact: I love animals and my Mom and Jesus. I think the world should be peaceful, I enjoy having a sister, and I do want the chance to win an iPad just by sharing a link. But there's a good chance, I won't share a picture if you tell me I have to or something bad will happen or the world will think my heart is cold. My parents can probably attest to the fact that, I don't really like being told what to do. I'm a natural-born rule follower and teachers' pet, but I like to think that's by choice. Yes, I believe in an omniscient God, but I don't think he's occupying his (or her) time reading my Facebook feed. I don't think his feelings will be hurt if I decide to share a video of a baby monkey riding on the back of a baby pig instead of a picture of a sunrise.

Alas, I digress. Perhaps I would've participated in "gratitude month" if I'd caught on a bit earlier. Despite my jest, please know that I do not truly believe your sincere posts of gratitude are anything like a "Share this or you hate babies" trend. To be honest, I just like any excuse to write "baby monkey riding on the back of a baby pig" in a blog post.

Inspired by your recent sharing, maybe I'll even start my own "gratitude month." And it will be in July. Because, we should all still be thankful in July.

Or, maybe I'll call it "attitude month" and everyone will say something witty and sassy each day.

Or, "latitude month" when we all share our favorite geographical locations as measured in degrees, north or south of the equator.

With that rambling introduction, I leave you with my list of things for which I give thanks, last week, this week, and every day. There isn't a full month's worth, but it's a start. Let's just call this the "highlight reel" as I am truly a lucky girl.

I'm Thankful For:

Family members who are unconditionally supportive whether they are 20 minutes or 400 miles away.
A roof over my head, food in my stomach, and a reliable WiFi connection.
Baby Charlie and his always serious and discerning expressions.
Baby Charlie learning to smile - homeboy was way too serious.
Good health (and access to great healthcare, just in case.)
Salted Caramel Brownies from Amelie's (and the macaroons too!)
Walks through Rock Creek Park on the weekend.
Those green plug things Starbucks puts in the hole on the travel lid so you don't spill hot beverages on yourself and the beverage stays hotter while in transport. (There has to be a shorter name for those things, right?)
Christmas lights and holiday cheer
The incredible people in my life who surround me with love and inspire me through their actions (whether they know it or not) and, most importantly, can always make me smile and sometimes even cry with laughter.