Nov 1 – Who is a friend that you are thankful for?

To protect my friends privacy I’m gonna leave out names here….

I have 4 very special friends that honestly without them I don’t know what I would do. They listen to my complain and freak out and whine and celebrate the wins with me. They are friends that I can pick up in the middle of a conversation and they keep up. 3 of them have been around for the last several years and they help me to be a better mom and reassure me when I feel like I’m failing.

The 4th came back into my life when I needed them the most. I didn’t realize I needed them but I did. It never fails to amaze me how things work out in life.

You all 4 know who you are! But I want to tell you again thank you for always being there for me and keeping me sane!

Nov 2nd – What accomplishment are you most thankful for in your life?

I’m thankful for my kids who made me a mommy. The struggle is real daily as I navigate today’s world to make sure that I’m raising good boys who will grow into good men.

I’m proud that completed college (something some said was a waste of my parents money for me to go) and staying with the same company for 13 years so far. I have grown from a entry level developer to a Product Owner those years and am confident in my knowledge!

Nov 3rd – What hobbies are you thankful for?

I’m thankful for my hobbies that get me outside and moving. They help refresh me! The kids love camping and honestly anything to get them off their electronics! It’s also awesome to be able to hook up the camper and head cross country to my brother’s place and still have my space that’s completely ours and I don’t have to worry how big a mess the kids make

And hunting has always brought my family together. I hope that is a tradition that carries forward into my kids generation.

Nov 4th – Describe a family tradition that you are thankful for.

I’m thankful for Sunday Night dinner! In today’s society where people are so busy it’s nice to take time and go have dinner with as much of my family as possible. My kids are learning the importance of family and togetherness as well as the people they can count on!

Years ago my Grandpa K started a Hunter of the Year award. It’s just a silly trophy that gets passed on every year to the person of the previous years choosing. This year I got to pass it on to the first kid in the next generation! This makes me extremely thankful for all the hunting trips with my grandpa, dad, great grandpa, brother, and sister. As well as my awesome grandma and my mom who take all the kids so we can hunt!

Nov 5th – Name a teacher or mentor that you are thankful for and why.

Mrs. Toth for letting me spend every spare min in the computer lab while in high school! And Prof. Bennett for his excitement about coding and the way he taught problem solving! Without both of them and other amazing professors at EUP I wouldn’t be nearly as successful in my career!

Nov 6th – What is something about where you live that you are thankful for?

I’m thankful that for most of my life the majority of my family has lived within 15-20 mins of me…. That meant that both sets of grandparents were always around and involved, my aunts and uncles were always showing up and helping out. We have always just worked as a group. And now I get to raise my kids here where Nana and Papa are a half mile away, they have great aunts and uncle and cousins close. We bridge the distance between Oh and Mt well! Oh and who can for get about Tia and Jason who are just as much family as anyone else!

Nov 7th – What is something you learned this week that you are thankful for?

I am constantly learning that people can and will always surprise you if you give them a chance to. Sure sometimes it won’t be in a good way but a lot more often they surprise you in great ways! They show up to help you just because, they change from who they were in high school, they step up when they don’t have to.