Muy agradecido...

Perhaps I’m a bit late in posting this, as this post is about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, mostly because I am blessed with such a wonderful family (not a huge fan of turkey…truth be told). They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico. It was rather strange to see all the Christmas decorations up ahead of Turkey day. Okay maybe really strange, as I’m also not accustomed to seeing Santa Claus standing next to a palm tree. Pretty lucky they don’t have to worry about snow…but as far as Turkey Day goes…I tend to think they are missing out. So yeah, this year was pretty great. Here are some of the things I’m thankful for:

• Mom and John home from their mission
• Stephanie, who is now sweet sixteen and shared her birthday with
• Caleb who celebrated his first birthday
• The boys (it was cool to be their transportation, even if the their occasional arguing and the non-stop questions from the most inquisitive 5-year old on the planet tested the limits of my patience…and my ability to stay focused on the road)
• The fact Johnny finished the garage all those years ago so we could have a place big enough for turkey day dinner for everyone
• The fact that the swimming pool at the hot springs really was warm this time
• Grandma “whistling” at my vacation swimsuit pics (of course it felt weird, but it was cool too)
• The fact that when grandpa was sleeping…he only LOOKED like he was dead
• The fact I got to go to Mexico
• Having the will power to go back to the gym for a solid workout on Saturday
• All the rest of my wonderful family and friends

Oh…and something else that made the holiday unusually special. Passing the big exam!

Okay, technically won’t get the official results (and know with certainty) for about another month, but my preliminary (unofficial) result was a pass…and I feel really good about how things went. If I didn’t pass, I at least know I was extremely close. That being said, an acquaintance of mine who took the exam the same day commented in a state of utter exhaustion:

“I hope I never subject myself to something like that again.”

Yo también, mi amigo. Yo también…