Sangivin

It's that time of year again my friends, a time to be grateful for all the good times, good people, good things, fun places and amazing technological advances that make our lives so awesome each and every day. Furthermore, its also time to be thankful for the not so good things that have challenged us at one point or another this year. But those are the good ones! From those we learn to keep moving on to bigger, better things.

Unfortunately, this year I won't be home to spend this beloved day with some of you, but in the spirit of the holiday's I thought I would share the top 20 things I am thankful for in 2009:

1) Never thought I would say this: La Caja China - makes looking forward to Thanksgiving Day so much fun! I mean the excitement my dad get's from knowing he's going to get to roast an insane amount of meat in there, and then watching how not-excited my mom gets when she finds the mess he left in the kitchen...it's just priceless. I can picture it now: "Mira el rebulu que dejo tu papa en la cocina....Laura!!! deja la computadora esa y apaga la pelicula que has visto 20 veces, ven a ayudarme!!" I am very grateful to be here in Athens, but I will definitely miss being home on Thursday.

Here are a few pics so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about:

Pop's celebrating his triumph after an entire day of burning charcoal and roasting birds

2) My family's sense of humor

3) Massachusetts, Florida, and all those other states that matter...for making Obama Prez!!!

4) The creators of "Modern Family"

5) Still being able to shoot in the 30's for nine holes, even though I don't hit the little white ball around nearly as much as I used to.

6) Advil (for when I finish playing those nine holes)

7) Being able to see Tiger and Phil standing side by side on a Sunday afternoon. One with Fedex Cup in hand and $10 million in his pocket, the other with the Tour Championship trophy, a chunk of change, and a great smile on his face.

8) Friends who send thank-you notes...not via e-mail, the handwritten kind

9) 100 calorie pack chocolate covered pretzels

10) Walgreens

11) Wine (for when the goin gets tough)

12) Funny students who text or stop in the middle of a busy intersection to let me know they "aced" the Spanish test we studied for the night before. Yes, the test where the tutor couldn't figure out the difference between preterite and imperfect.

13) Gchat conversations with my BFF

14) Professors who emphasize on racial integration in sports...over free agency, the draft system, collective bargaining and Monday night football.

15) Being able to text and share photos with my mom via mobile technology...Will 2010 be the year she gets e-mail???

16) MSNBC photojournalists who put their lives at risk to give me a sneak peak of the rest of the world

17) The PR OPEN (the day after it finished, I decided to quit my job)

18) New friends who have taken me under their wing and are in the process of teaching me all the rich history and traditions behind Georgia football

19) People who give back as much, if not more, than they put in

20) My peeps who have taken the time to read and comment on my blog...Grazie Amici!

With that said, stay safe and enjoy the four F's...Food, Family, Friends and Fiesta!! If you reside within the Continental United States, then I guess we could change the last "F" to football.

Happy turkey day!

LD