Devin took these photos of us almost two months ago. I’ve been saving them, not knowing when to use them. After having such a great Thanksgiving week though, it seems appropriate to use these sweet photos in a gratitude post. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and this was the first holiday we’ve celebrated in our home as a family. It felt wonderful to be able to share our first Thanksgiving with our baby + our friends visiting from Finland. This will definitely be a holiday to remember.
20 things I’m thankful for right now
- Evie. Our life has been forever changed by her sweet and happy spirit. She has brought so much purpose and direction to my life.
- The visitors we’ve had since we moved to DC. Our friends from Finland just left after spending the week with us! We’ve also had friends from Georgia, Florida, Canada, and Idaho visit us!
- A great counselor. I’ve always been able to share everything with her, without judgement. I’ve seen a lot of improvements in my life since going to her.
- Having mama friends. I’ve made some really close friends and have a big group that I can also do things with any day I’d like to get out of the house. It has been wonderful to receive advice from people going through the same things, have people to do things with, and have others just love Evie.
- Audio books. Audio books gave me a huge sense of building myself up after baby. I was able to go on walks with her while she was napping and still be able to enjoy one of my favorite hobbies + learn.
- My gym membership. I love my gym. It was the best thing I did for myself postpartum. It allowed me some time to myself, the ability to shower, and lots of endorphins. Bonus: I also have some friends who go to my gym and it has been really fun to go there with them.
- My thyroid levels have been really stable. My hair has been growing in really nicely for the first time in years… and it isn’t falling out anymore. My flareup symptoms have also really heavily reduced the last few months which has been wonderful.
- Having wonderful friends and family, even with distance. I am amazed at people I have kept up with years and the effort that has gone to maintain them. It has been wonderful to see people and pick up right where we left off.
- Our church. We’re lucky to live within walking distance of our church here, but even luckier at how kind everyone has been.
- Having a great book club to attend. I really enjoy the discussions!
- My husband’s job. After years of Devin traveling without much predictability, having long commutes, working so many hours and a million other things, it is so nice to see him have the exact opposite. I love seeing him be able to have hobbies.
- Good health. I had so many health issues postpartum and I’m so happy none of them had lasting ramifications.
- Devin. Devin is a great Dad, husband, and example to me of service, kindness, and endurance. We’ve learned a lot together the last few months through so many hard experiences, happy changes, and parenthood.
- Living in a town home. I love the low maintenance yard we have and knowing most of our neighbors. I never saw my dream home being a town home, but I can tell you: it totally has been perfect for this season of our life.
- Having minimal things. I massively purged our home when Devin began job hunting. I had already begun before that, but when we found out I was moving in my third trimester, I became pretty ruthless in getting rid of things. It has made keeping our home clean and clutter free very easy (which prevents a lot of anxiety for me). I also love that instead of spending so much time maintaining the inside and outside of our home, I can invest that time into hobbies.
- Being able to monetize my blog. Being able to have ads on my blog through Mediavine has given us spending money and made blogging a consistent passive income.
- Being able to volunteer with so many projects. I was asked to help get word out about a free market held at our church. It was wonderful to be able to put out flyers, see how many people showed up, and help organize. We were also able to help contribute to some donation projects through church and friends.
- Living in Virginia. This has been the first place I’ve lived as an adult that truly felt like home. I was shocked that if felt like home so quickly too. I really hope this town can be our forever home.
- Walking trails and strollers. I absolutely love the trails in our town and we go walking often. Our neighbors are friendly, the trails are beautiful, and I have loved watching how the trees show up in every season here.
- Being able to share and connect with people. I’ve been blogging off and on since middle school. However, I’ve written on at least a weekly basis since high school. I have people I still keep in touch with that I met through blogging in high school and college. I consider them close friends.
