Friday, November 25, 2011

There is a lot to be thankful for.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I'd like to do a post dedicated to the spirit of the holiday... everything I'm thankful for.

I think I'll start by revisiting my original 4 goals for this trip:
1. To have lots of fun.  I am.  We've been on the road for only 10 days, and I can't believe how much we've done and seen so far.  We have been eating good food, seeing good people and laughing a lot.
2. To remain flexible.  I'm not sure I've really been tested yet, but I can honestly say that our loose itinerary and "see how it goes" attitude is more exhilarating for me than stressful.  I'm embracing it :)
3. To stay healthy.  I am thankful for the good food we've been eating, which has mostly been homemade. I'm glad we are having a relatively regular opportunity to exercise, and I'm straight-up thankful for my health in general... can't take that one for granted.
4. To keep liking each other.  This one has been easy... we laugh together every day.  We are truly happy to be doing the things we're doing.  And, I repeat, there is nobody I'd rather have by my side for this adventure.  I wake up every day thankful and excited to spend it with Ben (and hopefully he feels the same way about me, haha).

This year has really been a crazy one.  It has been a roller coaster and a year full of all kinds of milestones... my dad died, my brother and sister-in-law had their first baby, I paid off all of my student loans, Ben and I quit our jobs at a place where we have spent amazing years, we left a town and a house and friends that felt like home.  It has been epic.  And life changing.  I mean, I just met an entire half of my family I never really knew before last weekend...  and, the adventures of 2011 aren't over quite yet.

I can't really explain how whole all of this is making me feel.  I know you understand.  This is a time in my life that I will look back on forever - I am and will always be thankful for the opportunity to have these adventures, for my other half who challenges me when I need it and always supports me, for our amazing families, for our friends - I know we will be friends for a lifetime... I just have the feeling that good things are in store for us, and I feel so lucky and so excited!  Though, to be honest, I wouldn't mind a less eventful 2012...

Thanks to everybody who keeps up with the blog.  It's really special to me to be able to share this experience with you... whether we're close enough that you know all the details of my life, or you're someone I haven't seen or talked to in years.  It's been pretty darn cool to see what kind of network I have out there...

4 comments:

  1. tclusiau@tomclusiaus.comNovember 26, 2011 at 12:34 AM

    hey, nice page. stay happy. have fun. laugh lots. never go to bed angry and..... always kiss good night. tc/kj

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  2. Crystal and Ben, I want to thank you guys! You have made more of impact on my life and the way I observe things and act than you will know. I know I'm not the most graceful when it comes to interactions with other people, but I feel I have grown and that you two helped me do that! Hope the adventures continue to be great, and that you two stay safe in all of your travels.

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  3. Wow, thank you so much! I am really honored that you feel that way about us and the way we're doing things. I appreciate all of your well wishes, and hope that you're doing well too. Maybe adventures are in store for you as well?

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