My first Chicago Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving is such a happy holiday. Everyone seems a little more generous, a little more forgiving. Christmas is around the corner. Lights twinkle around town. Food drives make you grateful for your blessings. Leaves still clutter the ground.

This year Harper and I made our own mini Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing (stove top baby!), Martinelli's (which cost me $4.50 for one bottle, totally ridiculous), and double-layer pumpkin pie. When I got the turkey out Harper was very intrigued and jumped up on the table to help. She's always trying to help out her mamma.

Even though I'm over 2,000 miles away thanks to the wonders of technology I still got to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family via Skype. I ate my dinner while they ate theirs and we talked just like I was actually there.

Skype is one of the things I'm most grateful for this year. Spending $25 on a webcam for my family was money well spent. It makes being far away easier. The phone is great, but being able to see everyone at once and the dogs brawling in the background is comforting. Family feels tangible.

The list could go on and on but here are 10 things I'm grateful for this year:

1) Surviving my first quarter of grad school
2) My little muffin Harper
3) The amazing city of Chicago
4) Skype (such an amazing invention)
5) Pinterest (I could spend all day on there)
6) Five Guys (I could eat there everyday)
7) Diet Coke with lemon and lime (sooo good)
8) My awesome neighborhood and apartment
9) The fact that all of my girls are home from their missions!
10) Good books and compelling articles that inspire me to be a better writer