Better Late Than Never

Well since it has been nearly three months since I have written anything here, I guess maybe you will forgive me for waiting until the second to last day of November to post anything Thankful, right?
I have this very long list of things I would like to blog about and I think it has overwhelmed to the point that I avoid it altogether. So I am trying to make myself write a few short blogs in the next week and see if I can get back into the swing of things. I usually sit at the computer for a bit anyway after dropping Raley off at school so we'll see!
I was looking over my Thankful Thursday posts from last year and I had assumed that this year's list would be almost identical but it isn't. I'm not sure how I feel about that. The biggest difference is I can't be thankful for my sweet Luke who we lost in October. Anyone else who has ever lost a dog that they loved will know what I mean. It was hard to be thankful about much of anything in the face of his loss. I would say that of the 30 things from last year, we have eight that are either no longer relevant or have changed in some way. I don't think I could replace them all with new things so I will try just try coming up with eight things I am most thankful for this year.

1. I am so very thankful for our entire extended family and very glad that we finally live near them. We are within about an hour of almost everyone now. And that is an hour on a small road with lots of redlights, not an hour of freeway madness!
2. I am thankful that we have our sweet Ginny; now more than ever. Luke's loss would have been worse, I think if she wasn't her to walk and scratch and laugh at the funny things she does. She has decided that it is her job to take the kids to school and she doesn't try to run away when we go out to the truck.
3. I am thankful for our lovely new house. We have yet to hang any pictures and there are some major adjustments to our new life here but so far we have made it feel like home.
4. I am thankful that I have been able to keep in touch with some of our old neighbors. We even had two come visit us at the land over Thanksgiving! So much fun and so sweet of them to make that effort.
5. I am thankful for another great Thanksgiving in the woods. This year we had a great turnout of family and friends and without realizing it, we planned dinner for the perfect time, just as the overtime Texans game wrapped up! And yes, we watched it in the woods!!
6. I am thankful for some of our new neighbors who are neighborly. Our street is still under construction and some of the occupied houses seem to have unfriendly types in them but next to us and across from us are some sweet families with little girls for Pattie to play with.
7. I am more thankful than ever for my sweet, wonderful kids who are as different from each other as they could be. I am constantly laughing and wondering where they got some of theri quirks and weirdness and I love it when I realize that it came from me.
8. Lastly, firstly, always, I am thankful for Jayme. Without him, I just wouldn't want any of it. He's just the best. xoxoxo