Feeling Thankful.

As another holiday (and one of my favorites, might I add) approaches this weekend in Canada, I'm feeling pretty patriotic and a little bit homesick. As I board a plane to Sydney, my fellow Canadians will be stuffing themselves with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy... and my personal favorite... pumpkin pie. It's Thanksgiving!

I'm a self proclaimed holiday-addict. I'm the girl who decorates for Christmas in early November and still paints Easter eggs despite being in my 20's. Thanksgiving is no exception. I spend the entire month prior dreaming of turkey dinners.

Knowing that there was no way to go home this year, I tried to at least make it to Toronto. I knew that I could count on my grandma to make a delicious pumpkin pie... far better than any you could buy at a store. When I didn't get the flight on my roster I tried swapping it for my Sydney/Auckland trip, but it was no use. I sadly accepted the fact that I would have to miss out on one of my favorite days of the year.

However, a few let downs won't let me lose sight of what this holiday is really about... being thankful. At this time of year I always like to take the time to give thanks for all that is great in my life, and this year I have even more to add to the usual list...

I'm thankful for the amazing opportunities that I've been handed. I might have to miss out on a few turkey dinners but looking at the big picture I'm truly blessed. This was my dream job, and how many people can honestly say that they reached their dream? I'm thankful for each and every country I've been able to visit and for the amazing experiences I've had along the way. Heck, I'm even a bit thankful for the homesickness. It's shown me what is truly important to me and now I make every attempt not to take the little things for granted.

I'm thankful for my family. Thanksgiving is such an important day to spend with family, and I'm fortunate to have such a great one. They support my dreams and they have all along. I'm thankful for Ryan's family as well, for treating me like I'm part of the family.

I'm thankful for Ryan. This year has been hard for both of us but he loves me no matter where I am. People said so many negative things about long distance relationships but if anything it's made us fall even more in love. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

I'm thankful for my friends. For my old friends back home and my new friends in Dubai. I love them all.

I'm thankful for a lot of things, but if I were to write them all I'd be up all night, and I have a flight early in the morning!

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada.

Oh, and let's not forget....I'm thankful that I can call myself Canadian. I may be biased but I think it's a pretty darn amazing place to call home, and I look forward to going back someday.

So... what are you thankful for?