Happy Holidays! 

I wanted to take just a few minutes today, Christmas Eve, and pass along my thanks. I have a lot of things to be thankful for…more on that in a minute, but it’s so easy to roll from one day to the next not stopping to appreciate all the good things surrounding you. With presents under the tree and the family still sound asleep, I’ll share a little of what I’m thankful for. 

Today

started pretty rough. My three year old daughter woke up at 4:45 this morning having a coughing fit that ended up with her vomiting all over her bed. By 5:15 the Mrs. and I had the bed remade, laundry going, the little one showered, and had tucked her back in bed. Right at that awkward time of do I go back to bed or should I just stay up, I decided to stay up. I managed to get about 40 minutes into the workout before I rushed back to my daughter’s room to have the 4:45 experience all over again. Now, at not even 7:15 am as I write this, I’ve had quite the day! 

The Thankful Part

Despite a rough start today, sitting here now in the quiet, I know that I’m lucky (yes, in part because I actually have 15 minutes of quiet all to myself)! More than that, with all the crazy, weird, horrible, and unfortunate things going in the world, I’m surrounded by three ladies that love me (the Mrs., my nine year old, and my three year old for those of you that haven’t read past posts). I also have my sister and her family close by and they are all happy and healthy. So, to kick off my Christmas Eve, here is the official list of what I’m feeling thankful for today.  

  • Family – I never knew I could smile and nearly tear up at the same time so easily. My two girls make me mushy =-)
  • Good health – I know my three year old will kick this bug soon!
  • Friends – we have some friends that we just found out are fighting cancer. Despite that, they are smiling and strong. Being surrounded by good people even when the bullet above doesn’t always show up is important
  • Work – I’m very fortunate to do what I do to provide for my family
  • FIRE – you guys are great! I look forward to learning and posting all the time. While I haven’t achieved FIRE yet, with the support I find online I know I will
  • Freedom – we live in a crazy political environment now but I am thankful for our freedom
  • Finances – While I work on achieving FIRE, I am thankful our finances are healthy
  • Fun – I’ve laughed more recently than I’ve been frustrated or yelled or cried. 

Hopefully

you have something, or many things, to be thankful for as we get ready to celebrate over the next few days. So, whatever your beliefs, from my family to yours, happy holidays!