What I'm Thankful For...

I am so happy Doc Chris asked us to write a blog post inspired by Thanksgiving because this year I have so much to be thankful for! As I prepare to go home for the holidays, I am so thankful for my family. My parents have given me so much throughout my life - an amazing childhood, an education, security, support, love, and so much more - and I don't always take the time to stop and tell them how much I appreciate them. I will definitely make more of an effort to tell them how much they mean to me! 

I am SO thankful for my younger sister Kerry. We are less than 2 years apart and so, although we fought like crazy as kids, we have become best friends as well as sisters. We have been through so much together and are always there for each other no matter what. Of course, like all sisters, we have our disagreements, but, in the end, we know that we will always love and be there for each other! 

Me and my sister on Thanksgiving...
People always think we're twins!

I couldn't write a "What I'm Thankful For" post without mentioning the people I spend every Thanksgiving with: my extended relatives on my mom's side. Every year for Thanksgiving, my mom spends two days cooking, decorating, and preparing to host all of her brothers, sisters, in-laws, and their children for a massive feast! Not only am I thankful for the AMAZING food my mom prepares each year (she could give Martha Stewart a run for her money), but I am thankful for the people I get to eat it with! Below are pictures of all my aunts and uncles, my grandmother, and the cousins! 

All the cousins with Nana posing for a picture on Thanksgiving!
(Left to right: Peter, Stephen, Stefan, Jacquelyn, me, Casey, Nana, Monica, Kerry, and Rachel)

The picture above is really special to me because we (all of the cousins) have always been really close and that bond has only increased as we've gotten older. It is so much fun to talk and reminisce about the past. This Thanksgiving, after dinner, we all went upstairs and looks through hundreds of pictures from our childhoods, laughing about the things our parents made us wear or how chubby we all used to be! 

One of the funniest pictures we came across, and I wish I had it so I could post it here, was of my cousin Stephen dressed up as Aladdin when he was 1 year old. When Stephen was a baby, he had the longest eyelashes and most beautiful eyes that made him look almost like a girl. Because of this, we always joke that in his first halloween costume, he ended up looking more like Jasmine than Aladdin!

All of the moms, dads, uncles, and aunts on Thanksgiving!
(Left to right: Uncle Eddy, Aunt Mary, Uncle Joe, Auntie MaryEllen, Mom (Lisa), Dad (Michael), Auntie Moey, Uncle Stephen, Auntie Kacky, and Uncle Timmy)

    

I love the picture above because it reminds me of how close and supportive we all are as a family. Being part of a HUGE Italian and Irish family can be crazy at some times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.