Thankful for the Squirrel

Twas the day of Thanksgiving and I headed, a bit deliriously, up to Big Bear. Every time I head up to those mountains it seems as if my whole life flashes before me and I am continuously stunned at the beauty that I experienced for most of my life living there. (Was it this amazing then?) Driving in thick fog is one of my most favorite pastimes and a gift on my drive. It's just so mysterious. Half the drive was fog filled and even snowy at times. I drove alone.. and for the first time in a long time just let everything sink in. People say that you never are thankful for what you have until it's gone. Well, as cliche as that may be, that is one of the emotions I feel about my mountains. As I reached the top of the mountain I sighed...and then I hit a dang squirrel which sent me into a torrent of negative emotions that I only recovered from when I hit Maple (the street..not a tree) and complained for the 40th time why they put a light there. Anyway, I spent the day with my adopted family which was great as always...played some Redneck Life...drank some good wine..spilled some secrets..and some wine ;)....watched James Bond and munched for days on Kettle Chips and the same dip that we've had every year since I met them...I slept on the most uncomfortable bed on the planet (but amazing at the same time...thanks Aaron)..and I woke up to a graphic poster of some Operation Ivy guy glaring at me...creepy... And after a nice breakfast of "champions" I went for a drive..laughed at the quirks of my small town and then left it behind again smiling as an old friend invited me to go out that night and see all the people who had eventually given up on city life and moved back. As much as the mountains will always make me smile....I have no plans on returning long term...because if I returned it would be taken advantage of again and instead of writing my favorite things I would be listing the top ten reasons why small towns are a chasm impossible to crawl out of. :)

The holidays for me are naturally melancholy & strongly reminiscent. My life has changed immensely over the years and thankfulness has become an overcoming emotion that always lies upon my heart. I'm thankful for the family that even in the most dark moments took me in as there own and love me consistently through my flaws and hurts. I'm thankful that no matter what direction my life has taken, God has been there strong and steadfast. I'm thankful for the little things...the people that make me smile when smiling is the last thing on my mind...the dream that I get to wake up to everyday....the stillness and beauty of nature untouched by man....a child's belief in God....the feeling of the best fuzzy blanket in the world....and so much more than I could never explain..but enough of this sappiness......:)