Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! I’ve been away for a while. Strangely, my thoughts have been grand but my words few. The last three to four months have been an adventure in patience and self-care – two things I’m not exactly awesome at. However, I am incredibly thankful for a year of personal realignment for my priorities, goals, and career. Check out my top ten list of things I’m thankful for this year! 

10. Elastic waste bands – sometimes when you’re battling with some tough life situations or even some awesomely exciting life situations, elastic waste bands are a must. And today especially, I am thankful for this wonderfully stretchy elastic waste band on my pants! 😂

9. My garden – my Ryan built me a raised garden bed this year and I planted tomatoes and other plants. I loved those yummy tomatoes! It gave me something to focus on outside the house. And it was fulfilling to grow some of our own food. I can’t wait to plant our 2017 garden!

8. That brings me to another blessing, Food – I love food. Not all food loves me but I still love it just the same. I love to eat. I love to cook. I love to bake. I love to try new restaurants. I just love that we have food readily available to us. 

7. Our house – I just love our beautiful house. It’s a two story white house and my sweet husband and his mama painted the shutters black and the front door red this year. It’s perfect! 

6. Counseling – Y’all, seriously, counseling is the best thing I have done anytime that I need help to pull myself out of a funk. Back on Mother’s Day this year, I was in a bad place. I was isolating myself at home. The moment I cried because I didn’t want to go to Ryan’s Nana’s house for Mother’s Day dinner, I knew I had a problem. I called the counselor the following day and went once per week until I worked through several personal struggles.

5. My amazing job – After I started working through some counseling, I was incredibly lucky to get a wonderful job at the Knoxville Chamber in June. It’s a low stress job with dynamic coworkers and excellent benefits. I couldn’t have asked for a better career opportunity to fall into my lap especially in an industry I am passionate about. 

4. My personal focus on less stress and better health – After mom passed away last year, I made the personal decision to choose less stress in order to live a longer, heart healthy life. Ryan and I both made it our mission this year to “get Julie healthy” and I’m happy to say that in August my thyroid was at normal levels, my depression and anxiety were diminishing and my stress levels were substantially less. 

3. Family – I’m so thankful for my family. The past year or so has been a roller coaster and I don’t think any of us could have made it through without each other! I’m so thankful for every single person in my entire family for all the love and support each person has given me. 

2. Baby Massie – yep, you read it right. Baby Massie is arriving May 2017. My health got to such awesome levels in August that we conceived! We are so excited and so blessed beyond belief for our little turkey. I can’t wait to meet him/her in May! 

1. Most of all, I am thankful for my Ryan. He is my biggest blessing of all. Through all my exhausted moments, low motivation days, and sobbing fits, my sweet husband has been by my side for it all. He wipes my tears, hugs me, and cleans up our house when all I want to do is sleep. He is my most solid rock. I love him so incredibly much and I’m ever thankful God gave him to me and to our little baby!