103 More Things to Be Thankful For

Round 2. 🙂

1. Grandma and Grandpa
2. Granny and Gramps
3. 5 aunts, 5 uncles, 14 cousins, and 7 jr. cousins (technically 1^st cousins once removed)
4. For my love of painting – which I’m pretty sure is inherited from the wonderful artist, Mrs. Loretta Carlisle
5. For memories of Gramps’ silliness, love, and whimsy
6. That walking into certain garages and remembering the smell of Granny and Gramps’ garage on Baldwin Street
7. For the olive shoe – the blog and the serving dish
8. For evening walks to the beach as a child with Grandpa
9. To have played numerous Old Maid games with Grandma Mense and Grandma Anderson
10. For Eggroll, Eggroll, Eggroll, Roll – a unique song my Grandpa taught me
11. For Captain Crunch and thankful for lots of good times with cousins and family at Granny and Gramps’ pool
12. For my very first camera, given to me by Grandma before I went to camp when I was 8
13. For shopping trips with Mom and Grandma when I was younger (and the fact that I now can only shop by staying to the right so I cover everything)
14. The Little Prince
15. Dr. Seuss and his whimisical, childish yet profound brilliance
16. The Grinch
17. Jim Carrey’s portrayal of the Grinch
18. My French teachers in high school, Mrs. Mack and Mr. Wilson.
19. The cork I saved from a champagne toast where my great Grandma Lewis gave an endearing and hilarious toast at Christmas in Virginia in 2006. I ran across it when I was pulling out Christmas ornaments the other day and just. smiled.
20. My P.E.L.I.C.A.N. teachers in elementary school, Ms. Powell and Ms. Thearbaugh (sp?)
21. My second grade teacher Mrs. Rose.
22. My first grade teacher Mrs. Gasque.
23. My third grade teacher Mrs. Heilman.
24. My fourth grad teachers Mr. Porter and Mrs. Horton.
25. My fifth grade teacher Mr. Anderson.
26. Memorable teachers and staff from middle school: Mrs. Guyton, Mrs. Register, Mrs. Benson, Mrs. Bannon, Mrs. Herring, Mr. Shealy
27. Memorable teachers and staff from high school: Mr. Leach, Mr. Karpinski, Mr. Stone, Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Cochran, Mr. Chandler, Coach McKelvey, Mr. Kroll, Dr. Browning
28. The people at work who make it a pretty great place (most days) to spend the majority of my waking hours.
29. Apple TV
30. Clouds
31. Pumpkin Spice Lattes
32. Pumpkin Pie
33. Pumpkin Cheesecake
34. Anything pumpkin really
35. Mini-pecan pies made by my mom
36. The traveling Clemson quilt made by one fabulous Mrs. Donna L.
37. The mistakes I’ve made in my life and the lessons I’ve learned as a result of having made them.
38. The heartache and struggle I’ve saved by making good decisions and getting a few things right the first time
39. The childish delight that I still find in snowflakes, making snowmen, and the crunch snow makes under boots.
40. A good long drive…
41. Singing at the top of my lungs in the car
42. Margaritas
43. That my parents instilled a love of learning and curiosity for things unknown and have always encouraged me to never stop pursuing new things and realizing new passions
44. That I am a very passionate person; it has its downfalls – hurt feelings, rejection, failure, and possibly worst – broken hearts, but I would choose feeling, dreaming, and loving over not a berjillion times over.
45. The sound of waves crashing on the Carolina shore.
46. Fireworks on the 4^th of July with best friends at the Hartwell Dam
47. Summer days at Red Banks
48. Bloody Marias
49. That I have already had so many opportunities to experience so many things in life at only 32
50. That I actually like broccoli, brussells sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms, peas, and green peppers
51. For Shir-noir-lot
52. For the good times – that help you get through the bad ones.
53. For the bad times – that remind you how good you have it.
54. To have had the opportunity to really get to know my grandparents.
55. Leggings (which are not to be confused with pants)
56. My ten years as a girl scout
57. Whole Foods
58. The Dekalb World Market and Kudzu Antiques in Atlanta
59. Sleepy Poets’ Antique Mall in Charlotte
60. Knowing how to write a thank you note
61. Whitewater falls
62. Discovering a great band I’ve never heard of before
63. Road trips with friends.
64. For boiled peanuts
65. For my quirks
66. My ability to (most of the time) see both sides of the situation
67. My ability to read people
68. Becoming friends because of a road trip – got one of my best this way.
69. The way a good pair of heels instantly makes your legs look better and boosts your mood.
70. The way a good smile instantly makes your face look better and boosts your mood.
71. Good mascara
72. A classy red lip
73. My amazing hairdresser…who is also now my friend, too. BONUS!
74. The smell of lilies
75. Green tea
76. Chai tea
77. Any tea, really
78. My darn-good ability to organize my large amount of “stuff” in small spaces
79. The hope that I won’t always have to live in small spaces
80. The SC Lowcountry
81. The mystery of what lies down a set of railroad tracks (seriously, every time I pass them I think, “Huh? Wonder what’s down there?”)
82. Piglets. I mean, they’re just cute.
83. Small towns
84. Back roads
85. The Monster at the End of the Book…
86. …and a Dad who can read it in PERFECT Grover voice
87. For romantic comedies
88. Bustling big cities
89. The sound of a baby’s laugh
90. My ability to keep an open mind about most things.
91. Having finished 2 half marathons in my 30s after being the kid in high school that almost always finished the required mile runs dang near last.
92. My ten years as a girl scout, skills learned, memories made, friendships forged. (not to mention camp experiences, silly songs I learned, and messes we made…Oh Donderback, oh Donderback…Make new friends, but keep the old…There’s a daisy on my toe)
93. Sloppy Joe Casserole
94. For good pens (I’m a pen snob)
95. For polka dots, zig zags, and stripes. So simple, yet so effective.
96. Netflix
97. For friends that like to cook just as much as I do (and teach me new things)
98. For my book club: such an interesting group of women; each one brings something different to the group
99. For a little town in the corner of the South Cackalack that I have grown to love so much that I now call it home.
100. That I’m multi-faceted
101. That I have a decent sense of direction.
102. For the members of my family who decided to call this land home before I was even a thought, so that I may have been born in the land of the free and home of the brave.
103. That I live in a country where I can freely speak, work, drive, act, sleep, eat, shower, dress, behave, create, date, befriend, read, learn, communicate, and celebrate as I so desire – within reason, of course and even at times in excess.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Safe Travels Everyone!

Lauren is a Sr. Designer of Product Graphics for an international manufacturing company by day and a creativity crusader, designer, planner extraordinaire, artist and blogger in her “free” time. Follow her and The Olive Shoe on Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram! Please subscribe to receive emails, of course, come back and visit again soon!