Thankful

"The Holidays." When we say "Happy Holidays," it usually seems that we're referring to Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/New Years. I think Thanksgiving gets overlooked a little bit. Sure it's got a parade and a few football games, but nobody really stops to be thankful. Being that I've had a particularly rewarding year, I wanted to tell everyone what I'm thankful for this year.


First off I'm thankful for the health of my wife and newborn son. Both came through the birthing process fantastically. We went to a bunch of birthing classes, read a few books, but none of them told me how to react when my son comes out and he's not breathing and the doctor has to call in a second doctor to help stitch my wife up and stop her from bleeding. For a few minutes I literally stood halfway between both of them and didn't know what to do. It was probably the scariest moment of my life....realizing that this is a very delicate process and there's a real chance that I could potentially lose one or both of them. So yes, I'm extremely thankful that they're both healthy and will both outlive me by many, many years.

I'm thankful that OSU has won two consecutive national championships in baseball, meaning there's a much better chance my son will be into baseball and not skateboarding. I'm thankful that I've only missed two home OSU football games since 2000, and they were both against crappy teams that we dominated. I'm thankful that I've been to every Civil War game (in Eugene or Corvallis) since 1998. I'm thankful that the Blazers finally traded Zach Randolph so I can root for them again. I"m thankful that soccer is becoming a more popular sport in this country. Speaking of which, I'm thankful that I'm an american.

I'm thankful for my friends, who despite the fact that we are all at different stages of our lives, still find a way to all get together for at least one football game a year, and of course at Cinco De Mayo, despite the fact that none of us are even remotely close to Mexican.

I'm thankful for family, all of whom helped out by either spending time with us in the past few weeks, or cooking dinner for us or for their advice, friendship and support. I'm also thankful that I was able to be there to support my dad and my aunts through my grandpa's passing.

I'm extremely thankful that my grandpa got to meet Jonah, even if it was only for a few hours. I hope my grandpa understood the impact he had on my life and that it wasn't just a coincidence that my son's middle name is Courtney.

I'm thankful for my job. I bitch and complain about it, but I fully realize that it could be a lot worse. Working here I'm able to take classes for free, I have health insurance, great benefits and a ton of paid time off.

That being said, I'm even more thankful for my wife's job!

I'm especially thankful for Rachel. For the way she makes me think twice before ordering a burger, yet doesn't nag me if I order it anyways. For the way she tries so hard to keep Jonah quiet at night when she's feeding him so that I don't wake up because she doesn't want me to be tired for work in the morning. For not complaining when we watch sports for 12 straight hours on Saturdays during football season. For putting up with my friends calling at all hours of the night (cough cough Dave cough cough). For not being jealous when I go to movies that she doesn't want to see with a friend who just happens to be a female.

And of course, I'm thankful to everyone that reads this. The only reason I keep a blog is because you all tell me that you enjoy reading it. I'm thankful to MySpace for allowing me to keep in touch with people I might've never talked to or seen again.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!