thanksgiving.

{napa valley, thanksgiving day}

i woke up this morning before the sun came up, a little restless and full of mixed emotions. this is the very first thanksgiving i will not be waking up to the smell of the turkey already cooking in the oven and the thanksgiving table already set. the first thanksgiving i won't see my dad hovering over the turkey, and my mom perfecting the sides.

i can't wait for the day where i can host my own thanksgiving, in my own home, with both of our families. it will never be as good as my parents...but i will try. there will be candles, warm lighting, the smell of pumpkin-spice filling the house, family, classical music, children, take-home bags of leftovers and goodies...all this done while wearing an apron. i wonder how i became this girl. the one whose biggest dreams include throwing dinner parties. nevertheless, i am thankful that i know this day is in our future.

until then, and today, we will be spending our thanksgiving here. as a newlywed couple, our first thanksgiving on our own. and might i point out...our first time out of the city since we moved here. i am so thankful to be spending this thanksgiving with the husband. i am so thankful that i have been able to spend almost 8 months now being married to my best friend. i have no doubt that we will always remember our first thanksgiving together as being one of the greatest. 

so much to be thankful for this year. thankful for our families. and thankful for our friends. so thankful for a heavenly father that has my best interests at heart and makes things just fall into place. so thankful that happiness now seems so simple, and gets better by the day. am thankful for my life.

wishing you the happiest of thanksgivings....much peace and love. xo.

"gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. we like to be around those who are grateful. the tend to brighten all around them. they make others feel better about themselves. they tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable." 

~ joseph b. wirthlin