things i'm thankful for today:

my critters! hobbes' mischevous sense of humor, snotty cold early morning kisses, and heart of gold. balloon's clingy-velcroness and sweet biscuit making. twilight's gritty meow and new found love of play (thanks to purina OM and project pet slim-down!). shadow's, well... shadow's relative lack of fear lately - he's taken to hissing at the dogs as he walks by them, instead of hissing while he flees from them. theodore. so many things about my teddy boy. his sweet face and gentle nature. the fact that he tries so hard to be a good boy. his patience, his "inside voice", and his happy smile. such a good dog. and of course, the foster connie. she really needs a home of her own, but i'm thankful i can provide her a place for now.
speaking of place. i know i complain about my leaky roof, but i am so thankful to have this apartment right now. it was perfect for this time of change - being this close to work this cheaply was incredible. i got lots of amusing stories and lots of "this is how to fix problem x" experience. now i can take care of just about any problem i might run into as a homeowner (or at least i know who to call if i can't), and i got to practice painting on somewhere they'll probably repaint as soon as i move out anyway...
my car. holy smokes am i thankful for my free car. the engine is just about the only thing that works on it, but that's all i need. heaters, pshaw. speedometer, pshaw. door locks, trunk seal, gas cap that opens properly, pshaw. i love having a car i can put bumper stickers on. i love having a car that's mine. i love the freedom of being able to just go in to town on a whim, or purchase more stuff than i can fit on my bicycle.
my bicycle. holy smokes am i thankful for my bicycle! it's a purple electra with all the fixin's and i just love it to bits. my last couple of bicycles (which were also purple, but much cheaper and less awesome) got retired by being tossed in the dumpster at whichever apartment complex in san diego i was moving out of at the time. yeah, not too fancy or anything. this smooth ride... ahhhhhhh.
speaking of smooth, i am thankful for my dutch cocoa. it's dark and smoky and practically sinful. mmmm.
i'm thankful for food. for yummy food, cheap food, yummy and cheap food (macaroni and cheese, among other things). the flavors, the textures, from cocoa krispies to a garlic-buttered artichoke. can we say i love my food?
i'm thankful for the fun places i can buy food. trader joes is incredible, though a little far away. clauson's liquidation! wow! i got a 5lb bag of raw sugar there for 5 bucks yesterday. they've had truffle oil, gluten free bread mixes, chestnuts, cases of gatorade, veggies galore, and all kinds of fun candy stuff, all at ridiculously low prices. grocery outlet. again YUM and very cheap.
i'm thankful for my paychecks. they're not a ton, but they are sufficient and i'm grateful to have them. i'm thankful for a boss who appreciates the work i do and doesn't mind me putting in a bit of ot to get a project done. i'm thankful that i get to be silly at work.
speaking of work: can anyone imagine a better job for me than the one i have? not by much! i get to work directly with animals, i get to help awesome people and hold stupid people accountable. i get to organize things and track statistics and be all anal about that. i get to bring my dogs to work with me. i get to talk about things like animal behaviors and new medical breakthroughs and go to trainings that build me up personally as well as professionally. i get to do all that stuff and i get paid for the privilege. not a bad deal at all!
i am thankful for my coworkers! i work with some amazing people, and it is amazing to me to be able to interact with them on the level that i do. there is no petty sniping. we don't wear our poopy potty pants to work, and we don't have to deal with any of the normal girl-type snitty stuff. instead we build each other up and help each other learn and share the workload like no place i've ever been. what an incredible team!
i am thankful for my freedom. from government oppression. from societal and economic oppression (maybe living in the middle of nowhere has something to do with that). from any kind of oppression. what an amazing country i live in, where a bunch of idiots in washington (d.c. of course) pretend they run the show, but in real life we all go on living our daily lives as we choose to do. my travels this year have really reminded me how amazing it really is to be an american citizen and i'm proud of that, regardless of how silly we can be.
which leads me to being thankful for our soldiers. our troops. our marines, airmen, seamen, whatever you want to call them. the people who wear a uniform to ensure our safety and security. my hat is off to them and their families.
i'm thankful for my personal freedom of choice. i'm thankful that this year, i was able to really get to know myself, and realize that i really am kind of cool. i kind of always thought i had some good stuff to offer, and now i know it. yay for realization! what an amazing feeling - i like myself. i like who i am and what i do, and i am proud of the choices i make. i don't care if i don't have a huge impact on the world, but i can make a small impact on lots of lives, and i choose to do that. i've learned that it's more important to be happy than to be "right", and i am so glad i can choose to be wrong sometimes. because i am happy.
i'm thankful for words, written, spoken, non-verbally expressed. i love communicating, and seeing how different kinds of communications work. i like to see how people interact with people, critters with critters, critters with people.
*i'm thankful for melanie and eric who just brought neil by to say hi and happy thanksgiving! i do love that dog, and i'm sooooo glad that he is happy with them!*
i'm thankful for the good deeds i'm able to do. once in a psychology class we held a debate as to whether any action could be truly altruistic. i argued no. good deeds are rewarded, and i think people have an innate sense of that. i got to foster poki the broken-legged weiner dog last winter. i didn't get any money or fame from that, but it felt so good to see her with her new family.
i am thankful for the internet and my telephone that keep me connected with the outside world. it is amazing that i can be back in contact with people i knew years ago in other countries.
that said, i love living where i do. my favorite stores are far away, but that makes it even more special when i get to go there. most people i know are in other states, so it's that much cooler when i get to see them. i am thankful that where i live helps me appreciate what i have.
i am thankful that i've been approved to purchase my cabin. i'm finally going to be legit and own a house. i'm really going to live here, not just rent or squat. i'll really belong somewhere. wow. that's a load off my shoulders. i am so excited to be a real grownup and pay a mortgage. i am thankful for government programs that make it possible for someone without a big down payment to be able to buy a home. i am thankful for my realtor and loan officer who are making this happen. and i'm thankful that the builders made such a cool little cute cabin for me to buy.
i'm thankful for my laptop. it was an amazing gift, given at a very opportune time. i'm thankful that it was missed when the majority of my other electronics were stolen.
i'm thankful for my layers and layers of clothes, including my frontline fuzzy jacket and my ridiculous hat that are keeping me warm(ish) right now. i'm thankful that my boss told me to take home an additional heater from work, so that i was warm enough last night to really sleep. i'm thankful that i was able to sleep in today. really sleep in. the poor critters didn't get breakfast until about 10:30. then i went back to bed. i'm thankful for a paid holiday! i'm thankful that i'm getting a chance to rest and let my body admit that i'm sick, so i can start to get better. stupid head cold... i'm thankful for ricola and halls lozenges, for theraflu and the dutch theraflu-ish stuff i got there, for hot cider and lemonade and herbal tea. i'm thankful for vitamins and excedrin and tissues (especially the ones with lotion in them...).
i'm thankful that i have enough money in my bank account that i don't have to freak out about black friday or camp in front of anywhere to get something cheaper. i can get what i need, when i need it, and if something is expensive, i can budget and save for it. i am thankful that i have the security and stability to be able to do that. i am thankful for my absence of debt (until i get the mortgage).
finally, i am thankful that i know there are other things i didn't list, but that i'm going back to bed again, so they can stay in my subconscious for now.