Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The past few days in Sydney have been bright and sunny and hot, so it hasn’t felt much like the holidays here. And of course, Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday in Australia so we don’t get any days off. The Snook and I celebrated last night with some homemade turkey burgers with camembert and cranberry sauce, washed down with beer and followed by ice cream sandwiches. Not bad, actually.

Looking at last year’s list of thanks, it’s pretty much unchanged this year. I’m thankful for…

• continued success at a great job. I’ve been here nearly two years now and my role continues to stimulate and challenge me. My team met an extremely stressful deadline this year and launched a successful project that has been well-received by the public. I like what I do and the people I work with. The Snook has also been going well at his new job and his initial contract has been extended. These are good things!
• our little house in Chippendale. This year we finally got to make some improvements that I love: new cooktop and oven; new washer and dryer; new curtains. The Snook also singlehandedly pushed through a mortgage refinance for us that is saving us heaps every month. We’re going well.
• great friends. Just the best. When I have been stressed out or sad this year, they’ve been there for me.
• continued health. I haven’t had the best year in terms of illness, but I’m still fit and strong. We have affordable health insurance and access to good doctors.
• the continued well-being of our family. Our visit home to the States in July/August was just fantastic. We got to visit nearly everybody and see for ourselves how great they’re doing. There were new babies to cuddle, new houses to see, and new stories to hear. Knowing that they’re all okay makes it easier to be far apart at times like this.

And as always, I’m thankful for every day I get to spend with my best friend. I’m not always the nicest or easiest person to live with, but the Snook always makes me feel like I’m the best.