Day 8 of Thanks

... and 9.

So, it didn't take long for me to forget a post! Since I neglected to give thanks yesterday, today's post will be doubly thankful.

Number 8 on my thankful list is my friends. I have been so incredibly blessed throughout my life with amazing friendships. Just this week, I had dinner with my 4 best friends from high school, and it made me so appreciative of the bond we formed at such a young age. As our lives are constantly going in different directions, I believe it is so special that our friendships seem to know no time. Every time we get together it is like we've never been apart, and we always pick up right where we left off. These girls who I grew up with are the sisters I never had. We can always count on each other to be a source of support through the difficult times and a smiling face through the happy ones; and, it's amazing how one girls' night can make the stresses of life dissipate... even if just for a little while. We share more memories together than I could possibly list in one blog post... and many that I don't want to list in a public forum (thank me later, girls), but I would never trade one second of any of them for all the riches in the world.... well, that might be a stretch, but you get the idea. Chelsea, Jen, Kelly, and Kahla, I love y'all so much, and I thank God for you always!
A post about friends would absolutely not be complete without mention of my college girls. When I left my small town of Winnie, Texas almost 10 years ago, en route to Southwest Texas State University (now, Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas, I never truly believed that college and my fabulous sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, would give me the strong friendships I have today. My best friends from college know me in a way that no one else does, and we have a bond that can never be replaced. We have so many memories (from dorm life to spring break road trips to fraternity parties to post-college girls' nights where we like to pretend we're still in college), and have remained best friends through it all. These girls are always there when I need them, and enrich my life in so many ways. I feel so blessed that God put these beautiful ladies in my life, and honestly do not know how I made it 18 years without them. So, Grace, Brandi, Miranda, and Jillian, I love y'all dearly, and I'm so very thankful for all of you!! (and, yes, that warranted a double exclamation!!)
A "friend post" cannot possibly go forward without mention of my friends who, although they cannot necessarily be classified as a "high school friend" or "college friend", are equally valuable to my life. Friends like Siobhan, Jenny Dean (Who is actually a Latiolais now, but will always be Dean to me...), Whitney, and Sarah (and Charles, too, of course), Chrisa, and Andrea... and others who I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention right now. These girls bring so much happiness to my life, and I absolutely adore each of them. We share memories ranging from touring all over London, jamming to Easy-E before Dixie Dance Hall, making Twilight t-shirts for the midnight premier, attending cake decorating classes, and Royal Wedding viewings, among many other random, albeit always fun, adventures. I cannot imagine my life without you girls in it, and I love you all very, very, very much!

Clearly, I have been blessed beyond belief in the friendship category, and this blog, if nothing else, solidified that fact in my mind and heart. I absolutely adore all of my wonderful friends, and feel like the luckiest girls in the world to be surrounded by such beautiful, intelligent, strong, funny, loyal, and incredible women. I love you all and I'm eternally thankful for you!

Now, moving on to number 9...

The ninth thing I am thankful for this month is my dishwasher. I know this topic is a little lighter than previous ones but, seriously, as someone who has lived an extended period without a dishwasher, I know that it is something to be cherished and I, personally, will never take mine for granted again. So, as my dishwasher runs in the background, I write how thankful I am that God blessed me with a home in which I do not have to manually wash the dishes, and I pray that I never have to go without a dishwasher again.

There you go, friends- numbers 8 and 9. See you tomorrow as I reveal the long awaited number 10!