10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 10

Today I am thankful for my Paris get-away!

Today is a very exciting day as I leave for Paris!  Yea!  I fly out this afternoon and will arrive in Paris on Wednesday morning.  2013 has been a tough year so I am really glad that I treated myself to a big trip like this as I know I have earned it.  Sometimes I feel guilty spending money on a big trip like this since the money could be put towards my grad school loans - but it's a good reward for all the sacrifices I made in the past year, from sacrificing many weekends for CFA studying to leaving all of my family and friends when I moved to Charlotte.

I don't have too much planned for this trip.  Since it's my 3rd trip to Paris, I feel less pressure to plan, plan, plan and will instead wake up each day and do whatever I feel like doing.  I tire more easily these days due to my RA and RA treatments, so I know this easier pace schedule is what my body needs.  I actually have Thanksgiving Day plans as a runner I met while traveling this fall (long story) invited me to his girlfriend's home for a small Thanksgiving celebration, so I won't spend that day alone.  Besides that, my only concrete plans are attending a Christmas concert at St. Chapelle on Saturday, which I am really excited about! 

I do know my trip will include things like walks along the Seine...

marveling at the views of the Notre Dame (which I will be able to see from the balcony of my apartment...

and eating lots of macarons!

While I am in Paris, I will be posting on my France blog, so check that out if you are interested in what I am up to!

Au revoir!  And Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 9

Today I am thankful that my family and friends are supportive - especially over the past year.

My world was totally turned upside last January when I found about my move to Charlotte and I honestly do not know how I could have weathered the last year without the support of my family and friends.  From cards to texts to phone calls to care packages, I have never felt so much love and support as I have over the last 11 months.  I really appreciate the fact that my family and friends don't force positivity on me and have let me cry and have my negative moments.  No one closed to me has pushed me to love (or even like) Charlotte and for that I am thankful.


This past year has definitely been one of those years where I feel like I've taken more than I have given, so hopefully that trend reverses in 2014 and I can "pay forward" the support I have received this year.

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 8

Today I am thankful for the healthy kids in my life.

The health of my nephews and niece is definitely something that I try not to take for granted.  They all had issue-free births and have led healthy lives so far - I pray this continues for their entire lives!  I will be an aunt again early in 2014 as my older sister is expecting and I hope and pray that the newest addition is healthy and makes his/her arrival into this world with no issues!

 

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 7

Today I am thankful that I found a great rheumatologist that I like and trust.

This whole being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis really threw me for a loop this year.  It was such a foreign disease to me, and there has been so much to wrap my mind around, but I am thankful that I have found a great doctor that I like and trust.  She is a great listener and does a good job of acknowledging that having RA sucks while remaining upbeat and positive about my outlook. 

She recently made the decision to put me on weekly injections.  It was a little scary and daunting to agree to this next method of treatment, but I trust my doctor so feel (mostly) at peace with the decision to start the injections.  I took my first dose last Monday and all in all, it really was not bad.  I am also thankful that I am not afraid of needles because if I was, giving myself those weekly injections would really suck!

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 6

Today I am thankful that I got to see my aunt Betty one last time before she passed away.

Yes, today's thanksgiving post is a heavier topic, but such is life.  I was blessed to get to visit my aunt Betty one last time in August.  She passed away the day after I saw her, so I got home just in the nick of time.  I had already sent her a goodbye over email as I didn't want to risk having any words left unsaid, but it was wonderful to see her one last time. 

She was actually doing well when I saw her that day.  I'll never forget how she blew bubbles in her 7-up to make her baby grand daughter laugh.  It was a bit surreal when she passed away the following day as I really felt she had more time.  But she had fought far longer than most would have or could have, and I know she is in a better place now.  I am just so grateful that I got to give her one last hug. 

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 5

Today I am thankful that I have had the financial means to go home as often as I have.

In the 7+ months since I moved to Charlotte, I have been home 5 times (although one of those trips was for the CFA which was obviously not a fun trip home), and I will be home next month for Christmas.  Going home on an almost monthly basis has really helped me tolerate living so far from home.

It's not by chance that I have had a budget for these trips home, though.  When I looked for an apartment in Charlotte, I would only consider places with rent that was lower than my rent in Minneapolis by the cost of a plane ticket home.  As a result, I lost over 400 square feet and live in a place that is not nearly as nice as my place in Minneapolis was, but being able to go home frequently matters way more than where I live right now.

After Christmas, I have no trips home planned as I do feel like I need to spend less on plane tickets as that money needs to be put towards a savings account to fund my move back to wherever I end up living in 2014.  I am sad that I don't have frequent trips home on the horizon, but I am thankful that I went home as often as I did in 2013.

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4

Today I am thankful for my love of reading which was fostered and developed from a very young age.

Reading had always been such a big part of my life, and I certainly have my parents and grandparents to thank for that.  My parents read to my siblings and I from a young age, and continued that tradition through the years.  I remember my mom reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and being just totally amazed by that book.


Both sets of grandparents definitely played a role in fostering for my love of reading.   They would always ask about what I was reading and books were a common gift.  I remember getting the entire boxed set of the Little House on the Prairie from my Grandma and Grandpa McDougall - a whole set of brand new, never been read books was such a big deal!

My love for reading only seems to grow the older I get.  It's definitely my #1 hobby - and a mostly free one since it's rare for me to buy a book these days since I use the library so much.  Even though reading is a solitary activity, I love how it still brings people together.  It's definitely a frequent topic of conversation among my friends, and when I email my grandma or see my God-mom, who is a retired English teacher, my first question is whether they have read any great books lately. 

 I hope that I can somehow influence my niece and nephews and instill that love of reading in them.  So far they all seem to really enjoy books which makes this aunt very very happy!

I have wanted this print for years as it's such a fun and whimsical way to display my love of reading.  After the holidays, I think I will be purchasing it!