Gracias.

It's that time of year again and how did it get here so quickly?
Thanksgiving has come and gone in a flash and here we are again, counting down the days until Santa makes his grand arrival.

(I have become more than just a little bit pathetic at taking photos of life, but my mom did snag this one at Thanksgiving this year.)

This week was full of parties, shopping, hard work and a little bit of relaxation slipped in there. All the hustle and bustle makes it easy to forget to stop and think about all the great things to be thankful for. I was stopped in my tracks on Thanksgiving Eve when I remembered getting a frantic call one year ago that Dad was missing. ( You can read the full story here.) One of the worst days of my life was turned into one of thanks- thanks for my family and community and thanks for my sweet daddy.

The bigger picture of incidents like this is to make us stop. Stop. Forget about our daily stresses and the nonsense we have trained ourselves to consume our thoughts. Instead, take a minute to appreciate what really matters in life.

That's what I love the most about this season- It's a time of thanks. A time of happiness and family. Even though we see our families more often than most, it is still a special time.

Cheers to the season and excitement of the coming weeks!

Gracias.