The Obligatory Things I'm Thankful for Post

I'm not doing this just because it's expected. I'm doing it because I really want to.  First of all, I'm thankful for all the people who read my blog, especially my 21 followers.    You guys have been my only friends at some times and you've helped to keep me sane.

I would like to welcome my newest follower, Marvah Gorlorwulu from Nonsensical Babbles. This girl is only 15 years old, but she has one of the most interesting life stories I've ever read and she's a lot more grown-up than most adults. She recently moved from the US to Ghana and her blog chronicles the results of this move and her adjustments to her new living situation.  It's a great read and very well-written.  I guarantee you'll feel a lot better about your problems after reading her blog.  Of course I'm thankful for my friends and my family, and especially for G.  I spent Thanksgiving with G and his family, and it was full of great food, not-so-great-food (really bitter salad and way too much rum in the whipped cream for the pumpkin pie), and Scrabble (which G and I lost at, as a team, because our spots kept getting used by other people for less points than our words would have gotten in the same places).  I got to talk to my mom and dad twice in the past few days and it was really great.  I just don't ever call them because I'm so bad at small talk.  I want to talk to them, but I never call unless I have news to share, a job interview or a doctor's appointment coming up, for example.  My life has been staying pretty much the same for a while, so I don't feel like I have anything interesting to say.  I know that I need to start calling sometimes just to talk though.  I found this quote recently on a blog I follow, one that you should follow to, because it's usually hilarious and always entertaining.   "Unemployment feels like swimming underwater in a pool of jello: difficult, slightly suffocating, and surprisingly delicious at times."-Annah from Red Means Go  It's so true and eloquently put.  When I start searching for jobs, it seems so overwhelming that I have to stop before too long.  Everyone wants you to already have experience, but nobody will hire you so you can get experience.  It's so frustrating and feels suffocating.  But then it can be delicious when you just say, you know what, screw those jobs, I'm going to make up my own job and it will be way better than any of those.  So that's how I became a jewelry artisan and freelance designer, and soon a thrift store reseller.  I am also super grateful that I made both my first Etsy sale and my first eBay sale on Thanksgiving and the following day.  I can't be thankful for things without being thankful for being able to walk.  Those of you who are new to my blog probably don't know it, but last year, from October to May, I couldn't walk and I was in a wheelchair.  It sucked and was completely disheartening and occasionally soul-crushing.  It did give me a new outlook on life, which I'll be forever grateful for, but I wouldn't go through that again for all the money in the world.

And it pales in comparison to everything else, but I'm thankful for the Washington Huskies' basketball team winning this week and the Washington Huskies' football team winning the Apple Cup and getting to go to a bowl game.  Last year was the first year we made it to a bowl game in 8 years, so going two years in a row is pretty cool.  The Apple Cup is where University of Washington plays Washington State University.  It's an intense rivalry, and we won it 38-21!