T Minus Seven Days...

One week from today I will turn thirty. Wowza. Instead of getting all whine ass, pitiful, last-week-of-my-twenties mopey, I am going to see what else I can get crossed off of my list between now and then. A trip to the top of the Empire State Building seems unlikely, but making and flying a kite might just happen...

I am thankful that I have officially completed list item number twelve: write every day for a month. When I added that little goal to my list, I had intended for the daily writing to be of the private, journaling variety. When it was getting down to the wire and my birthday was just weeks away, I knew that I would need the public forum to keep me accountable. Self-discipline is not my forte... I require deadlines and oversight. Whatever the motivation, I am glad that I did it. Despite serious misgivings about the self-indulgence of it all, I have enjoyed the regular writing. There is something motivating about the public nature of it, even if the audience is limited primarily to people who are related to me. Sitting on the couch with the computer on my lap doesn't hold quite the same romantic appeal as my moleskin notebook and Tom's fancy pen, but it got the job done...

Today is the last day of November and so, the last day of my month of daily gratitude. I have saved my greatest thanks for last. Within the next few days, my brother will wrap up close to a year of service in Afghanistan and head home to the safety and comfort of his fiancée and home in Vermont. If all goes according to plan, my parents, sister, and brother-in-law-to-be will make our way to Burlington next Friday to welcome him home. My fingers are crossed, but despite the fact that they made the plan, it seems that the Army cares little for it. We will see how it all plays out. One thing is for sure - whether or not I can be there for his arrival, the best birthday/Christmas gift I will get this year will be knowing that Michael is no longer perched behind a machine gun in the middle of the desert halfway around the world, but is instead cozied up, enjoying a long Vermont winter with Erin and their dogs. 

{I can't wait to roll this puppy out for the last time.}