What are you thankful for this year?

We are two months away from a brand new year, and less than a week away from Thanksgiving. I hate to sound cliché but this year really flew by for me – more than any other year of my life. Thanksgiving seems to help everyone slow down a bit and focus on spending time with family. The feeling of it being the most wonderful time of the year really kicks in and you can’t escape the greens, reds, and winter whites everywhere!

For 2017, I set some pretty major goals for myself and while I completed many, I’ll admit some things didn’t necessarily go as planned. There were some really great, incredible moments [insert Europe trip and a national campaign I was in!], but also some of the lowest lows I ever experienced (I’m sure many of you can relate).

Without getting too, I don’t know.. sentimental? I wanted to put out in the universe the things I’m thankful for this year. I’m a firm believer that you get back what you put out and we’re friends, right? – so let’s pretend we’re sitting around our Thanksgiving table and share what we are thankful for this year.

This year one of the biggest things I’m grateful for is my relationship with my husband. We’ve been tested before in our relationship, but this year was beyond anything I ever knew we could handle. It shouldn’t surprise me though – I married a really good man. Maybe I’m a little bias, but honestly just ask anyone who meets him – he’s awesome! In life you rarely prepare for the bad – you always hope for the best. A great testament to a strong relationship (including friendships) is going through really hard times and coming out stronger in the end. Now, we’re not perfect – we definitely fight. But I’m thankful we’re growing together and continuously learning how to overcome hard times.

CLICK TO SHOP THE LOOK

Longline cardigan: Forever 21 || Top: frenchie, similar here || Jeans: Banana Republic, similar here || Booties: Target

Another thing I’m thankful for this year is kind people. Sounds strange, I know, but with senseless and tragic stories on the news, I’m grateful there are still people in the world who take the time to stop and compliment you if they like your shoes or hold the door for you when you’re struggling with 20 grocery bags. I don’t know how many times the bad day I was having turned a little brighter because of an unexpected act of kindness.

To a bigger degree, I witnessed first-hand the power of community and sisterhood this year. My sorority sister – my little sister or “little” – found out her son was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor – cancer. I’m thankful this tiny but mighty little human has made it through his radiation and is now recovering. I’m thankful he felt loved and protected through a journey no little human should ever have to take. She wrote a blog post much more eloquently than I ever will here and she also shared much of their journey in separate posts too.