Thanksgiving 2008 - 20 Things I Am Thankful For

It's Thanksgiving week so here are 20 things I am thankful for:

1. My wife Diane - she is my life, my one true love, partner, best friend and...well, really, everything to me. I'm very lucky to be with someone so smart, adventerous, funny and beautiful.
2. My health - 39 years and so far, so good. Being mobile, agile, in shape and unsick are a huge boost to everyday life. I'm also thankful for Diane's good health.
3. My parents - they made me into who I am today.
4. Our friends - too many to name off individually, but Diane and I are thankful we have so many great freinds old and new. They add so much to our lives.
5. Our families - what a great, whacky and loving bunch.
6. Our cat Josie - the nicest, most well behaved cat in the history of the world ever.
7. The education I received - it's helped me get to where I am today...and to experience some of the other things below this point on the list.
8. Food - in all of its glorious diversity.
9. Good wine - enough said.
10. Travel - getting out to see the world or even different parts of one's own state or country is, in my opinion, a truly invaluable way to view things through other people's eyes and come to understand that not everything is the way you experience it every day or week. Plus, it's really fun and educational.
11. Barack Obama - change had to come and I think he is the man to do it.
12. Clean air - compared to parts of China (see posts here and here for more) I am grateful for the relatviely clean air we breath here in Seattle.
13. The band Glasvegas - this year they renewed my belief that new bands can produce great music.
14. That cup of beer I had at the Seahawks game on Nov. 16 - see here for why.
15. The relatviely robust and diverse economy of the Seattle area. Seriously, I'm really pleased we live in an area that's not as hard hit by the recession (famous last words) and has a diversity of businesses and industries.
16. My job - yep, I'm glad to have one, glad to enjoy it, glad I've had good supervisor and colleagues.
17. Those who fight on our behalf - without agreeing with why our armed forces are in certain engagements around the world, I can without hesitation say that I am thankful for the soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, Marines and others in the militaty forces who fight and too often die on our behalf.
18. New York City - Uptown, Downtown, the Village, Chelsea, Meatpacking District, SoHo, Midtown, the Park...it doesn't matter. I love going there (especially with Diane), and am lucky to get there 2-3 times a year because of my job. Next trip is in February.
19. The natural beauty of the area we live in here in Washington state - sure, it rains a lot in the fall and winter...and increasingly in the summer. But hey, when it's all said and done, you cannot beat the combination of moutains (real ones, not the puny fakes they have back east), ocean, islands, desert, vineyards, gorges, rivers and more. Throw in our proximity to Candada to the north and Oregon and California to the south and it's a UNBEATABLE place to live.
20. The Oregon Ducks sports teams - OK, you might think this is a silly one, but in a year of dismal Seattle-based sports (Sonics gone, Ms horrible, Seahawks horible, UW football horrible) I'm thankful that my alma mater's football, basketball and track teams have had or are having successful seasons. And, unlike pro sports or other schools, win or lose, I have a personal invesntment in the Ducks as an alum. That adds a lot too.