Giving Thanks

Well the Thanksgiving turkey put me into a tryptophan-induced stupor and I never got around to writing about what I am thankful for. But, it's never too late! Sometimes it can be hard to be thankful when you haven't seen the sun in days and you've had the same headache since yesterday and nothing in the world sounds appetizing (except hot chocolate).

I laughed really hard at this "article" I read today: "10 Things 90s Kids Will Have to Explain to Their Children". Granted, I am an 80s baby, who grew up in the 90s, and I think most of these references would be most understood by those older than me than younger. In any case, I am thankful to have had such a normal childhood that I can look back at and laugh. No Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber. Just romantic fantasies of boys throwing rocks at our windows and tri-fold notebooks covered in rainbow polar bears.

I'm thankful for my family for giving me this childhood and caring about me enough to make it easy for me to come home for the holidays. They are the most important thing to me, especially as I confront adulthood one day at a time. I think about how little I have achieved for myself at this age, and how many thousands of dollars in student loans I have, and I'm thankful that if things don't go "according to plan" at least I won't have to do it alone!

Speaking of those student loans...did I mention that every penny was worth it? I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm cursing myself and the 90% of my paycheck that I'll be paying back to the lovely government. I'm thankful for my education which molded my mind and gave me the ability to reason. I was lucky enough to have a group of friends who were all interested in different things but unfailingly generous, cultured, and intelligent. They taught me so much. I also got to make music with some of the best. The night before Thanksgiving, a promotional video for the symphonic wind ensemble's new CD "rising," which we recorded in February, hit the internet.



I've never been so proud of my accomplishments with this group or in general. I remember the hard work, but also so many good memories.

Perhaps one of the best things to come out of my time at Northwestern was meeting Jacob. He challenges me and teaches me so much about music. He lets me know when I'm being insecure and never fails to cheer me up. Without him, I would not be the musician I am. Without him, I would have little interest in cooking except to feed myself (i.e. the same three pasta dishes in constant rotation). Our very first conversation was even about food. I told him I make a mean chicken pot pie! The rest was history.

These are the big ones! Better late than never! Enjoy your long-awaited Christmas music until I regain my appetite.