Thankful Thursday

I have so many things to be Thankful for, I don't even know where to begin! I'm going to do bullets this week!

• Not counting today, I have 3.5 days left until I start my Christmas Vacation!! I cannot wait!! I love teaching, but I am always ready for some time off. I definitely feel the need this year because we are going to Michigan for the break!!! I can't wait to hold that big ole baby! He has gotten soooo big since I've seen him in October. I am thrilled to be spending over a week with my family and getting to see my friends. We are driving so we can take Sam. I could never leave him in a kennel for almost 2 weeks and he loves his "grandma" so he will be excited to see my mom.
• I'm thankful that I have an amazing husband. He puts up with me when I'm having a bad day and I'm grumpy. He supports my crazy crafty ideas of late. He loves Sam, even when he has to get up and go to the door 5 or more times because Sam has decided to make a game out of "asking" to come inside. Ha! Sam knows how to push Barry's buttons for sure. That dog will usually come in right away for me, but with Barry, NO WAY!! Barry will go with me to take Sam for walks, even when it is cold! I'm loving the cold weather, but of course I'm used to it. We went last week to a nearby college campus for a walk with Sam and it was beautiful...all decorated for Christmas.
• That leads me to Sam. As much as he does drive us crazy with his "black lab" ways....I love that dog! I've had Sam since he was a tiny baby! He was just 5 lbs when I got him and not even 6 wks old. Now he's a giant monster dog. Some people don't get my love for that dog, they must not be animal lovers! Sam kept me company when I lived alone. I think back on his puppy days and wish he was still that small, chubby and cuddly, but now he is big and cuddly. He is 1 1/2 yrs old and still thinks he is little. He crawls right up into my lap and snuggles. Last night I laid down on the couch and he got right on top of me and went to sleep. He's a faithful friend.
• I work at an amazing school! I know I haven't written in detail much about my school this year, but I am so happy with my move to Texas because my school has turned out to be so great. That was really the only worry I had when I moved here. I knew things with Barry would be wonderful, I knew I could make friends, I was just concerned about moving to a new school. My school in Michigan was amazing!! I worked with some of my closest friends and we had the best time together. I knew so many parents and kids from our school and felt right at home. It was truly my dream job. Well, my school here is great too! I have made some truly wonderful friends that I can't imagine never meeting. I have great administrators and a great team to work with. The rest of the teachers and staff are so friendly and helpful! My kids are fun although at times exhausting, but more fun than anything else. I say all this to tell you that yesterday the staff had a wedding shower for me. It was so special and very touching. I was blown away by how many people attended. Our school is quite big...in size and numbers. There are two floors and I don't know everyone very well. I don't often see the kinder or first grade teachers and yet everyone attended. It made me feel a part of this place and the people. It meant so much to me that they did this for me.
• I may not be posting next week because we will be on the road to MICHIGAN!!!! My posting from MI will be rare, if at all. My mom does not have internet access so I will need to post from my sister's house if I post. Not sure I'll want to leave Cooper alone in order to post. I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!