Happy Shrimp Day ?

Thanksgiving! 

I'm going to the beach today, so instead of having a turkey dinner, I will be having a fantastic shrimp dinner {YAY}. For all of you out there wondering, my favorite food is seafood. I love it.

Today is the last day of me posting things I'm thankful for! (thank goodness... it was getting kind of boring. I apologize.) Since I forgot to write yesterday, I'm going to combine yesterday's post with today.

Day 27: I am thankful for my parents.
Day 28: I am thankful for my life (or just life in general).

My parents are the greatest. I wish I had realized how thankful I was for them sooner, but I guess that comes with getting older. They have both done so much more for me than I will ever deserve. They've done things for me that I probably don't even know about just to make sure I have a good life. I'm really glad I have them.

I've already written about my dad once (he was day 5). Just in case you didn't read that post (and don't feel like clicking on the link I so generously provided, I will summarize. My dad is wonderful and strong. He's very protective, so I always feel safe being with him. He's always known how to make me laugh. I can talk to him in movie quotes (which I think is pretty important). He likes to be outside, so I probably got that from him. He does all sorts of cool sports. He's pretty good at art, too (which was always fun for me when I was little... he used to draw the coolest pictures for me). My dad is great, and I am so thankful for him [and for putting up with me for the past 17 years].

My mom is my best friend. That sounds pretty cliche, but she's always there for me to talk to and she truly wants the best for me. I've never had to worry about telling her exactly what I'm thinking. She's always there to listen and hug me. She knows exactly what I like (and fairly certain she can read my mind). She's had to keep up with all sorts of random, emotional teenage girl stuff over the past few years, so I'm impressed that she still likes me at all. She always knows how to make me laugh {the other night, we spent ten minutes trying to throw M&Ms into each other's mouths and laughing every time we missed... which was every single time because we're awful.} My mom is beautiful, and I'll never be able to tell her how thankful I am for everything she's done for me.

Unlike most people, I get the privilege of having two bonus parents.
My step dad (better known as Poppy) has been around for most of my life. He's honest and hilarious. He gives the best advice about pretty much everything.
My step mom (Priscilla) is super sweet, and I love how fashionable she is. She's very generous and patient, and I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for all of my parents. They have helped me have the most fabulous life. Which brings me to the next thing I am thankful for: life. I am so thankful for the life I have been given and everything in it. Sure, I've had sometimes when I haven't been so thankful, but everyone has a bad day. 

Overall, I have been blessed with so much more than I need. I can't even begin to be thankful for every single thing. I love this life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else (ooohhh that was corny... oh well).

To finish up this Thanksgiving post, here is a Thanksgiving joke:

 What happened when the turkey got into a fight?
He got the stuffing knocked out of him!

here is a picture of a turkey I drew.

P.S. I probably won't post again until Saturday night because I'll be at the beach. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Women of the Club

I love my mom. I love reading.

I also love my friends. They have the coolest ideas. Since it's our senior year of high school, we decided to start a small book club- a mother-daughter book club. {reading and bonding}.

Being able to hear all sorts of different perspectives on the same book and just listen to everyone's stories , is just fabulous.  

My mom is a wonderful person. She has done so much more for me than I will ever be able to understand. {like, I can be a pretty awful kid sometimes, but she still loves me} I'll talk more about my mom's wonderfulness later (in another post).

The stories that the mothers in the group are able to tell are just amazing. They know so much. Each of the women in that group is strong and wise in their own way.

It's kind of crazy how little we listen to our parents until we get older, and then we realize how much they actually know and start paying attention (they told us that would happen... they were right about that, too).

Since it finally hit me that I am going to be leaving next year and I'll be semi-independent, I have become ridiculously clingy to my mom. That doesn't mean I've suddenly become the sweetest kid ever and I do everything I can to please her. I wish I did. I try to, but let's be honest, I'm still an emotional, hormonal teenager. 

I've been spending a lot more time with her. I talk to my mom about everything now. I'm not one of those kids who tries to hide things from their parents. [I really have nothing to hide.] My mom knows everything. She is honestly one of my greatest friends. I tell her everything. I melt down in front of her. I cling to her. She listens to me. She helps me and she loves me. Next year, without her, is going to be difficult.

The other moms seem just as amazing to me. Granted, I don't actually live with them, but based off of the way my friends have turn out, I can tell they are all great mothers, and amazing women. Each of the mothers, including my own, has been through things that I will never understand, but that really has shaped who they are (cliche). They give advice and offer wisdom and I LOVE THAT.

Listening to the different insights from the mothers and daughters about different aspects of the books, is truly one of my favorite things. I like the stories that come up. I like that we are honest with each other. We may not always agree about things, but that's what I like about it. 

So, basically nights like tonight with my mom make me happy. I want more times like these when I can just talk openly and honestly to my mom and the other moms. 

Moms are cool. I love 'em.

{For those of you wondering, so far we have read A Raisin in the Sun and The Glass Castle.}