Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Before you ask, no, I did not go “home” to my parents’ place in Dallas this week, or back to Phoenix. Home to me now is NYC, and that is where I am celebrating by working at my awesome job, eating an entire pie and Skyping with family members across the country. It’s awesome.

I love Thanksgiving because I love food, but also because I love when everyone is just so happy and thankful for what they have. This year, I’m feeling particularly thankful for…

The chance to live in my favorite city in the world even if it is snowy, cold and gross. That’s right, it finally snowed. But when this city isn’t slushy and grey, it’s really gorgeous and full of things to do! I spent my entire life dreaming of life in NYC, and I’m ridiculously grateful that I got the chance to move here in 2014. Here’s to many more years of an empire state of mind.

A life of travel that saw me visit seven new countries this year, seeing sights I’d only dreamed of and meeting some of the best people I’ve ever known.

Stellar friends near and far who are always here for me no matter the circumstance. When I moved to NYC, making new friends was one of my biggest concerns. It was a process that took many months in college, and that kind of fell effortlessly together in the years that immediately followed. I’m so blessed to have a wide network of friends in the Big Apple. I’m ALSO blessed that my friends back in Phoenix have been willing to put in the effort to continue those friendships despite the distance. See you all in seventeen days!

An understanding family that has come to terms with the fact that I basically never visit for holidays or special occasions. They have even encouraged me to stay where I am and embrace the life that I have. Y’all are the greatest and I can’t wait to see you next month.

The best roommate ever in a fabulous Brooklyn apartment that is bigger and cheaper than I ever could have imagined when I left my glorious one-bedroom in Phoenix. I’ve had some pretty lousy roommates over the years and Becca is everything they were not! Our home is an oasis away from the chaos and insanity of the city, and I cherish every moment we live here.

Liberty Church and everything about it that has truly changed my life in the best way possible.

The little things, including peppermint mochas, morning walks in the park when it’s not too cold, the ability to buy a bagel literally anywhere in this city for a dollar and have it be the best bagel ever, adorable local coffee shops, books that suck me in and refuse to let go, Gilmore Girls on Netflix, a public transit system that takes me wherever I want to go, quiet nights in and crazy nights out, a network of super supportive bloggers I’ve never even met, a bedroom window that faces east and lets the sun in in the morning, life and love and the very ability to recognize what I have and appreciate it.