my 10 for 10.

Alright Maureen. Much like yourself, I'm a born and raised complainer. But if there's anything I like to do more than complain, it's listing my gratitude. Ten years ago seems a universe away, but here are the things that got me from there to here. 10 gratitudes for 2010.

1. Parental units.
Solid, dependable, unwaveringly supportive and loving. Over the past ten years, they have gone above and beyond the call of duty. In addition to ensuring that my every need be met, they are genuinely fun to hang out with and have shown me what's what in terms of life, love and family. My mother has given me a love of books, opened the door to musical theater and is the most giving person I've ever known putting the four of us before herself over ninety nine percent of the time. My dad tells the worst jokes, brings donuts home on Sunday mornings and consistently reminds me that my feelings are valid and important.

2. Siblings.
I really won the lottery with these two. They can make fun of me like no one else in the world but they'll kick your ass faster than you can blink if you hurt me. The coolest thing about the whole thing is we just keep getting along better the more time goes on.

3. School.
I lucked out academically. Backtrack to my parental units and add gratitude for the smarts they bestowed on me to the list. I loved high school, I loved college more if that's even possible. I learned, became involved, met the greatest teachers in the history of all teachers (seriously), and above all else made the greatest friends anyone could ever have (but more on them later). I wouldn't go backwards even if you paid me, but man, I loved it while I was in it. As for my current scholastic endeavors, it's fun to learn about the little ones and of course I struck gold again in terms of teachers and classmates.

4. Job.
I've blogged this before but the sentiment remains true. MMS is sometimes a bizzarro world to work in, but it has introduced me to the most amazing kids, families (that's right Murray family, I'm talking about you), and coworkers ever invented. Lucky me.

5. Sorority.
Sorority gets the award for the "Did I really do that?" choice of my life. But gratitude for all it taught me. What it really comes down to, where the gratitude really lives, is the people I can't live without. Sorority brought me Jill, Sabrina, Stephanie, Leslie, Kristina, Courtney, Valerie. The list could go on and on, but those seven deserve gratitude blogs of their own. Sometimes I forget that Phi Sig brought these ladies to me, because they seem like such natural and integral parts of my life (which sometimes sorority didn't).

6. Family.
I never realize how close my family is to me until someone asks me, "You're going home again?" I simply can't get enough of these people. I hate missing family events, which when you've got a family such as mine, occur biweekly. But I'm the luckiest in the world to truly enjoy the company of my family and want to spend time with them above all others.

7. Homes.
I've lived in a lot of places these past tens years. Clyde, the dorms, apt 12, apt 498, wanket world, apt 5. All perfect for wherever I was in life. I'm grateful that every place I lived in was suited entirely to who I was at the moment and what I needed. And, now of course, heaven of single bedroom heavens, apartment six. But the home that I could write sonnets about, the home I'll never get over losing, the home where I spent every holiday and birthday and after school afternoons for the first 19 years of my life, 770 Tanglewood Drive. I don't think I'll ever be more grateful for a place in my life. Well, perhaps when I have my own home home.

8. Recovery.
Saved my family's life, that's for sure. I'm thankful for those anonymous folks, that have helped (understatement of the decade) my dad and brother be the happy, healthy, living people that they are today. I attribute the strength of my family almost entirely to the process we went through those years. Honestly, those terrible, no good, very bad pre-recovery years were equally important, and I'm grateful for them too.

9. My Sacramento Family.
Maureen, Jim, Ciara, Margaret, Zeus, Tiger. It's impossible to explain who you are to people, my teachers, my friends, my parent's friends, my mom permed your hair, two of my favorite kids on the planet, "it's either cheese, or dried skin," the only dog I really like, former housemates, ears with feet, some of the smartest people I know. Whatever it comes down to, whoever you are, you all make Sundays and Thursdays the greatest days of my week.

10. Love.
The most surprising gift of the last ten years, and the most recent on my list of gratitude, Daniel. What a guy. To be quite frank, it's a scary thing for me this love business, but I certainly picked the right one. He compliments me even though I hate it, he's sweet to my friends and family, and gave me the last piece of his shrimp at Benihana. I'd be more than content to hold hands with this one for the rest of time.