Thanksgiving was this week, so I thought I would make a traditional post about some of the things I am thankful for. Consider yourself warned, some of this will be super cliché. 

1) My family…my huge, loud, often annoying, but very loving family. They always seem to top the list.

2) My faith. Having the faith and belief system that I have helps me to accomplish ALL things.

3) The opportunities I have been afforded, including coming to school here. I often take a step back and think to myself, “how did I end up here”, or “how did this become my life?” I’m thankful I had the courage to leave my stable career to take this leap of faith and make this change. It is a constantly humbling endeavor, but one I am excited and proud to be making.

4) My friends, both near and far. I have always been fortunate to have people in my life that I love, and that love me back. I’m blessed by those at school that I can occasionally lean on for support, and who I am proud to help support when they need the favor returned. They help me feel like I’m not in this alone, but we are a family, and on this crazy medical school life adventure together.

5) The unconditional love of my puppy, Lilly. She is always happy to see me, and always willing to cuddle up in my lap while I study. 

6) Awesome professors who are constantly pushing us (although I have to admit, I’m not always super thankful for the pushing) to be the best physicians we can be. They believe in us, and expect the best out of us. While it definitely makes this program challenging, I love and accept the challenge.

7) My awesome lab group. While I would consider all of them my friends, being in lab together takes a special bond. We all have different strengths and talents that we are able to contribute, and I am thankful for each of them.

8) My on-campus apartment. I literally just turned in my lease to continue living on campus. The convenience is unparalleled. I love it!

9) And now, for some super random things that you will probably find silly, but that I am EXTREMELY thankful for! CycleBar-Yorktown morning workouts, Staples Highlighters (they are seriously the best highlighters…trust me), my Thuli table, my glass locks Tupperware making it easier to meal prep, my 4 month dry-erase calendar that makes it super easy to plan out each trimester, the NOTABILITY app (life-changing), my iPad and Apple pencil (for using the notability app…did I mention how life-changing that has been?), warm boots, and a sweater for my puppy who is not a fan of this cold Chicago weather.

Obviously there is a lot that I couldn’t mention in this post (already it is probably a bit lengthy), but I wanted to take the time to share some of the many blessings in my life.

This has been a super busy week for me! I surprised my family, and flew home for the long weekend.  I had told them I wouldn’t be able to make it home this year for Thanksgiving since I am in class until 5 on Wednesday, and then I have class at 8am on Monday. “So it just wouldn’t have been worth it to drive home, and since my dog can’t fly, it didn’t seem possible.”  But, I found an awesome family to take care of Lilly (add to the list of things I’m grateful for: Rover and awesome dog sitters!). Everything came together!