An attitude of gratitude

Happy Friday dolls! I have to say I have been looking forward to this particular Friday for awhile because it means I am finally heading down to the beach!! Yes sirree as soon as roommate gets off of work we are hopping in the car and road tripping down to Wilmington for the weekend. And the best part? Brother will be playing baseball there, too!! I've got my magazines, my swimming trunks and my flippy floppies but I don't have le parfait floppy hat! Mission for this afternoon peut-être?

Today marks the one year anniversary of the creation of the Friend Friday (FBFF) group Katy started, and while I have only been a part of the group for a few weeks, I have already seen how wonderfully inclusive and helpful the community is. With over 630 members, you can always find someone who knows what you are trying to learn and is willing to teach you. And in the spirit of celebrating, this week's questions are all about that magical word of appreciation: gratitude.

1.  When it comes to me personally – I owe a lot of who I am to: I am so fortunate to have many incredible people in my life who have helped make me who I am today, but there are two people who definitely come to mind when I answer this question. First and foremost, my mom of course. She's the reason for my existence and has influenced me in more ways than I can count. I notice that I am becoming more and more like her everyday and I am darn tooting proud of that fact! And the other person is absolutely my little brother. He inspires me so much and pushes me to be a better person. I so admire the boy's work ethic, his many talents and most of all the way he moves through life with a quiet humility.

2. When it comes to me professionally – I owe a lot of who I am to:My college roommate! I honestly hadn't ever considered a career in writing and I was heading down a path towards a career in law without even knowing why. Thank goodness I was living with an incredibly talented newspaper woman, who encouraged me to pursue my interest in writing and supported me at every turn when I had no idea what I was doing. And now we are both pursuing our passion and enjoying every minute of it. So thank you ever so much my darling Ashley!

3. When it comes to the art of blogging, I’m grateful to these people
for helping me through some rough spots: I have been blessed so far not to run into too many obstacles and I have just been able to enjoy the company of other wonderfully supportive bloggers. Hannah was really the first blogger I felt like I connected with and I learned so much just from watching what she did. Collette is always there for a quick twitter chat or a day-brightening comment. And my new friend Liz is so fun and positive and has organized a little local blogger group for us to make even more friends! Oh and I can't say thank you without mentioning my roommate who so graciously takes my photos and puts up with my diva-ness!

4. One blogging challenge I’m grateful happened because it made me
stronger was… Again, I (knock on wood) have been fortunate not to have encountered any blogging "challenges", but I am sure it will happen eventually and I feel very comfortable that the terrific community of friends I have built here, both in FBFF and the general blogosphere, would be there to help me work through any issue that I encounter.

5. To my readers, I’d like to say… You make my day, every day! Yes, it is cliched and overused but it is the truth. I am always so humbled to think that anyone would want to read my little musings and I greatly appreciate it. THANK YOU for making this little blogging adventure a complete blast and encouraging me everyday. You are all the best and I hope you will stick around :)
 

And in the spirit of gratitude, don't forget to enter my "Thank You" giveaway before Monday!

Bisous!