Thanksgiving Thoughts

Today I am, of course, thankful for my family - my husband and kids, and those in the family that I don’t get to see very often. They are all part of the fabric that makes us complete and with whom we share a unique bond that no one else on this planet has. I am thankful for the time I got to spend with those family members who are no longer with us, including my parents, who were gone way too soon.

I am thankful for great traveling friends – friends with whom I can spend 4 hours in a hot, crowded airport after flight delays and not think, “I want to kill them” (and have them feel the same way) are worth their weight in gold.

I am thankful that my bags fly free with Southwest.

I am thankful for new friends I have made along the way; friendships that were forged in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean while sipping Painkillers or while at a business conference. I'm thankful for old friendships rekindled. I’m thankful for friends who have become like family, even though they did not come from the same gene pool.

I am thankful for an awesome pet sitter/house sitter. Peace of mind knowing that my dogs will survive in my absence and my house won’t be cleaned out in the middle of the night while I'm away is priceless.

I am thankful for the travel memories that my kids will carry with them forever, even ones that didn’t seem so worthy of remembering at the time. We can now laugh about the fact that my oldest kid camethisclose to missing our ship after a day in port in St. Thomas (side note: yes, they really will sail without you if you aren’t back on time), or the time we got lost in Nassau while riding mopeds and got chased by stray dogs. And of course, we also relive the great times over and over. These memories become our history and part of who we are, and stories that get told around the table after Thanksgiving dinner over glasses of wine.

I am thankful for my nifty spinner luggage that breezes through airports and won’t do that awkward tip over thing when trying to turn a corner or when snaking my way through the security line.

Most of all, I am thankful that I am in a business that affords me the opportunity to see the world and delight in discovering new places. Most of all, I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to create treasured vacation memories for others..