Full of Thanks

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and we at Matilda Jane have all had thankfulness on the brain- as you may have been able to tell from this week’s Look Book. I (Desiree) am no exception to this. In fact, I can’t even tell you how many times over the past weeks and months that I have been completely stopped in my tracks with an overwhelming sense of just how much I have to thankful for. (As I was typing that sentence, Kiara walked in and set a cup of my favorite drink from Starbucks on my desk- see what I mean?!) This has without a doubt, been the biggest year of my life, and it has brought the biggest changes of my entire life. I graduated from college this spring, landed my dream job at Matilda Jane (where I interned last summer), found my dream apartment and (less than two weeks later) moved away from my family for the first time, began attending a new church, and began building new friendships in a city where the only people I knew on the day that I moved were the girls from 435. To say that the last six months have been a rollercoaster would be the understatement of the century!

It has been these past six months- crazy as they may have been- that have taught me about what it really means to be thankful and about what REALLY matters in life. I’ve found that it’s not finally having the college degree that has been my focus for the past four years,  being able to throw around that I work at THE Matilda Jane to anyone who asks where I’m working (although I do love that!), or how much cute stuff I have decorating my apartment (again- definitely not a bad thing!), but it has been the relationships with my friends and family that I have been the most thankful for.

Being away from my family has allowed me to be aware of all of the things they have done to help me get to where I am today- not just over this past summer and fall, but over the course of my entire life they have taught me, encouraged me, challenged me, disciplined me, and instilled in me values and principles that I am finding myself living by every day now. I can tell you that it was for sure not the easiest job in the world to be my parents every day when I was growing up, but I am so thankful that they did not give up on being my parents so that now I can not only call them my parents, but two of my best friends. My other biggest cheerleader throughout my life has been my grandpa. He is by far and away my favorite person in the entire world, and to be completely honest, I have missed him more than anyone else that I moved away from. Growing up, I saw him almost every day, and going from that to seeing him once every one or two weeks has made me realize just how much I don’t know what I would do without him. He is the sweetest, spunkiest, and WITH IT 89 year-old you will ever meet! You can see for yourself just how cute he is!

It has not just been my family that I’ve learned to appreciate more than anything else, but it has also been my friends- both old and new- who I am thankful for. I love the old friends who I’ve known for over a decade, who know the true me, and who we can get together for a weekend after not seeing each other for weeks, and it is as if we were never apart. I love my coworkers who have become more than coworkers- who help me paint crazy designs on my wall, who stop at Starbucks while they’re out running errands to bring me an afternoon pick me up, and who laugh at my ridiculous stories of the awkward situations I get myself into. And I love all of the new friends I’ve made since moving to Fort Wayne- the friends from my new church who completely accepted me when I was the new girl, who invited me to spend time with them before they even knew my name, and who have already learned about a lot of my quirks and still talk to me- even if they do love to make fun of me!

I am so excited to get spend more time with my family and friends this next week, and I hope that you all are making plans to be with the ones you love and who love you! I know the holidays can become stressful and overwhelming, but I guarantee if you can take a minute to think of and be thankful for even one person who has made a difference in your life this year, you can get through anything the next week and month will throw your way! I will be talking to you all again in a few weeks! And…. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!