I feel like I've been complaining in some of my recent blogs, and I don't mean to. Life is good. And, since it is the season, I've decided to start a list of things that I'm thankful for. Here goes:

I've had more opportunity than I ever imagined I would to travel and get familiar with places other than Utah. London, DC, Virginia, Michigan, Germany, Italy, Vienna, New York, Boston, most of the western US, and other places. In each place, I've met lots of good people, made great friends, found good food, tried new cultures, and learned new things. I honestly feel like I have lots of homes around the world now.

I've had amazing jobs. Working at the Fed was a dream. It was so fun to see Alan Greenspan on a regular basis, and to have my morning meetings with some serious big wigs. And I learned a ton there. It's fun now to be able to read in the paper or watch on the news about what's going on at the Fed, with interest rates and FOMC meetings and such, and to know exactly who's behind it and what they're doing and what they're looking at to reach their decisions.
And then Chrysler. Another dream. I've loved Jeep Cherokees since they first came out. It was the third car I ever loved (after Mustangs and Miatas). My first assignment at Chrysler was on the Jeep team. I was working with the actual engineers who designed the Cherokee. And my specific assignment was on the Grand Cherokee. How great to go to work and spend my day looking at spreadsheets and charts, and then to go out and about and see people driving the car that those numbers all belong to!

I have great friends. My Michigan friends really are family to me. 1700 miles from home, I never had to worry about being alone on a holiday. I was always welcome to join my friends' families, or we would have our own holiday just among us friends. I loved our Sunday dinners and weekend outings and theme parties. And, even though sometimes they were frustrating to plan, I loved taking trips with my friends. They felt like family vacations. It's wonderful knowing that however good or bad life gets, I have people who want to hear about it and who will let me come over to talk or go for a walk or go to dinner to celebrate or commiserate with me.

I've never really had to worry about finances. Somehow, even in college, I was always comfortable. And now, with almost a year of unemployment under my belt, my parents are good enough to let me stay with them to stay solvent.

I have good health. I think I would go mad if I couldn't go to the gym and get a good workout every day, or go for a long walk and enjoy the sunshine. And I'm also grateful that I enjoy healthy food. It'd be really hard to stay healthy if I didn't like apples and cabbage and whole grains as much as I do. I'd be eating even more peanut butter and chocolate than I do now!

It's been a while since I've posted anything, and that's because I have nothing to post. I really think about it every day and wonder what I can write about. I'm still wondering, so this might not be much of a post. Here's a list of things I've decided I don't like:

Mowing the lawn in strong wind when most of what's being mowed is dry leaves and dirt, so all the little bits of nature get blown into my eyes.
The tv remote at the gym missing a battery so I have to watch a) CNN with b) no sound.
Not knowing when I get in the shower if the big brown splotch on the tile is dirt or a hairy spider until it starts moving (I can't tell without my contacts).

Luckily, there are plenty of things I do like:
Mowing the lawn in a t-shirt in November.
Lots of tvs at the gym so I can watch the news, a cooking show, and a sitcom all at the same time.
Jonagold apples. They're the best this season.
Peanut butter on toasted banana bread.
A hot car (temperature- and style-wise).