Happy Thanksgiving, pretties! Hope you are all having a wonderful turkey day. This is the first Thanksgiving that I'm spending alone, so mine was a bit lonely. My family was going to come, but I had to work on Friday and Saturday so it was a bit pointless for them to drive 8 hours just to spend one day with me. Still, emotionally I really wish they had been there with me today! I was supposed to go to my close friend's house for Thanksgiving, but he had to work and our mutual friend I was going to go with also had to work, so that fell through. Nonetheless, I tried to make the most of the day by baking some Trader Joe's buttermilk biscuits and cooking mashed potatoes from scratch like I do every year at home. I also bought some ready made turkey breast from the grocery store, but I totally forgot to eat them -- ooops, guess I have dinner for the weekend though! In a few minutes, I'm about to go to Denny's with some of my coworkers to grab some late night pie and coffee, so at least I will get some socialization in during this holiday.

It was tough seeing all of my social media friends celebrating the day with their families while I was alone, but I have to keep in mind that it's just one day out of the whole year and I should be grateful that I had the day off while others had to work. I need to keep reminding myself that even though I can't be with my family during this day of gratitude, the more meaningful thing is that I have a loving family and their love and support is always with me, despite the hundreds of miles between us. I also have tons of amazing friends who I know are there for me if I need somebody to talk to or cry with. So even though not every Thanksgiving Day is perfect, the most important thing is that we have people close to us that we cherish and love. Hope you all have a wonderful day of family bonding and weekend of shopping :) 

10 Things I'm Grateful For This Thanksgiving Season

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I spent an absolutely wonderful day with my family today -- especially considering this may be my last Thanksgiving at home for the next 3 years! Although it's easy to get caught up in all the Black Friday deals (which can save you a lot of money!), it's important to remember the true meaning of Thanksigiving. Stop and count your blessings. For so many years, I've spent the majority of Thanksgiving making sure everything's perfect, coordinating the food, rushing to make sure I have all the appropriate food ready, making sure my family's into the food preparation, making the table all pretty that I never really stopped to consider the true meaning of this holiday. It's not just about how delicious the food is or how many sides you have prepared. It's about spending time with family and being grateful for all you have, no matter how little it may be. Even if you only spend Thanksgiving with one or two other people or get the majority of your meal as takeout from Boston Market, the people you spend it with and the comfort you get around them is more important than anything else. And it's about thanking the good Lord for all that he has provided you -- the simple necessities and comforts of life that we often overlook. So this Thanksgiving, I thought I would write out all of my blessings and things I'm truly grateful for, not just today but throughout the year. Even though life has me down sometimes, I feel like I'm truly blessed to have such a wonderful life and God has provided me with so much more than I deserve.

1. A really amazing family who's incredibly caring, supportive, and always there for me through thick and thin.
2. Some really great friends, some new and some who have stuck with me through the years.
3. The ability to have gotten this far into my medical training with hopes for a prosperous future in a field as rewarding as pediatrics.
4. Getting a bunch of great interviews this application cycle despite all the hardships I had to face during medical school.
5. Living in a country full of opportunities, freedom, and resources.
6. Having the financial means to live a comfortable life.
7. Good health for myself and my family.
8. Experiencing the beautiful colors of fall and the cozy season of Christmas...and writing this post whilst drinking a steaming cup of hot cocoa!
9. My overwhelming stash of beauty goodies.
10. Our family's holiday traditions, as non-traditional as they may be!

Happy Holidays everyone. Here's to a wonderfully cozy, comforting holiday season ahead!