Yay! It’s time for Thanksgiving. My favorite part is sweet potato casserole. And the turkey. And the food coma. But it’s also time to be grateful and appreciate the good things you have.

This Thanksgiving, as with every thanksgiving, I’m grateful for love, family and friends. I’m grateful for my new husband, our home, and for our happiness.

I also give thanks for travel. Yes, for TRAVEL! I’m blessed to have been where I have been, and to be going wherever I’ll be going next. To head off into the wild blue yonder on a new adventure – for me anyway – is a blessing. To interact with a new culture. To see a new tourist attraction. To check places off of my travel bucket list. These are things I’m so grateful for.

I’m grateful for other things about travel as well. I’m even going to give thanks for the overly invasive screening policies that I’ll have to face as we fly to see the in-laws for the holiday. It may be a complete pain in the patootie, and it may be extremely uncomfortable as someone else feels up my boobs, but I’ll be thankful that we’re (hopefully) safe.

I’m also grateful for those that work in those security lines. I can’t imagine they find their job fun – as they deal with angry travelers on a daily basis. There are days when I resent the security personnel, but in the end, I’m glad they are there to help me stay a little safer.

I’m grateful for my passport – without it I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the U.S. and experience the world outside of its borders. I’m grateful that I was able to get my passport in my new name quickly – and I’ll be grateful for my first stamp on the crisp new pages.

I’m also thankful when I return home, safe and sound, each time I leave. A warm fuzzy from the cat and a nap in my own bed is always better after missing them for a while.

And lastly, I’m grateful for the opportunities to share my travel experiences and thoughts with the Bookend Babes!

Happy Thankgiving and happy travels!