Thanks & Giving

  Hello, everyone, it's Hope here!
  Now, we all know that Thanksgiving is coming up, only... *calculates* nine days away! 
  So I wanted to talk about the many things I am grateful for. I was sitting here on the computer, thinking about what I should post, when I realized that I have been taking things for granted. And I decided not to do that, not anymore.
  I also wanted to remind you guys of the little things that you may have forgotten. That is at the bottom, and many are personal enough that you might not understand the feeling, but they are wonderful things, to me.
  Here's my list:

My House

  So, I am starting out basic. My house! 

  I am so privileged that I get to live in such a nice house! It bigger than a lot houses of I have seen, and I have my own room, which I know many kids don't have.
  
  Fun fact: I am literally living in the house that my dad lived in as a kid! Isn't that cool?

My Room

  I already mentioned my room, but let me describe it: I have a huge closet (not a walk-in, but it's bigger than many), a full-sized bed, my mother's own desk, nightstand, and dresser from her childhood (which are surprisingly new-looking), a shelf, and a huge four-pane window. 

  It has wood floors and pink walls, and the whole thing is pretty - pretty.

My Brother

  He's a computer/video game/gaming device nerd. He is also pretty into acting and martial arts. He loves to tease me and make jokes, and, although it's not always the perfect-sibling relationship that can only happen in TV shows, it's one of the best things in my life. He's always there.
  
  To my bro: If you're reading this, don't think I'm going to start laughing at all of your jokes, playing all of your weird games, or agreeing with your every word I was in a grateful mood, okay?
  
  Just saying. 

My Mom

  She is a really nice, supportive mother, who teaches me at school! Dun-dun-dun...
  
  I'm home-schooled, by the way.
  
  She is also, very patient and tolerant, which I've known from the start. I mean, she teaches me. Me.
  
  I love her so much, even if I get frustrated when she tells me that lunch-break is over. She is probably the best mom ever; that's what I've always assumed.
  
  To Mom: If you're reading this, everything I said in here is true, although I'm still uncomfortable with saying 'I love you' out loud.

My Dad

  He is a wonderful, quite humorous, surfer dude. He is a pretty devoted Grateful Dead fan, and he likes a lot of older music, not the cheesy pop these days. 
  
  In this way, I have gotten exposed to many wonderful artists, like Blackmore's Night, Over the Rhine, Joan Baez, Billy Joel, and so many more!

  He is also very supportive, and practically lives on super-foods, along with green smoothies and salads.
  
  Basically, amazing.
  
  To Dad: If you're reading this, I just want to say that I wasn't saying the fact that you're healthy and Grateful-Dead-supportive in a bad way. It's all good. Skaka-bra! 
  
  (That was an inside joke, so if you don't get it, it doesn't mean you're crazy.)


My Grandpa

  He is a professional photographer for baseball games, and his pictures have appeared on many newspapers, and websites. I believe the total is 70?
  
  I love him because he knows so much, especially about writing, photography, old movies, and old literature. I can (in complete honesty) talk to him about a random object for an hour, because almost every word we say brings up a new conversation. Sometimes we completely forget what the point of it was.
  
  Good times, good times.
  
  To Grandpa: If you're reading this, I do want to say how much I enjoyed our conversation about the unkillable monk.

My Grandma

  She is a wonderful woman with impeccable taste, and she's not bad in the kitchen...
  
  She's full of stories from her childhood. Whenever I see her, we can get immersed in the stories she tells.
  
  Another thing is, when she is giving her opinion on something, she doesn't act like anyone else needs to have the same opinion, like many other people do. She is also very helpful when talking about clothes.
  
  Isn't that how every grandma should be?
  
  To Grandma: If you're reading this, please realize that I mean everything I said. You are amazing. What else can I say?

My Friends
  
  They are all super approachable, really nice, increasingly helpful, infectiously humorous, predictably unpredictable, randomly random... and, they all take ballet with me, in the same level! 
  
  They're amazing, the best friends you could ask for. I'm not going to do the whole 'To __________ ', because they don't actually know that I have a blog                                  Insert name here

My Pets

  First, Daisy, my cat. She is a beautiful tabby with all white paws and this little white streak on her nose (we all joke that she got paint on her nose, and now all the cats at kitty school will tease her - not that there is a kitty school -) . 

  I love her because when she doesn't get up and leave, you know that she's loving you at the moment. She's very honest in that way.
  
  Second, my dog, Stella. (By the way, 'my' doesn't mean I own whoever it is that I am referring to. It just means the family... whoever.) She's a blue poodle. Sounds weird, right? But blue doesn't mean literal blue. Right now she just looks ebony-ish, but she will turn a sort of silver-blue color when she's older.
  
  The great thing about her is that when you get home from dance or activities, she jumps on you and licks you like you've been missing for years.
  
  Nice to be appreciated.

Ballet

  I am so grateful that ballet was invented, and I'm so, so grateful that others appreciate it as much as I do, enough to teach it to us. I send my thanks.

All of the Little Things 
  
  (They sound weird, but if you think about it, we all experience some form of enjoyment from little things, we just never take the time to think about them.)
  I love running my hands through Stella's curly fur, looking at the flaming sunset,

                           Here's a picture that I hope will make you feel grateful
                                         that things so beautiful were created in the first place.
                                       (I did not take this picture, it was just a sample picture 
                                                       that the computer already had.)



staring at the moon, hearing the national anthem play, finishing a wonderful book, rehearsing for a performance, being struck by a new idea, seeing my name on the cast list on the bulletin board, finding out that the next outfit I have planned is my favorite, daydreaming, reading about people who made a difference, pushing myself to do better, competing with my friends to see who can jump the highest, get our legs the highest, singing like no one hears me, seeing someone else smile when I compliment them, dancing to the music in my head, watching a show I enjoyed as a little kid, finally learning to do a bun almost perfectly, discovering a little cheat in a game, running so fast that I just have to laugh, laughing at a stupid commercial, nearly going hysterical at a senseless joke a friend made, picturing myself winning a grammy award for Best Starring Actress, looking at the flowers that only bud in spring, examining the leaves in the fall, hoping for the snow that probably won't fall, coming up with a new dance move, stepping on stage, finally understanding how to execute a formerly impossible move, listening to the wind blow in the trees, zoning out on something that only comes into focus later because it's beautiful, taking a long, hot shower, letting chocolate melt in my mouth, saving a worm from the harsh sunlight so that it can live, pushing the elevator buttons so that they light up, jumping high into the air and landing in a cool position, seeing my performance costume for the first time, doing a somersault into my grandparents' pool... 

  There are so many things! You just have to take the time to appreciate them! There are so many people I am grateful for as well, more than 90 individuals, but for their privacy... well, you know.

  I also wanted to say that I am so sad about what happened in Paris! I am sending my prayers to them constantly. 

  If you are reading this, please pray that they will be okay, and they will eventually be safe. Send your love, it truly can make a difference. 

  How? Well, maybe someone in Paris is wondering if anybody is praying for them, is unsure that anyone cares. If you pray, you will know that they are cared for, and maybe they will come to realize it too.

  Thank you for reading this. I love you all so much! 

                                                                                                - Hope :)