Even with this tumultuous 2009, I have so much to be thankful for. I am in the best shape of my life, I have a great job, my dog is cancer-free, my family is fabulous, and my friends love me.

They proved (yet again) just how much they loved me over the Thanksgiving weekend. They came, they cleaned, they fixed, they sawed, they hauled.

Michael started working on the kitchen backsplash Thursday and had all the tile up by the time I returned home. On Saturday he returned for grout and the installation of the new front storm door.

Both turned out beautifully.

That afternoon our amazing friends came over to help remove the waist-deep leaves from my backyard. OK – maybe not waist-deep, but all those oak trees made quite a mess! Todd had the leaf blower on full power, while Rob raked and I hauled. We managed to remove a car-sized pile from the yard…and not such a small car.

On Sunday Michael installed the doggie door so that Miss Iona doesn’t hate me on those longer than normal days. The sound of the saw going through the metal frame was actually (painfully) worth it.

Projects complete. Thank you all for giving up part of your weekend. So much to be thankful for, and so good to be loved.