It’s that time of year where we all reflect on what we are thankful for and appreciate in our lives. In a year that has brought me more changes, adventures and challenges I can think of so many people who have helped me through, and each one of their contributions means more to me than I can say.

One year ago, I was just a girl with big dreams hoping to leave the world of engineering behind for something bigger, something better…something more me. And here I am, a marketing major at the 15th ranked MBA program in the nation, exploring all the opportunities I never thought I could obtain. Giving myself goosebumps just thinking about it!

When ModCloth, posted about their Thanksgiving Thank-A-Thon blog contest I had to post to thank all the people who helped me get here and allow me to live my dream, there isn’t a day that I don’t think of you all!

Here they are in no particular order (and don’t hate me if I left you off, you know I didn’t do it on purpose!):

• Charlton; for pushing me to constantly improve myself and be always be a better version of myself
• My family; for being supportive through application processes, my traveling, watching my pets, helping me pack and dealing with my venting
• My co-workers; for always being positive and being the ones who would dance with me in the halls to celebrate all my little victories
• Elizabeth (the Brownie troop leader I assisted); for being one of my biggest cheerleaders and encouraging me to no end
• Rebecca (my career coach); for making my happiness a priority and helping me realize the power of today
• Selena & Emily (QC’ers); for being my sounding board
• My new Kelley family; for making this easy, having never left my home they made this my new one. They are my bestest friends and I don’t know what I would do without them. (that goes for all the alums too, they truly bend over backwards to help!)

And now that I have seriously made myself teary, time for a little pick me up and some goofy things I am thankful for:

• Splenda
• Coffee Break Mondays
• Addie, even if she makes me get up early to walk her
• Google Reader
• My Le Creuset
• Mad Men
• Casey, because he is the world’s greatest cat
• McDonald’s salads