Today all of my beautiful American friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I have started to see some of their photos coming through on facebook and instagram and they all look like they are surrounded by family and friends having a wonderful time.

I know there is a whole history in America to Thanksgiving, but it is such a beautiful holiday. No gifts, just being surrounded by people you love and being thankful for things in your life.

So I thought in celebration of Thanksgiving, I would list a few things that I am thankful for.

1. My beautiful man - He is my rock, my best friend and soon to be husband. He has settled me and been my strength when I have none left. He is my shoulder to cry on and the one I laugh with. Through ups and downs he has stood beside me.

2. My gorgeous friends - They say if you can count 5 genuine friends on one hand you are a rich person. I am close to that and even though we don't see each other all the time, we know we are there for each other in times of need and times of celebration. I will see some of you lovely ladies tomorrow!

3. Health and happiness - All of those surrounding me are happy and healthy and for this I am thankful. There are too many people being touched by illness these days and I can say that we are all good.

4. Family - I have found that even when there are communication problems, and you don't talk as often as you should or would like, they are still always there. Organising a wedding has brought out the best in my family. They have been there when I have needed them and that is an important quality in a family.

5. Life Skills - I am very very thankful for my organisational skills and attention to detail at the moment. Organising a wedding isn't easy these days. It's all the little details that I put so much time and effort into that I love and come the day, I really hope others not only notice them, but love them too. It has been an experience with many ups and downs but I know on the day I will not have time to take it all in. If everyone around me can do that for me I will be so happy. Lets just hope I don't forget anything on any of my lists too!

6. The amazing country that we live in - Australia is such a wonderful country. We are made up of so many diverse backgrounds, and mostly we live in harmony. We have amazing places to visit and the ability to learn about other cultures without leaving our own shores.

7. Music - I live and breathe for music. It is the soundtrack to our lives. It creates emotion and memories. There are so many pieces of music that mean so much. I am one about the lyrics, not just a good tune. The lyrics give such an insight to the writer and their life, and most of us can associate with the feelings that are expressed at particular points in our life.

8. Smiles - There is not better feeling than walking down the street and smiling at a stranger, and receiving a smile in return. Sometimes its enough to lift another person without you even knowing. And it warms your heart that you have made someone smile. Sometimes its just the little things in life!!!

9. Community - We are very lucky to live in a wonderful community. This was shown last weekend with the i98fm Camp Quality Convoy raising over $1 million dollars for kids with cancer in one weekend. Such an amazing achievement. I am also very proud to say that I am a member of the scrapbooking community, locally in the Illawarra, in Australia and with the wonderful True XOXO design team in the USA. We have amazing people around us, even if you have never met any of them in real life or even ever. We all make a difference to each other.

10. Lastly this one is a bit of an odd thing to be thankful for.... I am very thankful for all of the people that have come into my life and left, for the heartbreaks and the let downs. Without all of these things happening to each of us in our lives, we would not be the people we are today. These make us strong. They make us realise that if we didn't like being treated a particular way, that we should never treat anyone else like that either. They make us make mistakes and learn from them. They teach us lessons in life, both good and bad. They make us amazing people who have been through ups and downs and come out the other side a much better person.

Sorry, a few turned into many!! I know that we are not American, but take the time today to reflect on the things in your life you are thankful for. It gives your heart a warm fuzzy feeling for the day.

TFL xx