In honor of Thanksgiving. This is my first post in a series entitled What I Am Grateful For.

Although I have done a lot of traveling over my lifetime, not many places I have visited can hold a candle to the Pacific Northwest. We are spoiled to have mountains, lakes, streams, trees and islands all within a couple hours drive. Although Seattle gets a bad wrap for having a constant drizzle outside, we experience not only a wide range of scenery, but color throughout the year. Our temperate climate makes for exploring outside possible all year long. I am grateful to live in place where the natural beauty is second to none. 

One morning, I awoke to a kind note in my inbox, it was a letter of appreciation from one of my readers. In it she expressed gratitude for my blog which really struck a chord with me. Over the past five years this blog has transformed from a family record to a public platform. I have learned first hand there is beauty in life's struggles and allowing yourself to be vulnerable does not make you weak. Opening myself up to others, especially after our son passed way has been one of the scariest and most rewarding experiences of my life. 

Over the past five years I have been blessed with wonderful readers. As a way of celebrating my anniversary and expressing my sincerest gratitude I have teamed up with several of my favorite Seattle vendors to put together a fun gift basket for one lucky reader.

Here is a round up of some of my favorite Thanksgiving table settings and decor from years past:

This past month has been punctuated by several big events. We celebrated the one year anniversary of our son's passing. Turning our son's brief life into the biggest impact for good has continued to become our life's mission. We honored Asher by making another large hospital donation and spent a wonderful few days at our favorite spot in Washington. 

On my birthday I wanted to take some updated photographs for this blog. As Cameron started to snap away I noticed how awkward I felt having my photograph taken. I hate to admit it, but in high school I did not even have Senior photos taken because I hated getting my photo taken so much.

One thing people often ask is where I like to eat. There are a dizzying array of choices in Seattle, so it is a good thing there are three meals in a day plus a couple snacks.