What are You Thankful For?

With Thanksgiving just a day away, it's a good time for all of us to reflect on what we're thankful for this year. I thought I'd share my list with you—and I hope you respond and share what you're thankful for!

1. My family. I keep hearing jokes on so many TV shows about how Thanksgiving is the time of year when families get together and fight with each other. Sure, my family has its share of silly disagreements. But at the core, we are all incredibly close. My siblings—Kim, Karl and Tena—are among the people I count as my best friends. I know that if I had nobody else in my corner, they would be there. I have an awesome brother-in-law, Chad, and an adorable niece, Abby. My parents are pretty fantastic, too. They've always been very supportive.

2. My friends. Anyone who has a friend or two or three who they know they can count on 100 percent is truly lucky. For me, those people are Cory, Erik, Angela and Souli. I can't even begin to put into words what these four people mean to me. I'll just say that I am blessed to have each of them in my life.

3. My job. I've been with Patch for more than a year and a half now, and I can honestly say that this is the best job I've had in my 14-year journalism career. What's really important is that to me, it's not just work. It's my passion. I love being part of the Libertyville and Vernon Hills communities, and I truly enjoy keeping all of the readers informed about what's going on in and around town.

So that's what I'm thankful for this year. Well, and for the fact that I got to have my picture taken with my idol, Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins. That was definitely a highlight of 2012!

Tell me: What are you thankful for this year?