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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I'm, thankful for my family and friends. I'm thankful for a good job that I (mostly) enjoy. I'm thankful to live in a loving environment no matter where my day takes me. I'm' thankful for having a great place to visit for a fun-filled Thanksgiving dinner/celebration.

But...

I wouldn't say I'm not thankful for this next bit, but I'm afraid I may be disappointed. There is a member of the extended family who, for some reason, always gets assigned dessert duties. The problem is that she consistently brings a rather small offering of desserts that I don't particularly care for. I have a feeling today will be no different. :( I recently learned there won't even be any pumpkin pie to fall back on this year. I know, I know... I can't even talk about it. Another relative is at least bringing a pumpkin type dessert that I hope will ease the pain.

But from this disappointment comes a thankful thought: I'm thankful that the friends in my life can all be trusted to throw down a great dessert. I mean it. Kb, Shandon, Heidi, Tony and Stacey know that, if given a choice, throwing in a layer of Symphony Bars in a pan of brownies, instead of raspberry jam, is always the way to go. They know that no matter how many times I'm offered mud pie, I won't eat it because I loathe the flavor of coffee (unless used in tiny quantities to enhance the flavor of chocolate, not compete with it). They understand that butter is essential to any truly delicious dessert. They understand that fruit is great as an added bonus to a yummy dessert but not the starring attraction (like that delightful Blueberry Bomb cupcake Shandon and I had not too long ago). They understand that strawberry shortcake is only good if the shortcake is just right. They understand the thrill of a good butter cream frosting. I've decided that all of this knowledge is essential to being a truly good friend of mine.

For these reasons, I'm thankful to all of my family and friends who understand what a good dessert is. If your eyes don't roll to the back of your head when you bite into a great cupcake, I'm afraid we can't be true friends because I don't think you know how to enjoy life. I'm thankful that my friends and I do.