Most Thankful

It goes without saying that I am thankful EVERYDAY for Michael and Mikey and the life that we have together. This year, I want to reflect on another thing I am most thankful for......

The McDonagh Family.

This fabulous family took me in when my life was a little crazy and let me move into their Florida home to complete an internship at a nearby hospital. THEN they allowed me to crash even longer once I made the decision to re-locate and become a Florida resident!

The McDonaghs were always re-locating around the country---from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, and finally to Florida. Growing up, we spent quality time around the holidays with together but I never got to spend the amount of time that I did during the three years we lived together in West Palm.

Here are some of my favorite memories with the McDonaghs:

-Bonding over countless card games at the kitchen table: Phase 10 & Oh Hell were our favorites;

-Doing girly things with Aunt Diane that she never got to do with a "daughter"--manis and pedis, clothing and furniture shopping, going to the movies to watch "chick flicks" (or renting them and watching at home), sitting around and talking for hours;

-Uncle Tom converting me to a Red Sox fan & watching him check the paper each morning to see how many games ahead the Sox were of the Yankees;

-Fighting over the leftover chicken cutlets for lunch with Ryan (and the washing machine and the TV);

-Surviving 2 out of 3 hurricanes together (the third I spent working in the hospital)---sleeping in the laundry room with Ryan, sitting in the downstairs shower with Aunt Diane as we yelled at the boys for opening the window and watching the hurricane from upstairs;

-My weekly cup of ice cream from Baskin Robbins courtesy of Uncle Tom;

-Watching the Giants game at the bar with my uncle and "brothers";

-Our "family" vacation to Universal in Orlando;

-Bar hopping with my cousin...NOT my boyfriend!

-Watching "our" favorite TV shows--Friends and Sex and the City (even Uncle Tom!);

-All of our cocktails and family dinners together.

These memories and a million more will stick out in my head and I'm so grateful for the times we shared together. I love you all!