Thanksgiving isn't a thing in Australia so I've never celebrated it but I've seen plenty of movies and TV shows about it (it always seems to fall around my birthday). It seems pretty straight forward, take some time to think about what you are thankful/grateful for. So I'd just like to acknowledge what I am grateful for.
I've have always considered myself fairly lucky, having grown up in The Lucky Country I have enjoyed a lot of freedoms, opportunities and experiences that a lot of other people haven't had. My Dad used to always tell us growing up that we were lucky to be living in such a wonderful country and I couldn't agree more. I also think I'm lucky to grow up in the generation I have, riding the technology wave into adulthood and being able to have a creative/tech-based career is something that people from older generations haven't gotten to experience like I have. Granted, my university education wasn't free like it was to people my parents age, but at least there was far more opportunity to go to university.
I have been lucky enough to be born into a loving and close family. While my parents were far from rich, my brother and I never missed out on anything. I have made some wonderful friends in my lifetime, one of which I have been close with since I was 5 which isn't something everyone gets.
Then when I was 18 I met the man that I was going to marry. We've been nearly inseparable for almost 10 years. We've had many adventures together, bought and sold houses, gone overseas, traveled around Australia, and one day we might be lucky enough to have a family of our own.
When I was 21 I had my heart set on getting my own dog. Actually, a pet dog is the only thing my parents ever said no to, I begged them until I moved out, then started begging Matt. I won't go into the whole story (save that for another day) but we drove to Sydney and picked up our girl after the longest wait. And she is perfect. Holly is everything I could have hoped for in a dog and I love her very much.
And then she inspired some silly little doodles, which inspired a cartoon, then a Facebook page... and well you kind of know the rest. And that is how I've come to be been surrounded by this amazing community that I like to call Collie Lovers. People from all over the world that like my silly little doodles enough to share their own stories, show their friends, and even buy shirts with my cartoons on. It's been unbelievable, I never in a million years thought so many people would love my work like they do.
So I'm grateful/thankful/lucky to have the support of thousands of people from all around the world. I don't think I can ever explain how much it means to me.
So thanks,
Kristen
