It’s a very chilly 28 degrees outside in Portland right now. The ground is frozen, the air is electric, and there are still patches of snow from the day before. Yet, this morning, we work up, inside, and turned on the heat. And it’s toasty warm in here, where there’s coffee and hot breakfast and internet. We have a lot to be thankful for this year.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the craziness of modern life. We have only been in Portland for a short time, but we are already feeling the pull to buy things, stress out, worry, measure up to some invisible standard. The open road feels so far away at times, but we try hard to hold on to its lessons. This morning, when I sat down to think about this holiday of giving thanks, all I had to do was look around me, and I realize that we are surrounded by amazingness.

For starters, there’s the shower here, with its hot water and constant availability. And the kitchen, allowing me to cook to my heart’s desire. There are incredible memories of kind and generous people all over the country. And the hundreds of comments we receive on our blog posts and facebook updates. We’ve made friendships in the unlikeliest of places, and shared commonalities with folks we are very different from. We have clean clothes, a soft bed, and an extensive library of photos to remind us to keep dreaming big. We have dozens of possible next adventures, all waiting at the doorstep, ready to provide their own stories and experiences. And we have each other, which cannot be overstated, because it’s pretty incredible that we could travel so far and so long and still love each other.

Tomorrow, we are headed out of town to spend the holiday weekend with my family. We hope that you all have similarly heart-warming plans. Thank you for continuing to follow our incredible journey and sharing with us a place in your lives.

And, for more things to be thankful for, check out Maria’s delightful post, to which we contributed.