Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year – it is a time of gathering and festivities with friends and family to get together and be thankful for all of the things that they have. Since I have been at the University of Tennessee, the only times that I have been able to go home to visit my family has been for Christmas (which I will be heading out to CA in less than two weeks) and a week or two over the summer. But, I have been very fortunate for having fabulous friends here in Tennessee that have welcomed me into their homes with their families for the holidays. The last two years I spent Thanksgiving with my friend Angela (now an assistant professor at Bradley University) with her parents and a few of my friends from the doctoral program. This year, my friend Sabrina invited my friend Monica and I to her parents house for Thanksgiving. It was absolutely wonderful and amazing – everyone was happy and cheerful, and the food was absolutely divine! I am going to have to get the recipe for Sabrina’s sweet potatoes – they were so good! I have been very fortunate to have such wonderful and caring friends to extend an invitation out for Thanksgiving and to spend the day with great company, excellent food, and a special day. Thank you Sabrina for making my Thanksgiving this year so wonderful! 🙂
I have to say that I am very thankful for so many things, even in this current economic situation that most of us are facing. I have friends that are struggling to find jobs while others are being laid off due to budget cuts, and the list goes on and on. However, even in this moment of time, there are so many positive things that are happening to my family, friends, and I that I feel lucky and fortunate in so many ways. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for:
1) Family – my family is very special to me – and Christmas is going to be very special for the Freberg family this year since it will be the first time that all of us have gotten together in a couple of years. Kristin has safely returned from her second tour in Iraq and will be starting graduate school in January at UVA – super excited! 🙂 Everyone is in good health and is doing great – so proud! 🙂
2) Health – Well, I have now been on Jenny Craig for three years, and I have maintained my weight loss! I am super excited about this since it has allowed me to do things that I thought that I would have never been able to do before. Plus, it has allowed me to take multiple exercise classes like kickboxing and cyclebox – lots of fun! 🙂
3) Academics – I am right now in my third year in the Ph.D. program, and will be taking my comp exams in February of next year. It is amazing how fast my time at Tennessee has gone by, but I am looking forward to the upcoming year with working on various research projects.
4) Teaching – I have had the opportunity to teach both in the traditional classroom and online this year at the same time – my students at Tennessee and West Virginia in the IMC program are bright, creative, and innovative in their insights and PR critiques. It has been exciting for me to have them in my class, and I look forward to what they do in the workplace in Public Relations.
5) Social media – Working and using social media has really opened doors for me both professionally and academically, and I am thankful for that. It has been fun learning about the new technology, implementing into my classes, and doing research in the area. It’s been a lot of fun and I look forward to what is in store in the future.
So, these are just a few things that I am thankful for. I wish you all a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Best Wishes,
Karen
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