50 Things For Which We Are Thankful

Ryan Patrick – Head of Message Development

I’m Thankful…

1. For my wife’s patience. How she keeps it together, I’ll never know.
2. For our home team from church. Seven couples who have grown together while growing in Christ.
3. For the cheeseburger pizza (with pickles on the side, please) from Mackie’s in Marion, Illinois.
4. That my eight-year-old daughter still wants to hold my hand when we’re walking together.
5. That I’ve never received a speeding ticket. (Yes, I know I’m tempting fate by including this…)
6. For M*A*S*H reruns on TV Land six days a week.
7. For Russell Stover sugar-free peanut butter cups.
8. To Tim, Lynn, and Deidre for believing in me.
9. That my son is 98% seizure-free since September.
10. That I’m not a Chicago Cubs fan.

Lynn Peisker – Chief Plate Spinner & Executive Sister

1. A husband who makes my coffee every morning even though he doesn’t drink it. This pretty much defines who he is and I am blessed.
2. Big tall boys who have become independent men of virtue and honor, and who still kiss me sweetly on the top of my head.
3. A beautiful and brilliant daughter who has an adventurous spirit and more courage and determination than anyone I know.
4. A son-in-law who delights our daughter and has given us the gift of an extended family in Scotland; we can’t imagine our family without him.
5. A place to work where I can make a difference for good people everyday, and my partners Tim, Dee and Ryan who make our company delightful.
6. Hardworking and loving parents who still make me feel like I can do anything I set out to do.
7. A BFF who has gotten me through 20 years of alternating joy and despair, and a group of friends who have lunched together for years, solving problems big and small.
8. A church family truly invested in helping our community, and a delightful small group of church people whom we love and hang out with weekly.
9. A new home with a great view, ducks on the pond and fantastic next door neighbors. See #8.
10. Each new day, another chance to get it right.

Tim Miles – Head Custodian

1. The three organized, deadline-loving, procedure-demanding, J-types that now comprise the majority of our company.
2. Roy’s advice that I had to submit to their authority even when I did not agree with it.
3. That I have a wife and my children have a mother who no one’s going to outwork. Ever.
4. That our new house has a screened-in porch
5. Will’s new school and his perfectly perfect teacher Miss Medenis
6. That my daughter appears to be blessed with my wife’s lovely singing voice but dances like Elaine Benes.
7. Smoked wings and a clean, well-lighted place at David and Meghan’s
8. Chess and Candyland
9. Bob and Larry and their friends
10. That both my children are Olympic-class snugglers.

Deidre Miles – She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed

1. My husband
2. My husband
3. My husband
4. My husband
5. My husband
6. My husband
7. My husband
8. My husband
9. My husband
10. My husband

(Dee’s list may or may not have been ghostwritten because Dee may or may not be sick.)

And, finally, our peculiar little company is thankful for:

1. Our nifty, so-glad-we-have-this 18-point workflow that clearly explains who we are, what we do, and when we do it.
2. Patient, encouraging clients who understood during our growing pains this year that we were trying to get better.
3. Learning about the NPS system and how easy it is to use and implement and learn from.
4. That we are at peace with occasionally breaking the rules of grammar.
5. Evernote, Dropbox, and Skype
6. Apogee, Apple, and Bose
7. Regional airports that allow us to get home to our families faster.
8. Michele Miller and Roy and Pennie Williams and Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg championing us, our book, and our future.
9. Companies who delighted our company this year: Big Fish, Lollipop, Kohler, UpClose Printing, Show Me Printing, and Call Ruby.
10. You. That you read this stuff and get something from it and keep coming back. More people read this here Daily Blur now than the population of all our hometowns. I hope we can keep you interested and engaged and delighted for months and years to come.

Happy Thanksgiving!