Today is Thanksgiving, a holiday tradition that began many years ago with the Pilgrims who came to the United States. It is my tradition at Thanksgiving dinner to share what I am thankful for and hope others do the same. While my life has had its share of ups and downs, I am very blessed to have been given so much. Today is a day, I like to especially think about that and give thanks!
This year has been quite an adventure! The first half of the year was full of family health issues that, thankfully, all turned out just fine!
The second half of the year was spent getting our Maryland home ready for sale and for house hunting in Florida. I won’t mince words – this was a VERY VERY stressful journey. It seemed like each half step forward meant two back. There were times I wondered if it would all work out. I’m happy and thankful to tell you it did!
A few weeks ago the movers loaded our home and belongings in Maryland, we loaded our cars and took the autotrain to Florida (Thank you Mike, Carla and Donna for all your tips).
Today as you read my blog, we are celebrating our first Thanksgiving in our new home in a new state, Florida!
It’s always been a dream of mine to settle in Central Florida one day. Not just to escape the grey, cold winters of the mid-Atlantic, but to be closer to Walt Disney World. Almost 16 years ago, I founded the AllEars® website. The website took me on a journey I could never have imagined and I still marvel at what each year brings.
Through the electronic reach of AllEars, I have been able to meet some incredible people from around the world.
I have been able to accomplish some amazing things. As an advocate in the fight against breast cancer, I have been able to raise over $300,000 with your help! Huge kudos to the Team AllEars who Run With Purpose and have raised over $75,000 of that total.
With the generosity of many AllEars advertisers and many magic making Cast Members, we recently helped created a week of pure Disney Magic for a very special family with a very ill child.
I am so thankful for all the wonderful, kind, generous people that are in my life. People I probably would have never met, if not for the website.
I am thankful for the past and present members of the AllEars team who help bring you a bit of the magic 365 days a year.
And I am also so thankful for the hundreds of thousands of you I may never meet. You come to the site, support the advertisers and send us emails thanking us for helping you have a magical vacation or even, just a magical day.
I am so very thankful for my loved ones and friends – who smile and laugh with me and are gentle and supportive when needed.
So on this day of thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for all that I have. May you reflect today on all that you have and remember – Dreams do come true!
Thank you so much for all the hard work and dedication to all things Disney. From someone who goes to the allears site on a daily basis it is really appreciated.
On this day of thanksgiving I would like tell you, Deb, that I am thankful to you and your team for this wonderful site. In 2003 I found allears.net I have come back nearly very day since then. Last year I finally joined facebook and was delighted to “Like” the allears.net page. To which I visit several times a day. Last December we went to our first allears meet and also was able to attend the VIP Illuminations event and had the time of our lives. Yes Deb, you and your wonderful team has brought so much magic into my daily life and I am very grateful. Enjoy your new home in Florida! See you in December. Thanks again, Ava
And we are all thankful for you, too, and the rest of the allears team, for bringing us magic everyday! Thanks for everything you do and many more happy Thanksgivings to come!
Hi Deb & Linda,
I am so happy for the 2 of you, that your celebrating this wonderful holiday in your new Florida home. Even with all the ups and downs that this year has brought, the pixie dust still prevailed and the magic happened at the end of your journey.
Enjoy your new home. Enjoy all your old and new friends that are now close by in Orlando and especially enjoy not having to put up with the dreadful conditions of winter in Frederick.
It is my dream to be able to move to Orlando even though the summers are tough there, but I’ve gotten to where I hate cold, ice and snow of winter even more as I get older.
Have a wonderful and thankful day……VIC
God Bless You Deb and Happy Thanksgiving.
welcome to Florida !!! no winters BUT there is always a but hurricanes . hope to maybe catch a glimpse of you & the gang . my first night is 12/11 @ rose & crown ,cheers dusty