Tis the season…..the season of getting together with family, stuffing your face with as much food as you can get your hands on, watching football, enjoying drinks, and most importantly expressing your thanks for everything and anything that is great in your life. Since I spent last week eating and drinking everything in sight while not missing a snap of any college/NFL football game, I thought that the most appropriate and obvious topic for this week’s blog would be for me to express my thanks to those people/things that have made life so great this past year. So, sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy!

Where do I even start?

You ever have someone in your life that’s so instrumental in every single thing that you do that you just don’t have the words to describe it without sounding cliche? That’s my wife. She is the single and most important reason I am who I am today and where in life I am today. We’ve built quite the life together over the past couple years and most importantly, we’ve done it TOGETHER!

When we go out or we get together with friends/family, we always talk about me, my ventures, and how busy I must be all the time to build this life, but the truth is my job is easy compared to my wife’s. I get to go on planes, eat fancy dinners, get out of the house, the list goes on and on..... She gets to wake up kids, have a 2 yr old attached to her hip at all times, clean, laundry, cook, the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on (I think you get the point)! Truth is, I’d be nowhere near the man I am today, not personally and professionally, without my wife by my side and I am forever grateful!

My love for you grows stronger for you day after day after day babe, and as we tackle this crazy f’ing thing called life, I’m so happy that we get to do it together! So, from me to you, THANK YOU 🙏

Our kids rock, that is all!!! 😂🤣😂🤣

Seriously though, I absolutely love our kids (duh!) and couldn’t have asked for three more fun, crazy, and unique kids to bless our household. Each of them are special in their own way (some more than others...lol!) and it’s truly a blessing to be their Dad. They laugh together, cry together, and when we get down to the roots of it, they truly love each other (even though the 14 yr old will never admit it). I cannot wait to spend the next week in Florida with you guys and enjoy some time away - the smiles on those faces throughout the week make all the hard work worth it!

Being “Dad" is my most important job and I definitely couldn’t have imagined having this great of a team to do the job with. So, from me to all three of you - THANK YOU 🙏

Grandmas, Mom, Dad, In-Laws, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews..........I’ve NEVER, and I mean NEVER met a family like the extended family that me and my immediate family (wife and kids) have around us. It is truly an absolute blessing to be around such a strong and involved family.

It’s rare these days to see such a tight family with everyone’s busy schedules and having everyone spread out a bit, but we make it work. I look forward to each and every chance we get to get together as a family and catch up. We get to laugh, we get to make fun of each other, we get to tell someone when they’re acting like a doofus or when they’re being a sphincter, we get to lose our minds laughing out loud when an Uncle loses half his land and has to move the crazy treehouse he just built his daughter and then when the laughter subsides, we get to ask how we can help! You see, in our family, we truly love each other and recognize the need to show that love through caring and kindness without expecting anything in return.

Thank you, Thank You, Thank You to all my family out there and for each of you being you. Each member of the family brings their own qualities to the family which truly makes us unique and fun to be around (at least for me). Love you all!!!!!!

My man!!!!!! You want to see me be thankful?? You do what Donte did in 2017 and you put some of the biggest damn smiles on my sister’s face that I have EVER seen! Not only did you make her a wife, you wasted zero time and made her a mom and I couldn’t be anymore thankful. Seeing her glow with happiness and love is all I’ve ever wished for her and you delivered!!! July 1, 2017 was truly a blessing and you’ve made my sister the happiest I’ve ever seen her. From me to you, Thank You 🙏

I know most of these are fairly standard things to be thankful for, but they are truly on the top of my list. I wouldn’t be where I am today and/or who I am today without my having one of the best support systems known to man. Life is a crazy, crazy journey my friends....we all need a little support from time to time and I’m very thankful mine has been there for me through thick and thin - a heartfelt THANKS to each and every one of you.

Now that you’ve read about my thankfulness this holiday season, what are you thankful full? Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts!