Thank you, Blind Date.

For some reason, every time I am thankful for my family, I am reminded of an episode of that classic, awe-inspiring late-night programming: "Blind Date." In the particular episode I am thinking of is some loser guy and some desperate girl. (Yes, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks. Is that the correct idiom here?) Regardless, the guy is asking her inane questions about her life, and she says, "Well, my family is very important to me" or something utterly original like that. And I remember (being a naive 17-year-old at the time) rolling my eyes in disgust and thinking, "Family?! UGH. I am so TIRED of hearing about how people are into their FAMILY these days..."

Cut to seven years later. I went to school close. I went to school far away. I moved 2300 miles away. Twice. Came back to Texas. Dated people. Broke up with people. Learned some life lessons. And, there's no other non-cheesy way to say it: I am really, really grateful for my family. They are incredibly important to me. They are kind of a big deal in my life. I love them like I love Paula Deen's Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. And I know now to never take them for granted again. And if I ever end up on an episode of "Blind Date" (fingers crossed!) that very well might be my emphatic opening line: "I just lurrrrve my family, y'all! Now, where we eatin'?"

Still doesn't mean I want kids though. And there's still nothing wrong with expressing that very practical, sustainable opinion in public.