What (and Who) I'm Thankful For: 2018 Edition

Last year, in honor of Thanksgiving, I compiled a list of ten things that I was thankful for.  My life has changed quite a bit since then; therefore, this year’s list looks a bit different than last year’s. 

1.      My internship at the National Journalism Center: As I wrote about earlier this year, I had a very exciting opportunity to participate in the National Journalism Center’s Spring 2018 Internship.  In addition to meeting quite a few famous people and making some new friends, I got to experience life in “the swamp” as well as experiencing a healthy degree of independent living for the first time in my life.  I still have plenty of souvenirs from my time in “the swamp,” including signed copies of Brian Kilmeade’s book Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans and David Bossie’s book that he co-wrote with Corey Lewandowski, Let Trump Be Trump.  I also walked away with roughly a dozen business cards and some posters of one of my fellow NJC alumni, Ann Coulter.  I would like to especially thank Kelleigh Huber, Program Officer of the National Journalism Center; Elizabeth Donatelli, Director of the National Journalism Center; Dede Hamilton, Secretary at Young America’s Foundation, and all of the generous donors to Young America’s Foundation who helped make my internship possible.  

2.      Building my portfolio at the Media Research Center: During my internship at the National Journalism Center, I spent Mondays through Thursdays writing at Media Research Center. I have written more than 200 articles for Newsbusters, including the slightly more than 100 I wrote during my National Journalism Center internship.  Newsbusters has graciously let me continue writing for them as a contributor and that has allowed me to make more money in one year than I have made in my entire life.  I have tried to write as much as possible for Newsbusters; as a result, I have generally cut back my number of blog posts from three times a week to two times a week.  After all, as a capitalist, it makes sense to prioritize working for people who will compensate me, over writing for my own personal blog, where I receive no compensation. As much as I enjoyed my internship in “the swamp,” I desperately needed to rebuild my bank account; since living in “the swamp,” even for just three months, costs a lot of money.  One of the articles I wrote for Newsbusters, published just last month, received more than 10,000 shares on Facebook.  I would like to thank the entire team at the News Analysis Division; Tim, Scott, Curtis, Kyle, Bill, Rich, Kristine, Nick, Geoff, and Baker for their mentorship during my time as an intern. They really treated me as a member of the team; taking me out to a welcome lunch and a goodbye lunch and allowing me to sit in on their Wednesday meetings.  I would also like to thank Veronica Lark, the Internship Coordinator at the MRC for giving me the chance to work for one of the most respected media outlets in the country and the legendary President of the Media Research Center, L. Brent Bozell, who generously donated an hour of his time to conduct a luncheon with me and my fellow MRC interns. I owe a debt of gratitude to the generous donors who contribute to the Media Research Center, who help me and the other contributing writers and staff members fulfill the mission of “exposing and combating liberal media bias.” I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to visit the Media Research Center since my internship concluded in mid-April but I feel quite confident that my picture appears on the intern wall of fame which includes pictures of all of the other intern classes of years’ past. To quote Frosty the Snowman, “I’ll be back again someday.”

3.    The opportunity to appear on the “Conservative Underground” Podcast: Out of the blue, I got an invitation via direct message to appear on a podcast called “The Conservative Underground” to discuss one of my blog posts. Although initially hesitant to venture into uncharted territory by appearing on the podcast, I quickly became comfortable appearing on the podcast; so much so that I had no problem when I found out that the podcasts would begin airing live, in contrast to my initial appearances on the podcast, which would generally not become available to the public until at least a few days after taping.  Since my initial appearance in mid-August, I have appeared on the podcast a total of seven times. I would like to thank “Doc” for giving me the opportunity to appear on his podcast.

4.    My decision to follow @whitneycovfefe: Shortly after joining Twitter, I began following a very special girl named Whitney. A true American patriot who loves her country, Whitney provides a remarkable contrast to many of the other girls in the millennial generation such as Trigglypuff, the angry protesters who have shrieked at the top of their lungs while harassing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Senator Ted Cruz, and the purple-haired feminist who spat at and assaulted a man at a #HimToo rally in Portland, Oregon designed to raise awareness for the men who have had their lives turned upside down by false allegations of sexual assault. I greatly admire Whitney’s fantastic sense of humor and passion for conservatism.  I have said that following Whitney was the best decision I have made since following Twitter and I completely stand by that statement.  How many other millennial girls share my passion for the primetime lineup at Fox News?  
      
5.   My decision to follow @miamirealtygirl: Not long after following Whitney, I began following @miamirealtygirl; who I became aware of thanks to my stellar decision to follow Whitney.  One day, I left a comment on one of her tweets expressing prayers for Western Florida and the Florida Keys, who faced a direct hit from Hurricane Irma.  I left a comment mentioning that my aunt lived in Fort Myers, and that I hoped she would make it through the storm okay.  Lisa replied, “I will keep her in my prayers.” Her prayers definitely paid off; my aunt and her brand new house in Fort Myers made it through the storm and my uncle’s house, slightly farther north on the west coast, only suffered minimal damage.  I felt completely flattered that someone who I had never met in person would take the time to pray for my aunt.  Her concern for my aunt served as the first of many examples of Lisa’s heart of gold.  @miaimirealtygirl graciously sent me a direct message on my birthday; she treats me and all of her followers like family and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to become friends with her over the past year.  

6.   I have a place to call home: I included this on my list last year and it only makes sense to include it on my list this year; considering the fact that Hurricanes Florence and Michael and the ravenous wildfires out in California have left millions of people homeless.  The death toll from all of these natural disasters far exceeds 100; with damage estimates in the billions of dollars.  

7.   Republicans still have control of the Senate: While I would have preferred it if Republicans maintained control of the House of Representatives, an increased Senate majority definitely put a smile on my face.  Considering the fact that the judicial branch has done more than any other branch of government to “fundamentally transform” America, the increased Republican majority in the Senate will ensure the confirmation of judges committed to interpreting the law, rather than legislating from the bench.  In addition, a Republican Senate will serve as a firewall against ridiculous bills that come up from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives; including any impeachment bills.  In addition to having more Republicans, the Senate has more pro-Trump Republicans; with wishy-washy virtue signalers like Jeff Flake replaced with strong conservatives such as Marsha Blackburn.  While a few Republicans in the Senate still remain lukewarm when it comes to their support for President Trump, the number of such Republicans falls short of the 20 needed to remove him from office; assuming that every Senate Democrat votes in favor of impeachment. 

8.   I’m alive: I included this on my list last year and it bears repeating, even if it does sound overly simplistic.  Many people have lost their lives in mass shootings this year, including but not limited to Parkland, Tallahassee, Pittsburgh, and Thousand Oaks.  In addition, many people have lost their lives in tragic accidents; including a deadly limousine crash in upstate New York that left twenty people dead, a bus crash in New Mexico that left eight dead and more than two dozen injured and a boating accident in Missouri that left seventeen people dead.     

9.   I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family: I should definitely give thanks for the fact that I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  Many people could not spend Thanksgiving with their families, including the brave men and women serving in the Armed Forces and the “Angel moms”  “permanently separated” from their loved ones as a result of crimes committed at the hands of illegal immigrants.   

10. The health of my family and friends: While members of my family have had some health scares in the past two years, all of them have survived their travails so far and therefore had the opportunity to participate in Thanksgiving 2018.  I also feel very thankful that I did not come down with a bad case of the flu this year or suffer .  Considering the fact that my internship in “the swamp” took place during the heart of flu season, I feel very lucky that I did not suffer a debilitating illness.  Last year, at around the time that CPAC took place, I suffered from the flu; forcing me to take a day off from school and my internship, something I had not done in years. 

      I would like to conclude by wishing a happy belated Thanksgiving to all those who take the time read my work, whether on the Newsbusters website, or right here on this blog post.  I have made a lot of progress over the last year; after all, at this time last year, I had yet to make any money writing.  This year, I feel very thankful for all of the progress I have made in my career as well as for all the blessings God has given me and my family.