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thankful

100 Things I am Thankful for the 6th Edition

With 150,000+ miles in the air this year, I have good deal to be thankful for. So on to 2012’s 100 things I’m thankful for so far this year.

Any day I’m home chilling with family.
Any day I learn something new.
That my Facebook stream has returned to kitten photos and non-political memes.
That I’ve resisted the temptation to buy the iPad mini
That I still find joy in watching Paul Blart: Mall Cop with my kids for the 132nd time
That I wake up excited and go to bed fulfilled.
That I was able to finally catch up with Eric this year – 3 years is too long.
The way Hadrian slowly wakes up every morning.
That Kevren and Dijouri are setting and achieving their goals already
A night of a full 8 hours of sleep regardless of time zone considerations.
Lunch with Jake
A morning walk
Cooking Sunday breakfast just like my Dad did when I was a kid.
Soup!
That I’ve been able to use Delta award tickets to fly my family in for the holidays.
Catching up on TV on a dreary day
When kindness trumps the “hurriedness” of life.
The day I realized that you can really enjoy a Saturday without the internet.
Angry Birds Star Wars
A user interface that doesn’t require a companion video
That I still believe most people are kind and mean well
When I go places where the dollar is still a strong currency
Random phone discussions with John
Opportunities to talk about markets.
The days when I get to use my geography skills beyond reading a map.
Sour Cream ice cream with bacon dust sprinkled on it.
That I found a nice Italian restaurant right here in Canton!
The kids are growing up to be fun little people all around.
Engaging discussions with the folks I work with
A good vegetarian dish on a hotel room service menu.
Days when I actually have time to blog.
That my parents are still around and willing to lend a hand and provide insight.
Instagram’s new profile pages
Layovers I can actually enjoy
Sunsets that fall into the horizon over a mountain or an ocean.
Working with a bunch of professionals
Any opportunity where I can teach someone something
Waffle house breakfast with the family
Medallion Qualifying Miles
That I actually finished a book I should have read a long time ago.
That everyday I have the opportunity to help solve problems
Cloudy days which make for a good movie day.
Falling asleep before the plane takes off.
Watching live music with friends
My fence which keeps the dogs from running around the neighborhood.
Naps
A cold unsweet tea on a hot North Georgia day.
Corn mazes
The cloud messaging from Apple.
Any chance I get to catch a baseball game.
A cold Fat Tire
A good bottle of reasonably priced wine.
That all my kids take every opportunity to learn new thing
The team at Pragmatic Marketing
Traveling to new places – I got to see South Korea and Thailand this year!
Not having to travel for Thanksgiving this year – five years in a ROW!
Each time I read a quote which just makes me think
Every time I get the opportunity to have a thoughtful discussion
Dinner with friends
That most days I have no surprises and when I do, I’m up for them
On time departures
Cooking dinner with Emily for friends and family
Every time I catch a Back to the Future marathon
When the coffee maker in my hotel room actually works and doesn’t only have decaf!
Every chance to catch up with those folks I’ve been hanging out with for the last decade
The Kindle App – reading is fun
My Sirius subscription has changed my ride to the airport
The two product managers from DirectTV who showed me how to really view TV Anywhere!
All the people that help me along the way in life.
When I find a nugget of information I wouldn’t have thanks to folks I follow on Facebook or Twitter
Anita who kindly volunteers to watch our kids so Em and I can have a life
Catching up with folks IRL when I’m on the road.
Any chance to take a ride in the country side on a saturday afternoon.
That my mom understands when I forgot to give her a call on her birthday because I was on the road. Thx mom!
Every time we random into a music festival.
Google Maps, I refuse to update my iPhone.
Being able to watch the same Mentalist three days in a row and never make it to the end. zzzzzzz
The active Product Camp community.
Any time I can get a cab in Manhattan at 5 PM
DVR’s
Every chance I get to play a game of pool
Pinochle
Neil Young on the iPod
Opportunity to almost serve on a jury this year.
That Gallaher’s isn’t really closing – maybe.
The view of PHX from the Marriott Buttes.
Golfing in the rain
Woodworking projects
A speedy internet connection at the Delta sky club
Finding a new connection thanks to a re-tweet
Math is just math
No need to buffer streamed TV
My creative and fun wife, Emily
Anytime I get the chance to see someone practicing their craft.
Command Hooks
Doggie Doors
Long term plans which come together in the end
Sleeping kids
That my twins are doing ok at the whole driving thing.
A good haircut

Have a great and safe Thanksgiving!

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November 21, 2012 by Jon Gatrell

Time to reflect: 100 Things I’m Thankful for in 2011

Thanksgiving already?!?! There are lot’s of reasons this year flew, but mainly it’s been driven by family, friends and my career which has made 2011 fly by. 2011 has been fun and full of memories which I couldn’t have imagined would have taken place this year.

Since it’s Thanksgiving, that means I get the opportunity to do what my 5th 100 Things I’m thankful for post, which is my favorite post of the year.

My family which just keeps getting bigger – kids, parents, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews and my wife
Watching all my kids grow closer as friends
My automagic coffee maker which greets me everyday with fresh coffee when I’m home
That kids provide a consistent reality check
Breakfast at Chompies
A crisp sunny fall morning.
A block of time just to curl up with the kids and catch up on Umizoomi
The way Hadrian slowly wakes up every morning
That Kevren and Dijouri are setting goals already
Catching up with Friends when on the road
A morning walk
A house full of dogs and kids with the BBQ going
The day I realized that I really don’t have to respond to a given email in real-time
Netflix, regardless of their price increase make my life easy – let’s watch Pocoyo again!
Catching up on TV on a dreary day
When I actually get time to use my iPad when I home
Watching Hadrian try and swipe at the TV like an iPad
The day I realized that gravity always wins
The weekend I just lost to Cut the Rope
A user interface that doesn’t require any documentation
That I still believe most people are kind and mean well.
Free Wireless in the airports
Every time I get asked to be a mentor
Opportunities to talk metrics
The Georgia climate, I know it’s hot in August, but it all is forgotten on a sunny day in February
Steamed asparagus
Every time I get the opportunity time to read to my kids
Instagram
The folks that read spatially relevant
Layovers I can actually enjoy
Sunrises cresting over mountains
Ideas that work
Ideas that don’t work and learning from them
Small businesses
Any opportunity where I can teach someone something
Going out to dinner with the kids at the local diner.
Sleeping in to 6:00 am – it keeps getting earlier every year!!!!
The day I realized most of the things that pop up in life are just noise
Going to an aquarium
Every chance I get the time to enjoy a city when I’m on the road
That I was able go do fun stuff on Halloween this year with the family
Walking on a beach
Sunsets over the ocean
Going the High Museum of Art on a weekend morning
Being home and having nothing to do but chill
Every meeting which starts on time
GoGo Inflight wireless
That everyday I have the opportunity to help solve problems
Sunny Days with big fluffy clouds where I can imagine shapes with my kids
The day I just decided to have an omelette this year for the first time
Watching live music with friends
My dogs – Lilly and Tewsy, plus the neighborhood dog Lucy which hangs out 16 hours a day.
Every time I am reminded that history is important.
Taking the time to walk to all my flights at hartsfield jackson
Naps
Watching my teenagers grow up, learn and become responsible.
Any chance I get to catch a baseball game.
A good bottle of random wine.
That all my kids take every opportunity to learn new things
Every chance I get to blog
Playing Plants vs. Zombies
Engaging discussions with the folks I work with
2 week long Words with Friends games.
That Atlanta has such an active product management community with TAG PM and ProductCamp ATL
The team at Pragmatic Marketing
Traveling to new places
That I’m able on most days to wake up excited and go to bed fulfilled.
Everyday I have the opportunity to learn something new
Every time I don’t forget stuff in a rental car – glasses again!
Not having to travel for Thanksgiving this year – four years in a ROW!
Each time I read a quote which just makes me think
Every time I get the opportunity to have a thoughtful discussion
Every time I get an amazing meal when I least expect it – that Marriott in Colorado has amazing catering
Dinner with friends
That most days I have no surprises and when I do, I’m up for them
On time departures
Cooking dinner with Emily for friends and family
Desert bacon – thick cut bacon with brown sugar and orange zest – mmmm
Finding that zone when writing a blog post.
Shark week
When the coffee maker in my hotel room actually works.
Every chance to catch up with those folks I’ve been hanging out with for the last decade
A good book which I can put down.
8 hours of uninterrupted sleep where I wake up on my own volition.
When I don’t leave my coat in my car before I fly north
Volunteering with my kids in the community on a Saturday
Farmers Market – Phay does amazing crepes at the Alpharetta Farmer’s market – www.crepecottage.com
Listening to talk radio on my way to the airport
The rare occasion of watching live TV, instead of DVR content.
All the people that help me along the way in life
When I find a nugget of information I wouldn’t have thanks to folks I follow on Twitter
Anita who kindly volunteers to watch our kids so Em and I can have a life
Catching up with folks IRL who I only know online when I’m on the road
Any chance to take a ride in the country side
That my mom understands when I forgot to give her a call on her birthday because I was on the road. Thx mom!
Every time we random into a small town festival and have time to just stop and mill around
Any opportunity to share a happy moment with friends or family.
Google Maps
That I can get most of my holiday shopping done online without issue
Any chance I get to tell a story which can help someone improve or avoid a pitfall I’ve hit before

Hopefully you are spending time with people you care about and sharing a great day with others! If you are one of the randoms that show up thanks to Bing and Google, welcome and thanks for stopping by.

Have a great and safe Thanksgiving!

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November 23, 2011 by Jon Gatrell

100 Things I am Thankful For – circa 2009

photo.jpg by you.

So this is my third installment of 100 things I am thankful for, the original continues to be the most active search post on spatially relevant and this always is favorite post to write every year.

The terms vary from funny things to be thankful for to what kid’s should be thankful for. Regardless, this is the most rewarding post to write every year.

My family – it just keeps getting bigger and bigger – better and better
That big brothers take care of the other siblings
That twins just know what to do
The peaceful early morning drive to the office
Frost in the country
Coconut curry soup
That the University of Michigan Medical Center doesn’t suck at any thing they do.
That I will not achieve Gold status on delta this year and probably next
The cheese in Spain is about the best anywhere
The fact that Spanish wines are insanely cheap, compensates for the cost of cheese 😉
Time off with no internet access
A cab driver who doesn’t talk to me
The ability to see the mountains everyday
That my friends stepped up on the club seats for New Years with Panic
That big brothers take care of all the other ones
Pleased when people understand the difference between hallucinating and vision.
Wireless on a plane, but only kinda.
That Ron, one of my mentors, recovered from his stroke fairly quickly.
That Chattanooga is about as pretty as anywhere else on an overcast day
Hulu – at least when I am in the United States
A new tie
Fringe, the TV show
Julia, the nurse with the Jello
Karen, the nurse with the infectious optimism
My readers
The crew in A2 (Chris, Patti and Drake)
Waking up to fog and just knowing the mountains are still there
Any day Em doesn’t have a saved segment of Dr. Phil backing her up on something.
My friends in and around the greater San Francisco bay area (Ruslan, Rick, Chris, Mark)
That science continues to advance and the Discovery channel tells me so
New Socks
Working from home
My new grill which is just way too much for the average steak, but I still use it
Skype
Emily’s cooking, specifically her pork paprikash and whatever new thing she has discovered online.
The Hadrian Snuggle Mood every morning
That Jen is a great mother of Kevren and Dijouri and a friend
Everyday I have the opportunity to just take in the scenery, like colors
The beach, not a lake beach, but a Gulf beach more than anything
Catching up with Friends when on the road
Old Town Madrid
Not having to travel for Thanksgiving this year, 3 years in a row!
My external hard drive which has over a decade of junk on it. I just might need that presentation from 2001 for something
That my parents, although grumpy are still good folk who I need to talk to about stuff. Wisdom is a good thing
Not having to travel for Thanksgiving this year – three years in a ROW!
That I still have my atlas from my 18th birthday, it has a SIGNIFICANTLY less pages now thanks to my kids
That Em and I did actually get out to see some music this year that wasn’t Thomas the Tank Engine
The moment I realized that there IS a speed limit on the autobahn and only got 1 ticket
That the SEC has just crazy good tailgates
A Sunday afternoon drive with the family
That my kids trust me enough to actually “friend” me on facebook – SUCKAS! 😉
That Auburn didn’t win and I was asleep by the end of the game
That Ken’s 40th birthday party was not just good for him, but me as well. Great to see friends and talk to adults.
Watching Dijouri think
Watching Kevren with his little brothers
Watching Prescott dance
Watching Hadrian “cook”
I am well within 60 days of no more diapers until I am a grandparent
A perfectly smoked turkey (fingers crossed, doing my first one today!)
The day I realized that personal email is more or less junk, so no need to manage it
Days when the clouds roll into my backyard, not that high up, but enough to get the occasional low lying cloud roll in.
That I actually rented my old house for 2.5 years on a single lease. 2009 the Year of the Slumlord
That Hannover, Germany, while not seen as a hotspot is filled with good people
That Cold Play just happened to be in town when I was on a trip
On time and on budget feature delivery.
That most people are thoughtful, kind and mean well.
Real life conversations with kids or adults
Insights from My Twitter Stream
Free Wireless
That a broken iPhone can be easily transitioned in an iTouch for the kids
That most people can still smile, even during hard times
That Patti still has that special way of making me feel special after 15 years
Looking at Canal’s can just make any day better
That Prescott and Hadrian are pretty good friends
That Kevren and Dijouri are pretty good friends
Every chance I get to golf, I have to get ready for senior tour after all
Street Musician’s with really good instruments
Watching folks who worked for me in the past doing well.
That I have time to read to my kids
That Kevren and dijouri take the time to teach their brothers stuff.
That rare reality when leftovers actually taste better the next day
The recurring reality when Emily sneaks leftover ingredients in and doesn’t tell me
The fact that I have 2 back up set of head phones in my briefcase, just in case Hadrian pulled one out
That a day on the Hooch is as good as anything, just bring sunblock.
That I have time to read to my kids
Layovers I can actually enjoy
Ideas that work
Ideas that don’t work and learning from them
Any opportunity where I can teach someone something – kids included
Sleeping in to 7:30 am
That it all works out in the end, no really does.
Grey Goose and Red Bull
That steak at Bones with John and John
Every chance I get the time to enjoy architecture
When I have extra room in my bags to compensate for the clothes I have to buy because I didn’t pack right
Entertaining Tweets which pop up when I’m in a meeting and make me laugh out loud and then have to explain it.
That Sheryl seems to always have what I need on her hard drive
The other contributors here who make Spatially Relevant Better everyday than I can alone
The random call, text, hand written note, facebook poke or other outreach that confirms we are all still connected
Any opportunity to share, listen and be with people I care about

photo by you.

November 26, 2009 by Jon Gatrell

Post #502: Missed the 500th, but STILL appreciative for everyone around here

So with over 500 posts and two years of hacking away at this it has been a very fun ride and it’s only going to get better from my view, since I’ve added some really good folks who are posting around here – Keith Finger, John Mecke, Stephen Smith and Sheryl Altschuler. Both Sheryl and Stephen are a little busy, but still glad to have them around, I actually caught with Stephen last night and we had a great brainstorming session and on my way home, I was thinking about what do you on my 500th post, well – I blew it since I’m now at 502 posts.

Regardless of the fact that I blew right past my 500th post, the idea to thank everyone who commented or linked back here still needs to be done. Not sure who I got the idea from – it sounded familiar in my head and I did a similar thing for my 200th post, but that post focused on the people I had in my RSS reeder and that would be really rough to do now since I’ve found so many cool people and added them in my reader since then.

So more or less in reverse chronological order of the 507 comments to date for 502 posts, 1115 tags over 12 categories – links where available in the comment:

Stewart Rogers
strategicproductmanager.com

Shiv
iamshiv.com

keithfinger
keithfinger.com

sherry heyl
concepthubinc.com

Suzy

Jason Koulouras

Marty Thompson

http://hoosiercontrarian.com/

Michelle Vandepas
divinepurposeunleashed.com

Chris Cummings
christophercummings.com

Adam Stahr
adamstahr.com

Guilda Blog
guildfa.net