This past summer, you may remember an article I wrote about my beloved dog, Mango, who passed away back in June. While losing a pet is never easy, the initial pain of saying my goodbyes to her has subdued. What gets to me now, however, is knowing that she's no longer around. When I go home for the holidays this year, I will not have her waiting by the door for me, ready to greet me with kisses. This Thanksgiving Thursday will mark what would have been her fourteenth birthday. Her b-day celebrations were a huge deal at my house. Every year, we would get her a Twinkie with a candle in it and sing "Happy Birthday!" This time of year will certainly be weird without her.

November is also the month of my late grandmother, Maryann's, birthday, who passed away back in 2013. To honor her, I spent about 30 to 45 minutes listening to Bob Dylan songs (her favorite artist and probably mine too) and eating Oreos (I didn't have Reese's Cups, but I'm sure she wouldn't shun my substitution). My grandmother is one of the people that I thank for sparking my interest in writing. She was a huge Stephen King, and would share his novels with me. I find it funny how, now as a Writing and Rhetoric major at UCF, I am developing my craft by reading King's book On Writing.

My grandmother also introduced me to some epic films as a kid. I remember watching the entire original Star Wars trilogy with her and my cousins, which probably contributes to my Star Wars obsession today. Another film that I remember watching with her was Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, Spirited Away. As strange as it may seem, especially from an avid anime fan, I was always reluctant to watch that film. Full disclosure, everything freaked me out as a kid (E.T., The Country Bears, and the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz), so when I saw Chihiro's parents get turned into pigs, I was mortified. Fortunately for me, my grandmother had a bit of a demented sense of humor and loved to see her grandchildren terrified, so she purposely played it for me to see my horrific reaction. The more I watched it though, the more appreciation I gained for the art style and story. All of which I have to thank my guardian angel for

As I celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I can honestly say that I am thankful for the people (and pets) who have touched my life and helped shape the person I am today. I have been missing my dog and my grandmother a lot recently, and have found it arduous trying to fill those voids. I do believe, however, that keeping close family and good friends by your side make those voids seem a little less frightening, which is all I could ever ask for.