With 2012 winding down I have been taking a look back on the year and I have realized I really do have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve had some great experiences, met some amazing people and even learned a few things. Looking back there are some things and people that made my year pretty awesome. So here is my list of 25 things I’m thankful for in 2012 in no particular order.
1. Family – Sometimes you don’t realize how important family is till you need them and my family has always supported me in what I’ve done.
2. WordPress – All of my websites are based on WordPress. Since I really do not code that much wordpress makes it much easier to setup a website or even a business in less than an hour!
3. Nik – My friend Nik and I have been hanging out a lot lately. He is a great person to bounce ideas off of and he has been reviewing gaming peripherals for ThinkComputers this year. People really enjoy his take on gaming accessories.
4. Instagram – Before there was instagram I had to post photos on twitter and facebook separately and that was just annoying. Instagram makes things so much easier and is an awesome app. I know all of you love my #foodporn photos!
5. The ThinkComputers Community – I really made an effort this year to build a community around ThinkComputers. Whether it was on twitter, facebook, youtube or even on the ThinkComputers Forums. I want to thank everyone that has become part of the ThinkComputers community.
6. StartUpTown – I spent a good amount of time at StartUpTown this year. It is a great place to work from and the people there are just awesome.
7. Spotify – All the music I want anywhere? Since Spotify launched in the US I have been hooked!
8. Haeley, Katie, Kimmi – These girls have simply been awesome. We all have become so close over this past year and we always have so much fun together!
9. Mailchimp – I finally moved away from dadamail and signed up for Mailchimp. It is a great way to manage an e-mail list / newsletter and has just made things so much easier for me.
10. Adam Werkmeister – My buddy Adam was nice enough to invite me to go on vacation with him this past year. The vacation was just what I needed and was the perfect motivation to finish out the year strong.
11. Payday The Heist – If there was one video game I played the most this year it had to be Payday The Heist. It is a blast I mean what can’t you like about robbing banks?
12. Schenley Park – I love living right by Schenley Park. Whether it is to exercise or just go for a walk its a great place to go and get my mind off work.
13. Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy – This has to be my favorite beer. It is the perfect summer beer and I order it pretty much everywhere I go during the summer!
14. Travel Blogs – After my vacation I really got into travel blogs, more specifically digital nomad blogs. Some of the ones I really enjoy are: Making It Anywhere, Location 180, Never-Ending Footsteps, & Legal Nomads.
15. Audio Books – Another thing I discovered on vacation was audio books. I think this is the best way to digest information and “read” a book. Nothing is more relaxing than sitting on a beach and listening to an audio book.
16. HootSuite – If you manage more than one social media profile Hootsuite is what you need to be using! It is completely web-based and you can manage Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and even Linkedin profiles. The best feature is the ability to schedule posts.
17. Nakama – You will normally find me here on Monday nights having a late dinner with friends. Amazing sushi and great bartenders, if you want good Japanese food in Pittsburgh this is where you need to go.
18. John Chow – One of my good friends and someone I can always count on for business advice.
19. Pho – Simply one of my favorite foods. Nothing is better than a nice large bowl of warm pho! If im not feeling well or just want to feel refreshed pho is the perfect thing!
20. ThemeForest & VideoHive – I am in no way a designer, actually I’m horrible at those things. ThemeForest is a great place to find quality wordpress / website themes. VideoHive is just like the same thing, but for video. That is where I got the intro for ThinkComputers videos.
21. Google Docs – I’m not sure how I survived before without Google Docs. Whether I am writing something, or using the form function for a contest Google Docs is awesome. Oh yeah and you can access all of your files anywhere there is an internet connection.
22. Panera Bread – There are really not a whole lot of places in Pittsburgh where you can get good food and work on your laptop for an afternoon. Panera Bread is normally the place I go when I need to get out of my home office and work.
23. Dropbox – Dropbox is the easiest way to share files. I use it for both personal and business applications and I love that I can access my important files wherever there is an internet connection.
24. My Health – While I am not in the best shape of my life, things could be a lot worse. Being healthy is something many people take for granted so I am happy that I am healthy.
25. Great Friends & Good Times – At the end of a long work day nothing is better than going out and spending time with friends. It just allows you to forget about all the stress of work. To all of my friends thanks for being so awesome in 2012!
I could add much more to this list, but I don’t want to go on and on. What were you thankful for in 2012?