Thanksgiving is just over a week away, and this girl is *pumped*. Bring on the pumpkin pie! Bring on the stuffing! Bring on the thankfulness around the dinner table!

And bring on one of my favorite family traditions – all heading up to my grandparents’ house to celebrate together. Lately, we’ve moved our Thanksgiving to Black Friday, because some of the clan volunteers at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving morning, and we’re not about to let them miss out for being amazing people.

The woman who spearheads our Thanksgiving? My Nana. Besides cooking up a storm for, like, the whole WEEK leading up to Thanksgiving, she’s all about just getting together as a family. She’s another hero of mine, and the mom of my mom and hero #1 from last week!

So there are two things here: 1.) Giving my Nana PROPS as a total hero. 2.) Making sure you enter your own Thanksgiving hero in a contest to help them win some much-deserved recognition. First things first: Hero time.

She’s one of the most selfless people on the planet. I swear this woman would give her left leg if it meant helping her family out. There is not a sacrifice she wouldn’t make. She’s so inspiring and puts others first always.
She will stop at nothing to help people. She will stress over everyone else just to make sure they’re okay. She was also always the best at painting nails.
Her faith drives her life. My Nana has always been a living, breathing example of what it means to be a woman of faith. She lets God lead her life, and she’s the first to remind you that it’s all gonna be OK.
She takes care of everyone. She and my Pop will make weekly visits to the nursing home to hang out with older folks who don’t see their families as often. They don’t even know everyone they help – they just make people’s days brighter by being there to care. If you show up to her house in the middle of the day unannounced, she will make sure you are fed and welcomed warmly.
She preaches appreciation and a helpful spirit. Everytime I’ve seen her for most of my life, she always instructs my brother and me to help our own mom more. Nana is just this constant reminder of how to live as a really, really good person. She helped me become a conscientious human being, and for that I couldn’t be more grateful.
She always encourages you to just be the best you can be – and that’s enough. Just do the best you can do. She’s your #1 cheerleader and never fails to cheer you up if you’re ever feeling like you’re subpar. Because you’re not. And she helps make you feel like a million bucks everytime.
She never turns down a good chat. When I was *ahem* younger, we’d always go “have a chat” in the living room like this.
She’s funny as heck. Give this gal a glass of wine and she’s suddenly hiiiiiilarious. But without it, she’s also hilarious and quick to laugh at herself.
Her cooking is out of this world. Dear Lord, please let me grow up and eventually have culinary prowess like Nana. If I could be half the boss in the kitchen that she is, that’d be great kaythanks. Amen.
She’s the life of the party. Nana will not turn down a dance floor with the rest of the girls or some opportunity to just all have a good time together. This lighthearted love of life is something I’ve always admired so much, because she really has her priorities straight.

When I grow up I just want to be my Nana. She’s so inspiring to me and just constantly my rock for remembering what really matters in life. She’s so freakin’ STRONG and caring and giving and loving and how every single person should really be, in my totally biased opinion. She doesn’t wear some superhero cape or spandex, but she wears her heart on her sleeve and pours it all out for her family and friends, and that’s so much more admirable.

Now, for this contest that you mustmustmust enter your own hero into this Thanksgiving season.

La Brea Bakery is the leading artisan bread in the United States. They’ve got this awesome Thanksgiving promotion going on for you to nominate your own “Thanksgiving Hero”: people you know and love who regularly work on Thanksgiving serving others (such as firefighters, police, waiters, etc.). La Brea Bakery will deliver fully catered meals to 5 finalists across the nation on Thanksgiving. (You’ve got 2 days – submissions close on November 15th!). This video’s got the scoop:

CONTEST ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS: To submit an entry click the “Thanksgiving Heroes” tab to create your form submission by including: your first and last name; zip code; email address; an essay of 100 words or less telling about your family member that you will be unable to share Thanksgiving dinner with and submit at least one photograph showing both you and your family member that you will be unable to share Thanksgiving dinner with. Submissions must be received by November 15^th2015. Finalists will be announced November 17^th2015, after which the public will have a chance to vote for their favorites through November 20^th 2015. Check out La Brea Bakery across all social media (@labreabakery on everything!) to follow the contest, get Thanksgiving updates, and receive discounts on yummy things (like carbs).

Who is your Thanksgiving Hero?

Who has helped turn you into the person you are today? Who are the people who really make you stronger, smarter, and better? Let me know in a comment below, because I would lovelovelove to hear about the people who have made a positive difference in your life!

*This post has been sponsored by Single Edition on behalf of La Brea Bakery. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!