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I always wondered why I was born tall.

Okay, yes, genetically it's because my dad is tall, but I have always felt that there was some deeper purpose as to why I have all this body.

'Cause there's a lot of body. Like over six feet, which is way taller than the average woman!

Was I made for standing out, inspiring others to embrace their height? Was I secretly made for blocking shots and playing center on a WNBA basketball team (as most ignorant strangers often assume)? Was I made for modeling?

There could be plenty of reasons as to why I was bestowed with this grand stature, but one of my favorite reasons comes from a dear friend of mine, Scott.

Scott was my manager at work, and every time I brought up another customer making a tall joke, or sharing a story of someone peeking behind the bar to check and see if I wasn't on stilts, or bringing up another situation in which a guy tells me I'm intimidating (seriously, I'm so done with that statement), Scott would smile and in his Southern accent say:

"Elan, God made you tall so everyone could see your beautiful smile."

And man, that sentiment has stuck with me.

I mean, I know I got a big ole grin, and I’ve been told that I’m the smiley sort of girl, but what Scott said to me had me looking at myself through someone else's eyes.

What if I was born tall so everyone could see my cheek to cheek grin, contagiously causing them to smile as well? I think there’s always room for more cheery people in this world. It's disarming to others, and it makes the wearer feel good.

I thank Scott for his kind words, for not only did it make me feel good (and therefore smile even bigger), but his compliment inspired me to inspire others to embrace their uniqueness; in my case, my height.

And you can guarantee that the next time someone makes a joke about my height, I'll smile extra big and remember that I was made tall so that everyone could see my beautiful smile.

It was the most seamless surprise.

Execution was flawless, the secret was kept safe, and my mom was without a clue as to what my dad and I had planned, even as we pulled up to the airport where our surprise visitor awaited our arrival.

I have to say, Dad and I are a pretty good team when it comes to surprises!

This past week was spent in the company of my Aunt Pam, who decided to come up and visit from warm sunny Scottsdale.

It was a week full of fun, lots of laughter, family time, and even a welcoming Northern Lights show as we all made that late drive home from Anchorage the first night.

Man, family is something special, isn't it? We didn't even have to be "doing something" to have fun. Simply being in each other's company was enough.

Granted, it was often spent around special happy hour beverages, or skipping through fresh pow, but what mattered was that we were all together.

That's what I'm most grateful for every year. As we sit around the table and express our gratitude for what we have (a home, a table full of fabulous food, security, and love), I'm always brought back to family. My family has given me so much in my wee twenty-two years of living and I am beyond appreciative for all of the love and support I have gotten, from parents and siblings, to cousins, and of course, to Aunt Pam.

Thanksgiving this year was one helluva memorable one. And it left us feeling full, in our tummies, but more importantly, in our hearts.