Why I'm Thankful for TpT (Linky party!)

Since it is November - a month where we focus on what we're thankful for out loud to the world - I wanted to write about why I am so thankful to TpT.

I am quickly approaching one and a half years since I started my "Miss Giraffe" journey on this revolutionary website and it has been amazing. A lot of hard work and sleepness nights, but amazing.

I am unbelievably thankful that I can do something every day that I am so passionate about. The first thing I do in the morning before my eyes are even fully open is look at the TpT app and read the feedback that I've received from other teachers around the country/world. It makes my day every single morning. Although I make it a crazy amount of work for myself because I am a workaholic and a perfectionist, all my nights of staying up til 2 and 3 A.M. to finish something I'm excited about are worth it to me. I absolutely love creating. I love writing. I love sharing. I love knowing I can help children learn across the country, across the ocean. Who would have ever thought??

Some of the feedbacks and emails I've received on things that I've made - telling me how much something I created has helped their students or made their life easier - have completely rocked my world. I've easily teared up reading some of them to my husband. I know, I know, I'm a big sap, but I am still amazed by this community every single day and how we can help each other from all over the world. I'm a seller and a buyer and I have been so impressed with the quality things I get on TpT and how kind, welcoming, and helpful the community is. And I'll never forget the way I felt when I saw one of my products being used in a classroom in another part of the country for the first time on Positively Learning's blog. It was the first time I actually saw a picture of my work in a classroom full of kids I'd never met. It made it all feel so real and yeah yeah I cried :)

I love all of the connections I've made with absolutely wonderful people because of TpT. I'm just barely branching out onto social media but so far, I am loving the people I've "met" and also all the ones I really have met. :)


But what I am MOST thankful to TpT for...
is allowing me to be able to give back to the man who has done everything for me. I was just recently so blessed to be able to use my TpT earnings to buy my dad a new roof for his house. I am so, so thankful for this that it is hard to even put it into words.

My dad has been my best friend since the day I was born.

My dad letting me drive the boat! I can still hear my poor mom panicking in the background :) 

Just to give you a little history on my dad - my mom passed away when I was in elementary school and, despite being so heartbroken, he still made sure he was there for me every, single, day. He even sold his business that he loved so he could stay home and be there for me. He raised me as a single father and we were each other's rock. He is honestly the most amazing man and father I could've ever hoped for. I could go on and on but all you need to know is that he is my hero, plain and simple, and he absolutely deserves the honor.

He's desperately needed a new roof for years but he hasn't brought it up much because he's not one to ever ask for help. Plus he's disabled so it hasn't really been his top priority seeing as how his roof would need to be completely rebuilt. It needs to basically be torn off and built like a brand new roof, new plywood and everything... and roofers don't take credit cards so it has always been just out of the question financially. Plus, I don't think we realized how bad it was.

I definitely didn't.

I'm no stranger to a leaky roof. I remember, as a kid, always having buckets around the house in key spots ready to go for when it rained. We even had a kiddie pool we put on my bed for a particularly troublesome spot in my bedroom. Thankfully, we lived in sunny Arizona where it didn't rain often so it wasn't a big deal. Plus that was our old house. We moved to a new house (well, new to us - and a vast improvement!) when I was in elementary school and I actually didn't realize there was anything wrong with the roof... until the last big rain we had. My dad said huge chunks of the ceiling were falling off into some of the rooms. I was skeptical but I made the trek to my hometown to see the damage and was shocked! He wasn't exaggerating. He had to have a huge tarp put on his roof and, let me tell you, it was not pretty.

It was a disaster.

Arizona got uncharacteristically slammed with some heavy rainstorms recently and his roof finally gave in. Way more than the buckets he's had stationed in specific corners could handle. Despite his broken back and the fact that he uses a walker, he still tried to carry all of my childhood things out of my room (including my bed!!) to save them from all the water coming through the ceiling as it was raining. I really wish he hadn't done that but it just shows you what kind of man he is. Again, my hero.


I am so incredibly thankful to TpT and for everyone who has ever purchased from my store for allowing me to do this for him. He deserves it.

Thank you, Paul Edelman, for creating this opportunity for me and for so many others.
Thank you to every single person who has ever purchased one of my products or even just used the free ones.
Thank you to every single person who works for TpT that makes this website possible.
Thank you to every single person who buys and sells on TpT for making it the website that it is.
Thank you to every single person who has ever pinned one of my products on Pinterest.
Every single piece of the puzzle has helped me be able to do this for him and I am so thankful for all of you! And so is my dad.

I can't wait to see his new roof!!!

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I'd love to hear why you're thankful for TpT! It can be just one thing or it can be many things but I'd love to hear from you. This website is truly the best and I'd love to see others pay it a special tribute during this month of thankfulness.

Grab the graphic and link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up