What Are You Thankful For?

It's cold and rainy outside... I love this weather! Whenever it's like this I get a little introspective, so I thought I'd do one of those lists. What am I thankful for this year?

1. I am surrounded by people who love me, even though I am a total dork.

2. Music! Music feeds the soul. It can also soothe the soul.

3. Employment. Even better, I love what I do. Being a geek is pretty natural territory for me.

4. Snuggling with Madison. I know soon enough she won't want to anymore.

5. Jim Halpert. Seriously, I'm soooooo thankful for Jim Halpert.

6. The lack of television in my life. One whole hour of television every week is perfect. I have so much time to do other things!

7. My Wii. I cannot tell you how much I love killing Zombies on my Wii. It's total therapy. For those of you born in the 70's - did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams that video games would be like this?

8. My cell phone. I would be so, so very lost without it. I am connected!

9. Road trips. I've gotten to get out on quite a few this year, it's a habit I plan to continue next year. Being on road adventures is one of my favorite things ever... and I enjoy taking you all with me when I can!

10. Moments of Zen. I usually get this every night when I get my workout in. Sometimes it's a girl's night out, sometimes it's just shopping by myself. They're very important, and I appreciate them.

A Few Vacation Days

I'm off from work until Monday, and I'm just realizing I have 5 whole days off. What can I accomplish in the next few days? A lot of errands and prep tomorrow, Thanksgiving and football (Go Cowboys!) at our house on Thursday, and then... I'm open. Sweet. I know I'll still be lurking around here!

Are you traveling this holiday? Are you having to work? How will you celebrate Thanksgiving this year?

If you're traveling... be safe.

Weekend Update

It has been a 5-day weekend for me, and quite the eventful one. Thanksgiving day 2007 is already only a memory... we had 13 people total and everyone left needing to loosen their belts just a little, so it was a success! The Cowboys trampled the Jets, bonus!

My sister Toni and I braved Black Friday, and honestly, it wasn't so black. Busy, yes. Lines, definitely. We'd expected much worse. We came, we saw, we spent. Toys R Us was the craziest we saw, and it wasn't all that bad. Mind you, we didn't brave the elements and the craziness by going out at 5am. Which is probably why the one big-ticket item I'd hoped for, a Nintendo Wii, is still out of my reach. No biggie. It'll be mine, all in good time. Oh yes, it will be mine.

Saturday we took Madison to see Bee Movie with Toni and her family. That was a very cute movie, and it actually kept my 3-year-old's attention. That says a lot! The in-laws came over Saturday night for pizza, and by bedtime Madison was passed out.

Today we got the Christmas decorating started. The tree is up, but not adorned with beautiful things yet. The bonus to a tree that comes with lights is obvious. The disadvantage is when a string of lights doesn't light up when you plug it in. Is it one bulb or several? It's much easier when you can string them on the floor to troubleshoot. However, the lights are up on the house! Here's a picture:

We have an 8-foot snowman for the yard, but considering the huge size of the front yard (dripping with sarcasm here), we're having some issues figuring out where to put it.

Tomorrow it's back to work... I hope you all had a good, long weekend. Did anyone brave Black Friday like myself? Did you do the wee-hours shopping? Did you find what you were looking for?

What's on Your Menu?

I can't believe that tomorrow is already Thanksgiving Day. It feels like it was just March... where has this year gone?

I took the day off today for dinner prep and some extra time to hang out with Madison. We ran a bunch of errands, visited a new local bookstore just for kids called The Neverending Story(http://www.theneverendingstory.biz/), and got some cooking done. We really enjoyed the bookstore this morning, it really is all about kids and the book selection was fantastic. There's storytelling each Wednesday morning and an area to sit and read on your own.

We'll have 16 people in the house tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner - family and a few friends. Everyone is showing up around 1ish (just in time to watch Dallas play the Jets). We are a very informal family - we'll all find a place to park it in the living room with our loaded plates to cheer (or curse) the Cowboys. We're having a turkey and a ham, along with all the traditions - stuffing, potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, etc. I don't have it so bad on the cooking end - everyone is bringing a dish so I'm only cooking the turkey, stuffing and an artichoke dip (I cheated and ordered the ham). In looking at the menu this afternoon, everyone had better wear their elastic pants.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? What's on the menu, and who are you spending the day with?

I am sending you all wishes for a warm, safe Thanksgiving - and full bellies!

Wanna Bet?

Anyone who visits here knows I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan... Well, my Dad is a Greenbay Packers fan. (I know, I ask the same question all the time... "But why?")

Anyway - Dallas and Green Bay are going to battle on Thanksgiving Day, and Dad is already talking smack with me. Yes, they're both 8-1 as of this week, both are 1st in their Division. It could be a different story by Turkey Day, as they both still have a game this week. So Dad wants to put a little wager on the game - something interesting and not monetary. I already laid one out on the table that I'll divulge later, but I want to put this out to my friends in blogland... Got any good ideas for a Thanksgiving Day football wager? Keep in mind it is my Dad.

All I can say is - Dallas is having some cheese for Thanksgiving dinner! Heh!