Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Days of Thanks IV

November is winding down. 
It snowed last weekend. 
My Christmas tree is up - right beside my Thanksgiving centerpiece. 
Transitions take time. 

The final installment of Days of Thanks:

November 22: I am thankful for the opportunity to eat entirely too much food with a family I adore. There is always enough for everyone, complete with leftovers to share. From two to eighty-two years, we don't go hungry. My heart breaks thinking about the folks that do. 

November 23: I am thankful for white Christmas lights. It seems silly, but there is a certain tranquility that comes with sitting in a room lit by the Christmas tree lights. And, to quote my friend Brady, "Is there a better feeling than untangling a ball of Christmas lights and all of them coming on? Doubtful."

November 24: I am thankful for Pricilla the Greens Fork postmaster. She is pleasant, happy and helpful. Without fail, she sincerely thanks me for the business. She also asks if Dixie has settled down at all. Now, if we could clone Pricilla and send her to the BMV, I wouldn't walk the line of expired plates. 

November 25: I am thankful that this blog gives me the opportunity to connect with folks I've never met. Thank you for reading. 

November 26: I am thankful for the people I found in Washington, DC. They are coworkers and strangers that turned into family. We explored, we worked late nights, we discussed, we worried, we celebrated, we camped, we cried and we kept a few social establishments in business. Most of all, we lived

November 27: I am thankful for the patient crew who collects the garbage on Maple Street. These men have seen me at my worst - like, really bad. And they never take the time to say things like, "Forget again?" or "You would have thought you'd have a schedule down by now" or "Rough night?". They both just stand there, watching me run down the frosted, broken steps, trying to corral Dixie in my bathrobe. I am thankful for these good, unassuming men. 

November 28: I am thankful for Chrissie Cartmell. In a world of crazy schedules, transitions and change, Chrissie is - without fail - the first Christmas I card I receive annually. It just isn't the holidays until I get that envelope with the sloppy (sorry, Cartmell) handwriting scribbled across the front. She kicks off my holidays - starting in November! 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Days of Thanks III

Can you believe it is the week of Thanksgiving? 

Days of Thanks continues....

November 15: I'm thankful for the dreadful deer heads a co-worker hung in my office. They're terrible to look at daily (prior experience with deer has scarred me for life - future blog), but I have never seen Ronny, the disgusting, annoying, rude phonebook salesman move out of my office so quickly as he did upon seeing these three. 


Thanks, Donner, Dasher and Creepy!



November 16: Today I'm thankful for Pinterest. If not for Pinterest, I never would have thought to turn a raggedy t-shirt into a 3,000 sq. ft. tent. I never would have known that there are 627 ways to use an old Q-tip. I sincerely did not realize there were over 7,000 two-ingredient meals, 14 calories or less!! ..... Spare me. 

November 17: Today I'm thankful for a wonderful dinner at Dusty's Cellar in Michigan. Not a main-stream dining experience, Cody and I both searched the menu for a while before finding something that didn't include duck pâté, or other French words, for that matter. After a long day of college football we both chose something more...American:  



Beef.



November 18: Today I'm thankful for Rachel Walter Online Wedding Boutique. I don't know Rachel, but today in the mail a beautiful, "Just Engaged" ornament arrived on my doorstep. It has Cody and I's names and our engagement date on the back. Her business card was included, and nothing else. Thank you, Rachel, for your artistic hand. And to whoever sent this to Greens Fork, thank you from the bottom of our happy hearts. We are grateful for this keepsake!



November 19: Today I'm thankful for the most amazing sunrise I've ever seen in my life. This view only lasted about two minutes; I have never seen anything like. I'm still sick that I didn't have a real camera in hand. 



November 20: Today I'm thankful that I survived a trip to Meijer just two days before Thanksgiving. I'm serious. I've seen people lose mental stability and all ambition after experiencing what I just did. One minute you're doing fine in the egg nog section, next thing you know you're on your knees begging the bag boy to tell you where the maraschino cherries live. I'm lucky, really. 

November 21: Today I'm thankful that today is more like Friday! 

I hope each of you can spend Thanksgiving with the ones you love. I also hope that when the meal is over, the Tupperware fairies are in your favor and every lid matches.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Days of Thanks II

Days of Thanks continues this week, as Thanksgiving nears and November days grow shorter! 

November 8th: I am thankful for good neighbors. Whether they save me from their crazy old goat (true story), lend me two eggs after I just returned from the grocery (true story) or call me to report that Dixie is running rampant through town dragging her chain and metal stake (true story), they're all pretty great.  

November 9th: I am thankful for a niece and nephew who are excited to be a part of Cody and I's wedding day. Well, Harrison (19 mos.) has no idea what all the hype is about, but Marlee (3) already has an orange dress laid out and three headbands that she'd like to rotate though out the day. In the words of my sister, "Marlee may be the bridezilla out of this whole deal...."

November 10th: I am thankful for the ability to watch episodes of Seinfeld decades later and find the show 15 times more entertaining than I did in '92. 

November 11th: I am thankful for the strange familiarity I find in green wood shavings and organ music. The North American International Livestock Exposition will forever bring roan memories, long laughs and headaches to mind. 

November 12th:  I am thankful for safe travels. My commute to work only last 12 minutes, but 2 times a day I pass 5 make-shift memorials for folks who didn't make it home. On August 8th I was broadsided, spun twice in to oncoming traffic and planted in a ditch. My car was totaled but the only bruise I had was from the paramedics' IV needle. I am thankful that I still have the opportunity to pass that intersection twice daily and arrive safely at home or work. 

November 13th: I am thankful for the lady at the Ivy Tech committee breakfast this morning who, after looking at my breakfast plate, told me, "Don't worry honey, donut holes have 0 calories. They are, after all, just a hole." I don't know her, but I like her. 

November 14th: I am thankful for SIRIUS channel 4, which plays traditional Christmas music nonstop from now until December 31. I won't listen to this every day (until after Thanksgiving), but there is a certain peace that comes to my heart when I hear Silent Night. Even if my silent nights are often interrupted by midnight trains. Or the neighbor kid's thumping bass. Or the occasional rooster. Sigh. 

What are you thankful for this week?

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Days of Thanks

On Facebook I've seen several people post things they're thankful for daily. 

This is awesome. 

I've enjoyed reading the notes and learning more about each friend. I wish more people, self included, could step back and give thanks during busy days rather than only in November. 

I'm not good about keeping daily routines (have you read my diet blog?), but I'm pretty consistent on Wednesday mornings. This Wednesday I'd like to catch up on a few things I've found myself giving thanks for in the last week - 

November 1: I'm thankful that Halloween is over and the children of Greens Fork spared me some Laffy Taffy for my 2:00 PM snack break. 
And my 10:00 AM break. 
And the 5:30 PM drive home. 
I am also thankful for a great dentist. 

November 2: I'm thankful for coworkers who are always willing to help, without even  without being asked. Out of the office until 3:00 this afternoon, I returned to find a team of helpers sorting 400 jackets to be distributed in Indiana and Ohio.  Now, if you all are that good at sorting clothes, I invite you to Jean's Boots Headquarters where you can test your skill on the mountain on laundry I've built at the bottom of my basement steps. Snacks provided. Thank you. 

November 3: I'm thankful for a family who recognizes and supports my passions. My Aunt Cheryl encouraged me to enter a photography contest in Ohio where I won second place with "Wired in Wyoming". I would not have had the opportunity to showcase my art in Momma's old hometown if Aunt Cheryl hadn't thought of me and my Nikon. I might mention here that I got beat by a portrait of a dog sitting on a couch. I'm not bitter, I just wanted you all to know....a dog, on a couch. 




November 4: I'm thankful for the stranger whom I have flown past on Bond Rd. at approximately 7:25 AM every other day. He drives about 22 mph, I do not. He always recognizes my Ford grill in his rearview and pulls over to the ditch and waves me around. Frustrated at his speed, I have always  wondered why he drives so slow. Today I actually met Mr. D.; he came to help Momma and I feed 14 round bales of hay. I'll admit, I was a bit embarrassed to shake his hand. He didn't have much to say, Momma said he never does, but he was great help. And as I was boot-scootin' around the farm trying to get my work done, he waved me down and told me I had a flat tire on the Mule. A really flat tire. Then he helped me fire up the bigger-than-my-car air compressor and fill the tire so I could go about my chores. Today I am thankful for Mr. D and his willingness to help two gals, and for teaching one to simply take time. 

November 5: I'm thankful for healthy, active parents. Dad was on a cow-cation with Luke for a full week while Momma and I played "Real Ranch Women of America" for 7 days. Can I just say, if I am in as good as shape as Linda Bowman is when I'm 59, I will be one happy woman, celebrating with wine. Right after I catch my breath. And then mingle with 2-year-old bulls. 

November 6: I am thankful for the right to vote for our country's next leader. 

November 7: I am thankful for Cody and the future we have together! I could say something cliche like, "God blessed the broken road" - but our roads haven't been broken. They've been exciting, and winding, with hills that cross state lines and borders. I'm thankful that we'll be planning the rest of the "trip" together - and what a ride that will be!



What are you thankful for today?