Thanksgiving 2008

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone for another year. It's amazing to me that we spend so much time getting ready...Cooking, cleaning, etc and it's over with so quickly! However, I had SUCH a great time!

Thursday morning, my dad and I got up before daylight, got dressed and drove out and picked up Kimberly and Alexis. We then went to my dad's pasture and did what we call "hunting" but fear not, no animals are ever hurt...That's because we sit there and talk and laugh so much that no animal dare gets close. We don't even bring anything to "hunt with. Although, surprisingly enough, we did see a doe which thrilled Lexi. Once she had seen her deer, she was ready to come home. Kimberly and I have gone every year for as long as I can remember. The only year we didn't go was the year Lexi was born because she was so tiny so we chose to go out to breakfast instead. We just make sure we do something just to have some father/daughter time. Last year was Lexi's first year to join us and now it's tradition that she comes too.

Once our "hunt" was over, we all headed home to shower and get ready for the family to arrive. Once they did...It was nonstop action and tons of fun. I really can't help out a lot in the kitchen because so much is going on and me and my wheels can get in the way. I helped Kimberly set out the desserts and then sat in the kitchen and talked with everyone while lunch was getting ready. We really do have a lot of fun in the kitchen. Lunch was great! After lunch, most of us tend to float to different rooms chatting and telling stories, just catching up and then later in the afternoon we head outside for pictures....It's always entertaining trying to get Austin to stay still long enough to get his picture taken, but at least he was happy to be out there! Around dark the family headed home with the exception of my mom's younger brother, his wife and their two kids.

Friday morning, My mom, aunt, Kimberly, Lexi, (Austin stayed home with his Daddy this year...Believe me, he enjoyed it there much more than with us) Landon (my cousin) and I all piled in the van and headed for the woodlands (don't worry, we may be crazy enough to go shopping that particular day, but we're not up at 4 a.m. we headed out around 9:45 so we're only semi nuts). We had a productive day...Lots of Christmas shopping got done and we had a blast together! This was the first time in MANY years that Kimberly's been able to go with us, she previously worked at the Holiday House the Friday after Thanksgiving and now since it has closed she was free to come. It was so great to have her with us...I recently realized just how much I laugh when I'm around my sister. I laugh a lot anyway, but get us together and she cracks me up! She really is SO much fun and is so hysterical (I see things that probably only crack me up because I'm her sister). I think I enjoyed this year even more because she was with us.

On the way home we were already on the road when Kimberly thought about getting Lexi in her PJ's in case she fell asleep on the way home. She was already in what we like to call "the zone" where she's staring off into space right before falling asleep so we had to get creative so we could keep her awake long enough to get to a well lit parking lot so we could pull over and get her changed. So, my aunt Becca and Landon started singing Christmas songs until we could pull over. After that was done, instead of stopping, the singing just continued and included an absolutely hysterical version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Each one of us had a part and poor Mom NEVER got her part "six geese a'laying" right....What she came up with each time had us all laughing SO hard it was unbelievable. We were laughing so hard we were crying! And that was the thing we referred back to for the rest of the weekend and would laugh all over again every time. Needless to say, Lexi stayed awake the entire ride home and was totally wound up by the time we pulled in the driveway.

It was crazy around here but we love it. I realize I am one of the few who is blessed enough to have grown up being really close to my extended family. My aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and even great grandmothers...Some of them are gone now but I realize how rare that is to have known BOTH of my great grandmothers and to have one that is still here to celebrate with us. I definitely don't take it for granted and am SO thankful! It's memories like the ones we made this year that will be talked about for years to come!

I hope YOUR Thanksgiving was just as wonderful!

Screen Actors Guild Strike?

Well folks, it looks as if we're one step closer to an actors strike with SAG seeking a strike authorization vote. Read the latest HERE.

Adventures With A Five Year Old

Alexis spent the night with us tonight, as she does most Friday nights and as my mom and I were playing school with her earlier tonight (with my mom and I as her students) we were given the assignment to draw us when we had gone on some type of adventure (my guess is they are learning about adventures in her pre-k class). So, my mom and I got busy drawing our "adventures"...

My mom drew a picture of her and my dad at the zoo looking at a giraffe. Lexi didn't like that idea because "if you go to the zoo, you have to see more than one animal..." to which my mom quickly explained that they only got to see one animal because it started raining and they had to go home (My mom's amazing at coming up with this stuff at a moments notice...Must be all those years of teaching first graders). Lexi then thought for a second and then took my mom's picture and proceeded to draw black clouds and rain streaks all over the picture, then asked my mom if she wanted her (Lexi) to draw the car in the picture so she (my mom) wouldn't have to walk out to the parking lot and get wet...By this time my mom and I were rolling with laughter. Alexis however didn't think anything of it and proceeded to work my mom's picture into her own unique work of art!

What did I draw you ask? A picture of me standing outside in front of a sign that says, "Welcome to Sam Houston State University." Quite the adventure, indeed.

Sexiest Man Alive 2008 According to Me

Who cares what People Magazine says...This is Nat's World, and in Nat's World, he wins...Hands down.

If Today Was Your Last Day

This song says it all. Available on itunes and highly recommended. Lyrics and music by Nickelback.

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

Pray For L.A.

Please keep those that are being affected by the fires in L.A. in your prayers. And please pray for the firefighters as they continue to try and contain them and put them out. Thanks!

Tonight's Grey's...Personal Shout Out or Pure Coincidence?

Usually I blog about the show using the title of that episode. I guess it would be fitting to do so tonight since "These Ties That Bind" fit this blog as well, but tonight I'm going to deviate from my normal GA blog and kinda make it a personal GA blog all in one...

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear some of the lines said tonight were written as a personal shout out to me, and while I'm not naive enough to believe that that is actually the case, and I'm probably looking way too much into it, but there were times tonight that left me with tears in my eyes as the show crossed into my life in a way that was impossible to ignore.

"I'm trying to ascertain whether he's suicidal or just defeated." ~Derek Shepherd

"You have a story. We all have a story." ~Owen Hunt

"The ties that bind us are sometimes impossible to explain. They connect us even after it seems they should be broken. Some bonds defy distance, and time, and logic. Because some ties are simply meant to be." ~Meredith Grey

If you've read any of this blog before then you understand. If not, CLICK HERE and it'll be clear why this episode and the things above truly hit home for me.

A Good Day For Cooking...

I'm in a blogging mood today (as if you couldn't tell by the two blogs in one day...) The weather outside makes it a great day for cooking, or at least sticking a batch of cookies in the oven! Anyone that knows me knows I don't cook!

However, cooking is what we did at my house this past weekend. My mom, Kimberly, Alexis, Austin, and I had a cooking day all day Saturday and got ALL of our baked goodies done and ready for Thanksgiving! And baked extra for Christmas as well!

My job was, and always has been to break up the pecans for the various recipes. Sounds simple enough, but when cups of pecans are being used almost as fast as you can break them up, it's quite a challenge...And I don't even LIKE pecans!

At one point early in the day, my mom took Austin with her to the store, Alexis had gone somewhere with my dad and it was just Kimberly and myself....So, what do we do? Crank out the Christmas music of course! Kimberly fished out my all time favorite Christmas album (Celine Dion's "These Are The Special Times") and we put it in the cd player in the kitchen and cranked up the volume....Hey, ya gotta hear it over the mixer! I'm sure our neighbors appreciated that...Did I mention our kitchen window was open?! Yep! Get the two of us together for a bit, and there's no tellin' what'll happen Fun times!

One moment that has stuck with me since is a moment that happened just as we were finishing up for the day. We still had the music cranked up (only now it was turned to the local radio station) and "Elvira" by The Oak Ridge Boys came on. We LOOOVE that song! Alexis especially gets into it and if you've ever heard my dad chime in, you know why it makes us laugh!

So, as the song played, we ALL go into it and started dancing around the kitchen! My mom and Lexi doing spins together, Austin squealing and laughing doing his own version of dancing until he eventually got my mom to pick him up and he was able to join her and Lexi...My sister and I were singing and clapping, and my dad joined in from out in the garage where he could hear the music from our kitchen window and that alone left us laughing hysterically!

It was so much fun! We were tired, we were full, and we were sure we would probably go into a sugar coma that night, but wow....What memories!

Rainy Days

We're getting some much needed rain here this week. It rained most of the day yesterday and today. It's dreary and blah outside and if you didn't know any better, you'd think it was in the forties. Ahhh...Fall weather.

Days like these always bring back memories of college. I never watched the weather more than when I was in college because rain in the forecast always played a role in what I wore the next day....Would I go super casual because I'd be getting wet? Or would I chance that that forty percent chance of rain wouldn't shoot to sixty percent later on after it was too late to change?

I'm reminded of the times I would be forced to skip class because the rain was just too much or because lightning and an electric scooter just simply don't mix. Or the times I would simply have to suck it up and go because it was test day and would spend the time in class taking my test soaking wet, wondering why the floodgates of Heaven had to open on that day of all days! And then of course, the times I would already be in class and would suddenly hear the rain pounding on the roof and would know that I'd probably be stuck for a good hour after class was over in that building waiting for the rain to slacken up enough for me to make it to my dorm without getting totally drenched.

I appreciate the rain more now than I did then. It's day's like this that I see the rain coming down and find myself thinking, "Thank God I'm not out in this trying to get to class!"

Speaking of rain...You can stay dry and not even have to leave your computer when you vote Patrick! So, I ask you.... Have you voted today? If not, go now...Before you move on to something else and forget! Thanks!

Vote For Patrick!

I don't have to tell you how much Patrick I like Patrick Dempsey. It's all over this blog. I also don't have to tell you why he means so much to me...That is also all over this blog. So, I'm asking you now to vote for him as he is a nominee in the 2009 People's Choice Awards.

It takes less than five minutes. All you have to do is:

1) Go to http://www.pcavote.com/pca/
2) Click "Vote Now"
3) Scroll down where you will see a list of the categories
4) Under the t.v. category click "Favorite Male T.V. Star"
5) Click Patrick's picture
6) Submit your vote

There are SEVERAL categories with SEVERAL actors/actresses. You can vote in as many categories or as few as you like.

You can vote EVERY DAY! So I ask you to please do this. Even if you are not a t.v. watcher, then go cast your vote for Patrick as a favor to me!

I'd love it of you'd leave a comment for me telling me if you'll help Patrick win! Thanks!

Random Acts of Kindness

Just read this article and thought I'd share! The simplest things can make someone else's day!

Random Acts of Kindness

GA Thoughts: "Rise Up"

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't been blogging recently about Grey's Anatomy episodes. One reason being is that I didn't think anyone read them or was remotely interested in what I thought so I thought that if I was blogging about them simply for my own reasons, I could do that in my other journal...the one that I actually hand write stuff in so that's what I've been doing. Of course, I talk about it with friends that are GA fans, but I'm trying to keep my GA thoughts to a minimum because I realize not everyone that reads this blog is a viewer and could care less.

That being said, a long time friend of mine told me this past weekend that she DID read my GA blogs and enjoyed them. I've decided to resume blogging about the show every week but will only comment on what I thought the highlights were, instead of trying to touch on every storyline. They'll most likely be short and sweet but I hope you enjoy them and I appreciate you reading and commenting if you so choose. So, Juli...This blog's for you!

* Derek and Bailey---I ADORE ANY scene they have together! Therefore, I REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoyed tonight! LOVE their friendship! Best part of the show tonight! Loved it!

* ROTFLMBO that Richard was the voice of the talking fake patient! Kudos to what he said to George at the end of the show.

* Love Lexie...Plain and simple. Love her.

* Miss my MerDer but at least we got a peck on the cheek at the end tonight.

* Was never really into the Denny/Izzie storyline (I know, I'm the only one on the planet) but enjoyed seeing him tonight. I was wondering if he was ever going to talk...Next week's seems to carry over with Iz putting that to rest.

* Loved that Mer acknowledged that she saw Ellis, Dylan, & Denny when she was "dead."

*Speaking of Dylan...Can we bring him back? He holds a special for me as he was on the first episode of GA that I ever watched..."It's the End of The World" season two. If Denny can come back I think Dylan can too...Although, I realize Kyle Chandler is busy with Friday Night Lights (LOVE that show) but he made time for an appearance as dead Dylan in "Some Kind of Miracle" I bet he'd do it again...Just throwing that out there...

* Good music tonight.

* Interesting final scene for Brooke Smith as Hahn. Didn't care for the character but feel bad for Brooke Smith. Best wishes to her.

And, that's all I have tonight, folks. Thanks for reading!

Hope

"While we breathe, we hope." ~President-Elect Barack Obama.~

As I sat and listened to his victory speech last night, it was that line that struck me and that is still with me this morning. I love it!

We hope. Yes, we do. We should be filled with hope because the alternative.....The alternative can't be an option.

My hope is in Christ. He's on the Throne, He's in control, and He has a plan. A plan FILLED with hope!

We breathe. We hope. We believe. We trust Him to lead us and our next president to GREAT places!

I pray YOU are full of hope today!

PSA From Yours Truly

Those of you that know anything about me, or have read even just a few posts on this blog know how firmly I believe that one person can make all the difference. Your voice matters!

That being said, I ask that all of you get out and vote on November 4th if you have not already participated in early voting.

Thanks, and God bless America!

Smitty Does it Again!

Michael W. Smith's most recent album entitled, "A New Hallelujah" came out this past week. I immediately downloaded the entire album from itunes. A definite must have! If you can't afford the entire album right now but can splurge on at least one song, I highly recommend "Deep in Love With You." until you can afford the rest! ;) It's an incredible album, you will definitely be blessed by what you hear.

And hey, the holidays are just around the corner....This would make a GREAT Christmas gift for anyone! Just throwing the idea out there. ;)