Thanksgiving Day

I ate Thanksgiving dinner the Dicks, my adopted family. It was a gorgeous day and tables were set up outside. There were 18 people there, 13 adults and 5 children, and food for 3 times as many as that. Somehow I missed getting pictures of the feast. It was varied and plentiful. I took a large pan of squash casserole but it was not my best :0(
Landon and Logan did not get to dress up for Halloween so they came to Thanksgiving dinner as turkeys. (Gives new meaning to that silly saying, "I could just eat you up!") Doesn't this last picture look like a father and son that love each other? God bless this wonderful family for including me!

Thanksgiving Week

This was an unusual Thanksgiving because mom was not in Vero. She had just returned from a trip of a lifetime to Italy and she was having Thanksgiving with sister in law, Nan, and niece, Erin. My brother Terry had already left for Madison, WI, and his new job there.

I knocked a few more days off my unused vacation by taking the Monday - Wednesday before the office was closed on Thursday and Friday. I had one major project, a real "must complete," as I had to move all the breakables off the furniture. That's all my ceramic vegetables, salt and pepper shakers and dishes. And, let's not forget the living room and the the storage cabinet built underneath the bar. Where was it all going to go? I put together a shelf and stuffed it with as much as would fit. A few times it felt like things were growing back in place of the everything I removed. I stood my bed up against the wall. We ended up putting the dining room table in there as well and then inverting end tables on top of that. Although everything was not perfectly organized, I was ready for tile installation to begin on December 1.

My Thanksgiving was special because of friends and family. I was able to help one of my babysitting moms get ready for a big family dinner by helping her prepare twice baked potatoes and green bean casserole. Her four year old boy eagerly helped to clean the toilets with cleaner that turned the water blue.

I dog sat the Wednesday before through the Friday after Thanksgiving for Lucy, a very sweet basset-schnauzer mix. And because I know you are wondering what that combination looks like, here are pictures:

I finally met the triplets

One of the my coworkers has triplet neice and nephews. I have repeatedly volunteered to go with her on a Saturday night to help baby-sit but it has never worked out. They go to bed early and with very little effort and my coworker already has other family members helping her. So, while I understand, I still wanted to spend time with them.

They came to church on November 16. I stayed in the nursery during church. (Think about it: one family adds 3 children) It was Pancake Sunday. The kids were great even though it was obviously their naptime (that explains the blank stares.)

Logan and Landon Day

I was warned that I had 21 (yes, twenty-one) days of vacation to use or lose before the end of the year. I took a Thursday and Friday to get some things done around the house and then the next Friday to provide childcare for Landon and Logan. That was a fun day. It's amazing to see how the boys have grown in the past six weeks.

Of course, the boys napped while I was there. Logan preferred to sleep on the carpet. He repeatedly rolled off his mat.

Favorites

I wanted to share a few of my favorite you tube videos. I get all my exposure to youtube from two sources: 1) cuteoverload.com and my email inbox. I'll do a special edition of boxhab and baroo faves later.

funniest kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI42LSbwc8E

coolest cat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGOlEizUUs

coolest(?) dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUL0KCIc48

talking cats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPqkgZHH9bM

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3U0udLH974

Well, really,there's probably many more videos on you tube that I would enjoy but you know how stuff like that can suck the time out of you. While finding the links for these videos, I was reunited with another amazing favorite: Nora, the Piano Playing Cat.

introduction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM

sequal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0zgQAp7EYw

treqeul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmdnA2LbRo0

Where have you been?

I have been to Ridgecrest, North Carolina, with 34 senior adults. It was good trip. I made new friends and saw beautiful scenery. I got out of my routine. I love routine, so I am usually reluctant to break out of it. And then, afterwards, I am usually glad I did. We drove up in a luxurious Travel Lynx bus and my room mate was Miss Evelyn, 87 years old. When we arrived at Ridgecrest, Evelyn and I were joined by Miss Audrey, so our room was the only one with three occupants. I didn't mind. All three of us snore and get up multiple times in the night. The schedule mainly consisted of driving up, eating and conferences, sightseeing, sleeping and driving back. A great deal of eating...full meals at 7 AM, 11:30 AM and 5:30 PM. The evening preachers were my favorite: Ted Traylor, Sr Pastor at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola and Junior Hill, the evangelist. I went to two conferences: Fun and Games for Everyone (hoping I could get some ideas for Joy Fellowship) and another conference on humor. The speaker played a song complete with mistakes (like Victor Borge) and told us the name of the song was "I'll Meet You in the Rock Quarry Where I'll be a Little Boulder." BAHAHAHAHA! I took my computer but the only internet available was in the lobby so I didn't spend much time there. When I did take the time to shoot off an email, it didn't go so I didn't try again. I wish I had brought my cross stitch or something to read but the activities were just spread out enough that it made immersing yourself in a project difficult. We spent Wednesday and Thursday afternoons touring the countryside on our bus. We went to Billy Graham Cove and Conference Center, the Grove Park Inn, the Montreat College Campus and Downtown Black Mountain. The colors were so beautiful. My camera could not do it justice. The weather was very cool, which actually pushed the leaf color while we were there, but it did not rain until the day we left - and then it rained all the way home.

I enjoyed getting to know my senior adults better. I enjoyed having time to reflect on the spritiual truths so elequently spoken. I loved the gorgeous colors of the changing leaves. Perhaps I will not be so reluctant to leave my routine next time.

What's it worth to you?

There is one gas station in our area that hits a low price seemingly before anyone else in the area. Gas prices, as everyone knows are going down. Still, I never thought I'd ever see $2.99/gallon again. I grabbed gas at $3.59 only to have it hit $3.29 before I had used 1/4 of a tank. I took this picture when gas stations on the main roads through town were still charging $3.29.

So, Saturday morning when my gas light went on, I checked the price at the same gas station. It was 2.79! This gas station is small and cars were lined up 2 and 3 deep at each pump. Now, I ask you, is a 30 minute wait worth it for $1.30? Is it worth a 20 minute wait? I decided a long time ago that I would not drive around the block searching for a lower price (and sometimes find a higher one!) I have to admit, I was not up for the frustration of this tiny gas station this morning. I drive on down the road and paid $2.92.

Yes, with a little patience, I can buy gas for $2.79 a gallon. Unless the Lord decides to come back before then, I'll be working until I'm 90 (because my retirement is gone) but, hallelujah, right now gas can be bought for $2.79! Is that what you call seeing the tank as half full instead of half empty?