Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun however I ate way too much and drank a bit too much wine, but we had a blast!

I always love having it at mom's as it reminds me of when I was a child and we all gathered there every year. We followed the brine recipe my sister had linked on her blog, little did she know it...as well as the sweet potato recipe she shared with me a couple years or so ago. Yep, I guess we'll take the credit since we did do the work. After the fun is gone and the food coma has worn off, I admit I realize just how much work Thanksgiving is. I wonder what it was like before there were ovens and turkey timers and all that neat stuff we get to use now. I commend those from days past and am humbled by my laziness and ease to complain.

I am thankful for all that I have, can share, and for those that will allow me to love them. For I do not know where I will be come the next one. By the sounds of it you all too had a happy Thanksgiving. How can you go wrong with food, friends, and family?

Opportunities Upcoming & Thanksgiving

Charlie interviewed for a job in Wisconisin, Enzymatics. This company is buying out his current employer, Nature's Way. They were highly interested in him however if they took him for the job they had listed he would not be able to help out the move from the company he is working now to relocate the machinery to their plant. So he will be working a temporary assignment in Wisconsin starting April that could last about 6 months. We will be given the opportunity to go out and visit him up to 4 times. While this makes me hesitant, it is exciting to stir things up a bit as far as the mundane day to day operations. He will be helping move and set up the production line machinery, a job that I think they've underestimated how long it would take him to complete. The best part about all this is he gets a nice sized bonus for doing it on top of his salary. We are excited to finally check off that debt snowball from our list! One year from now will be intersting to see how much closer we are.

Disneyland was moved to March to avoid running into the plans for this so we've vamped up our savings plan. It is a long ways away but before we know it it will be here. This year as all the years past went by fast. I can't believe Thanksgiving is already next week. So I am thankful that even if he does lose his job after this project ends in a year, that we will be able to make it without his full salary and live off of mine if we need to. What a blessing that we have encountered to prepare for the inevitable. Many folks at my job are fighting tooth and nail to make ends meet and were not given any warning so we are blessed.

Thankful

As I am thinking of Thanksgiving and the things I am grateful for, I want to say that at the moment I am especially thankful for my daughter. She brings so much joy and laughter to our house. Even when my family and I are not having the best of times she always lightens the mood and reminds me to focus on the positive instead of the negative.

This morning Savannah was on her cell phone talking with her "boss". I asked her where does she work and she said, "Coccoon Island. I make presents and pack boxes."

Last week she said, "Arctic Circle is too hard to say, why don't they change the name?"

Yesterday we went to a wedding reception. She was so fascinated with the bride she could not take her eyes off her. She got enough nerve to accept the help of my friend, Sharla, to ask the bride if she could keep one of the roses in the vase at the table. Savannah loves roses.

Then it was the cake. She wanted to see it close up, so we did and it was one of those fancy ones you see on Cake Boss, the show that Savannah and I love to watch. It had edible pearls and lace on it. (That girl is going to be a cake decorator one day!)

Then she asked the bride if she could see her glass slippers under her dress. Turns out the bride does what we all do to keep comfy. Her jammies and bath slippers were under there!

She then asked the bride if she could see her unwrap the presents and the bride told her they wouldn't be doing it until after the party. Then Savannah asked her if she could come over the next day to see what all she got.
It was so cute!

Interestingly enough...

Jake has had the swine flu for the past week, and now Savannah has it.

We had a great time in St. George, but you get what you pay for. Free 2 night stay for seeing a presentation for time shares is just that. A dump. But we had a good time nonetheless. Thriller was a lot of fun. They did a tribute to Michael Jackson that brought tears to my eyes and worked a fun skit called "Dem Bone's" with a black light and skeleton costumes.

I am looking forward to Thanksigiving with mom this year and a nice family Christmas...now as long as no one is sick that is!

Please pray for Michael. I am not sure where he is or what he is doing but he left on his own accord. I hope he will someday realize he has the potential to be someone extraordinary.