I was chatting with the girls last night, and got to read a couple of stories to them. Im grateful for facetime. Coco looked like a Fancy Nancy/Kirsten the American Girl hybrid. I asked her to take a picture and send it to me. I sure love those cute girlies💕

Lana also sent a cute picture today! Love it! 

Tonight I went to book club at Michelle’s. We had a fun evening, she made a yummy stew and the book was good!

Next month its my turn to host.

November is almost over. With its close my month of no complaints will be ending as well…not that I’ve been saving up a huge list or anything but I will say that this is me heading to work on the cold, dark, mornings of late No-complaint-vember. (I happily acclimated to our “brutal” Orlando winters and acclimating back to winter is proving a little challenging.)

 Its not snowing in MD but the winter weather is here and I am not accustomed to it. 

This one is though and he’s a nice little bed heater.

Months end

Sawyer is getting to the part of school where he is looking for an internship. I really want him to get one in MD. It would be so fun to have them stay with us and to enjoy being full time grandparents!

Yesterday was the ohio state vs michigan game. Michigan won. Pete came over and the four men watched together. I made food for them and then did some reading.

Ethan and the Browns cutting down their Christmas tree.

Football food.

 Ryan and E watched the game together. 

Last night was Rob Buff’a funeral. I went and helped out where I could. It was sad, that little family has a hard road ahead of them.

Today its cold and the heater was off in the building. Its our last day of break. 

Post turkey coma

Today we headed over to Historic St Marys City to take an afternoon stroll. The weather was perfect and it was home and hearth weekend to boot.

It was a lovely afternoon. We toured the Dove, watched some archeologists work, visited the Wicomoco hamlet, and enjoyed some colonial cooking demonstrations which made us feel grateful for hot and cold running water, wifi, grocery stores and shoes with arch support.

The other item on our agenda was an evening at the Kennedy Center. We went to watch the Celtic Women Christmas concert. It was really great. I enjoyed it very much!

 

Lol

Turkey day

We did our own little turkey trot to the mailbox.

Lots of delicious food!

Weve been having a nice visit. Weve been enjoying pleasant weather, eating yummy food, watching TV& spending time together.

 Bonus picture of Ruby at the Ft Worth Zoo! So fun. We spent a lot of time at the zoo when we lived in TX, its fun that the girls got to see it.

Tuesday

 I am grateful that Rob's alarm went off this morning. My phone died during the night.  It's completely black and no matter what I do I can't get it to even flicker. I guess I'll be going to Verizon to have them look at it after work. I will be very grateful if they can fix it. I wasn't late to work though; we get up pretty close to the same time.  I sent my alarm for 6:10 and his goes off while I'm in the shower a little later.  I wasn't late to work even though I was late to wake up.  I plan a buffer.  School starts at 8am.  Teachers have to be at work at 7:30, subs 7:45. I usually get here at 7:30. I like to get settled and read the plans and use the bathroom before the day starts.  So, there is a window, and my morning would have to go really wrong for me to be late.  

I'm in geometry today, no one is working.  A sub and the day before break?  It's fine though. If they are in their seats pretending to work, I'm fine. 

Yesterday we got ready for Nana, Abba, and UB to arrive.  We are looking forward to visiting with them for a few days.  I have all the groceries bought, the sheets are clean, and the bathrooms are tidied.  

Everyone's thanksgiving plans:

We will eat turkey, maybe take a walk, probably watch TV. 

Brandts are going to Tyler's house with some of Greg's family. Dani is on call but Tyler lives near the hospital.  Hopefully she will be able to enjoy a lot of the day with the fam.  Ethan is going with them.

Sierra and Chris are celebrating with Chris' family.

The Johnson's are in TX, Whitney lives there with her family. I am sure they will have a great time!

The Crawley are celebrating by themselves. 

Grace is flying to CO with her boyfriend, Braden. 

I'm also grateful that this year we will all be able to celebrate Christmas together.  

I have a RS presidency meeting tonight. We had a dad in our ward pass away this last weekend and his funeral will be Saturday night. It's a tough situation, he left a young family behind, but not alone. That's the good news of the gospel, no one has to be alone in their grief or trials because Jesus is always there for them. 

Bittersweet

Life is all about the bitter and the sweet. But this month is my gratitude month so Im going to focus on the sweet. Although to be fair I am grateful for the bitter otherwise we wouldnt recognize the sweet. 

Anyway I am grateful for missionaries. I love working with them in my role as RS counselor. We have elders and sisters in our ward and its fun to get to know both and to help them however I can. 

Last night we had all 5, plus  Katherine and Pete over for dinner. After the missionaries left we played wolf pack, it was a nice evening.

Rob and Taco put up our Christmas lights. Good job!

 Im enjoying a lot of reading time. One silver lining to having to push off a couple classes until January.

I am very grateful that even in the middle of lifes trials we can find peace.

 what am a grateful for?

I am grateful for my children, somehow they are always the top of the list. 

I am grateful that it's Friday.  We don't have any exciting plans for the weekend but it will still be nice.

I am grateful that Rob builds a cozy fire, and that we have a heater.  It's cold at night.

I am grateful for podcasts to listen to while I drive. 

I am grateful for good parents.  They worked hard and gave us kids a good life. They are loving grandparents to my children too, which is a blessing.

I am grateful for facetime and airplane tickets.

I am grateful for the friends I have made, in childhood and adulthood and in all the places I've lived.

I am grateful that I get to go to school at this point in my life. I enjoy my classes and look forward to getting to work.

I am grateful for the many interventions that Ezra is getting. I am grateful that Hannah and Sawyer have each other to lean on and that Tami and Brian are involved grandparents. 

I am grateful for Tatum, Penny, and Marshall.  They are wonderful kids.  Smart and kind.  I am so grateful that Dani and Greg are awesome parents and that they have a happy family.

I am grateful for Coco, Ruby and Darcy, the cutest little redheads in the world. They are so funny and smart and I love that they are precocious. I am grateful for Jenna and Clayton who are intentional and present.  They are wonderful parents as well. 

I am grateful for little Lana and Ezzie.  They are so cute. I look at these girls of mine and the mothers that they are and I am amazed at the good job they are doing. Growing up in a divorced family/blended family is really hard. I wanted to do a really great job but there are lots of things I wish I had done better.  Despite those challenges they are amazing. I am grateful that I get to be involved. I remember the love I felt from my grandparents and I very much want my grands to feel that. I am grateful for Nana and Abba, they are outstanding grandparents and the kids love them. 

I am grateful that it's peppermint shake season at Chick fila. 

I am grateful for people who fight for freedom, for doctors and nurses who work hard to keep us healthy, for teachers who teach and love and endure our children. 

I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that I can work each day to be all in. 

I am grateful for a body that walks and talks and sleeps and eats, that can work and that can rest, that is healthy and that my senses all work. 

I am grateful for my children's friends, that are good examples to them, that bring them joy, help them out, and have fun with them, and are there with them when they need someone. 

I am grateful for my cute little car, for amazon, for music, for animals, nature, Rob's good job, and my job, shoes, ice cream, The Book of Mormon, my siblings, bright and beautiful colors, waves, hot showers, cool sheets, cats with bowties, service dogs, the stars and books and hot chocolate, my nieces and nephews, long summer days, water parks, BBQs, holidays, eternal families, Temples, a sacred grove & a burning bush & kneeling prayers that bring us to God, and many many more things that I won't list. 

 I am grateful to park in the garage. We got a third slot so Rob would have room for his hobbies, and I could still park inside.  When we move in a house the garage is always the last thing to be organized. I do the house, and he does the garage but it's a hard space to get set up, I guess. Anyway, we've lived here for 7 months now, and the weather has turned cold, and I found myself scraping ice off the car in the mornings which spurred me to clean out what I could.  I worked on it after school on Monday and then Rob helped when he got home from work.  Yesterday we took a load of stuff to the dump and then we finished up the garage.  

I am grateful for ministering. It brings joy to help others and joy to be helped and supported so...win/win. Tonight the sisters I minister to and I are going to dinner. Also win/win.

weekend

 I am grateful for weekends.  We enjoy sleeping in.  Rob and I crack me up.  We are the poster children for opposites attract. Sleeping in means I normally wake up an hour or two before he does.  I also go to sleep several hours before him when we have no schedule. Early bird marries night owl.  I am easy going and he plans for every contingency (no matter how remote). He is a math person and has a good memory. I have early onset Alzheimer's and can't math. I love cities and crowds and Disney. He loves the woods, and no traffic and not going to Disney. I like to be warm he likes to be cold. He is a great swimmer, and I don't like to put my face in the water. He thinks I'm cheap and I think he is a serial hobbyist who spends lots of money on said hobbies, but the truth is we both like to spend, just on different things. I love to travel, he does not. He is messy, I am way less so. He is an only child, my family is "big fat Greek wedding" crazy. So here we are! But it works because we have been together for 26 years💗

Saturday we ran errands. Ohio State played football in the evening and Rob watched. Sunday we had some of his work friends over for dinner. That went well.  We had a pleasant evening. Quinn called and he and Rob had a nice chat, which was great. I am very grateful for the good friends we have made in the different places we have lived. It's always awesome to reconnect. 

I went out with the sisters after church. It's really fun to be able to work closely with the missionaries in our ward. They are awesome young people. I am really glad that Ethan, Chris, Greg, Clayton and Sawyer served missions. Serving God full time for 2 years changes a person for the better, and those 5 sons of mine are good, good men. 

We got a picture of Ziva this weekend with her family. I miss her a lot but was really happy to see her and to know she is loved and doing well. I was grateful for that moment.  

Veterans Day

I am grateful for all the men and women who have served to keep our country free. For those who fight for liberty around the world, who care about others safety before their own. 

I am grateful that Rob and I could go on a hike today.  We walked 7.5 miles around the lake and MD was at it's best. It was a lovely walk and now my joints are complaining but that's okay.

Tonight I went to a favorite things party. It was so much fun.  I asked Tal to make bracelets for me to give to everyone and they loved them.  It was fun to get gifts and to spend the evening talking and eating yummy food. 

I am grateful for my nieces and nephews! They are awesome!

I am grateful that its almost time to start wearing my Christmas shirts!

grateful

 I am grateful for this ridiculous cat.  He's not very agile, and not very friendly but he curls up with me each night and keeps my legs warm and he hops in the bathroom sink in the morning so I can pet his ears and chin while I brush my teeth. 

I am grateful for watercolors. Last night for our RS activity we got together and brought in clothes from our closets to donate to a local charity and we water colored Christmas cards that we will give out next month when we go caroling at the nursing home. 

I am grateful for sunny November days. Yesterday I subbed PE, it was a beautiful day. We walked the track each class period and I ended up with over 12000 steps. 

I am grateful for surprise wildlife sightings.  This morning I walked outside and there were five wild turkeys on our lawn. 

I am grateful for missionaries who serve the Lord.  I'm looking forward to serving with Rob some day.

little things

 

I am grateful for books to read. I've read some fun ones since I have not been busy with Liberty. I read Fourth Wing this fall.  Hannah recommended it and I actually liked it but had to skip a lot of parts that were a little too steamy and there was a lot of language. The second one comes out  today, which is exciting for all the fans. 
I read Clackity, a book club pick.  Where the Forest Meets the Stars, which I really liked. A couple of the Myrtlewood Mysteries series. I think I read three before I decided I'd take a break and read something else. Weyward, I was on the waiting list at the library for that one so long that I forgot it was coming so it was a pleasant surprise.  I liked it but not loved it.  And I just started The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.  I have two Christmasy books coming and am excited to read them and then pick one for book club in December.  One is The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber and the other is A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril. 

I am grateful for diet coke. My poison of choice.

I am grateful for hot showers, eye shadow that goes on smoothly, the cute blue bird I saw outside my kitchen window while I was making oatmeal this morning, and amazon prime.

still grateful

 I am grateful for the spectacular colors of fall that we have here in Maryland.  I love the crunchy sound of leaves as I walk outside. My favorite road is the one near my home, it's called Frog's Marsh, which is as cute of a road name as they get. It is tree lined and you can barely see the sun peeking through the tops.  Right now it's ablaze with orange and red and yellow and the leaves swirl down onto your hood like snowflakes. I often see deer, ground hogs, birds, squirrels and occasionally a fox.

I am grateful for my job. It doesn't pay well but it does make a difference in our budget. I like the kids and even though there are occasional bad class periods it's mostly good.  I do like going to the same school every day.  That's a game changer for subbing. Today I am in physics. Which I know nothing about but the kids are good and work hard, which you would expect.  Who signs up for physics unless they want to work hard?

I was grateful this morning to drive to work when the sun was already up.  Daylight savings is an outdated idea that is probably not relevant in a post agrarian dominant culture, but it is nice to go to work in the light.

I am grateful for podcasts because I learn a lot from them. 

I am grateful for my dad, who has a birthday this month. I'm glad he's in good health and that I will get to see him and mom next month.

I am grateful that our country is in a position to help out other nations in war torn areas of the world.  Someday we will all know peace, in the mean time I am grateful that I don't live where bombs fly overhead and that we can do things to help people who do.

I am grateful for our new sheets.  We just bought some a couple weeks ago and it is so delightful to slip into them at night and to be so comfy while we sleep.

Gratitude

It’s gratitude month. A favorite of mine. I will not utter a single complaint on here all month. I’m just going to be grateful. That will be easy because I am blessed.

Lana loves her baby doll.  She is my newest grand gratitude! I ❤️❤️❤️those grandbabies. I love the sweetness that comes with a second go round. Children grow up and they become parents. Grandparents get to watch and love and sometimes help. It’s the best! It is so special to me that Hannah and Sawyer chose to name her after me. It is the biggest compliment. Ruby also has my name. Both times I felt like those daughters of mine love me and thought that I was a good mom and that they would want their daughter to be like me a little. That is all a mother wants & what a beautiful tribute. It made my heart cry happy tears. More surprising and just as touching my sons-in-law also named their daughters after me. It just makes me so feel so humbled. Im a lucky MIL. I love my bonus sons.

I am grateful for FaceTime. I love that I can be part of the kids lives. I love that Darcy can call to sing “the itsy bitsy spider” to me, or that I can chat about a school day, a grocery list, a hard class, or anything else. I can talk to mom and dad, or my sisters, or Nana and Abba. FaceTime is the best!

 I am grateful that Rob and I both wanted to decorate for Christmas already. Our house looks very festive inside..outside is coming next. 

I’m grateful that we can go to church and worship, and renew our covenants, and sing hymns and serve our friends and know our God.

More tomorrow.