*Simply Happy*

5 Years Ago Today

It is 12:45am on the 28th...5 years ago Blair and I were sitting in the living room of my apartment praying that we would both be able to get some good sleep before the events of the day started.  We were both wanting to enjoy each other as the engaged couple because we had decided not to see each other on the wedding day (although it was technically the day...we had not gone to sleep yet so it was still the "night" of the 27th) and we knew the next time we would see each other would be in the church at the wedding.  I remember that night vividly because it was the cusp of the next chapter and I was excited!

On this day, at this hour I am doing laundry and packing for us to go out of town to celebrate our five year anniversary of the commitment we made to each other on the stage that day.  The commitment to love, support and encourage one another for the rest of our lives.  And I love Blair more today than I ever have.  I support him wholeheartedly and I encourage him!  He does these things for me too!  It is such a strange thing that 5 years feels like it started yesterday and has also been an eternity.  So many memories have been made, so many conversations, so many kisses, so many tiffs, so many hugs, so many adventures, so many Starbucks dates since the first coffee date. 

I love my husband with all that I am.  If 5 years is indicative of the next five and the five after that and after that then I am blessed beyond measure and more thankful than I can express.  I love you, babe!

PS - A dozen red roses and two different Brighton tins have already been part of the delight since the clock struck 12...and we haven't even officially started the Friday part of the day yet.  I still need to go to bed and wake up "tomorrow" for it to be Friday in my head!  How fun!

A Simple Thanksgiving

Today was a different kind of Thanksgiving.  It was small and quaint.  We went to church this morning and celebrated our thankfulness with our church family.  This is one of my favorite services all year.  In the midst of the large room it feels small and intimate.  Pries, Tim and the people who shared their stories did a great job.  My fellowship at church both in a worship service and with the company of friends is something I am most thankful for.

Next we went to Grandma Patty's and enjoyed all the fixin's of a thanksgiving feast.  We brought the new and improved green bean casserole (french cut drained, low cal cream of mushroom, onion crunchies, soy and a couple of tbsp or mozzarella-350 for 30, add crunchies to top and bake 20 more), it was a small group this year as all of our extended family spent this year with their other families so we will all be able to come together at Christmas.  It was different but nice.  I know they had a good time with their other families and I don't begrudge them that time but I would be remiss if I didn't admit that I missed the big family crowd.  Not to discredit the time with the Grandma's today, that was lovely too, but I do enjoy the large family get together!

After dinner we went to the movies and saw Four Christmases.  The most perfect segue from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Cute movie, Reece and Vince are both adorable!

We went back to Gma's for pie and Gma Sue gave us each our traditional first holiday gift.  Every year we exchange one Christmas tree ornament on Thanksgiving night.  It is a fun tradition, one I love!

Now are home getting ready to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary tomorrow!  Wow, 5 years.  Another things I am so blessed by and thankful for!

It's been crafty 'round these parts

With the sun down by the time we get home and quite a chill in the evening air, we have taken to crafts for one of our winter activities!  I love our pilgrims the most.  Sally loves to cut and glue and color with markers.  From our family to yours, I wish you an enjoyable Thanksgiving day and season!

If you'd like...Vote!

Vote!

Tic tac toe

When you play tic tac toe are you the x or the o?

The beginning of dear friendship

145 Years Ago Today...Read, Remember, Be Inspired

The Gettysburg Address

Nov. 19, 1863

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal."

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.

It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

The Ten on Tuesday

• Sinus something or other going on...
• Tired, very tired...
• Crunch time with school...
• Made ground turkey meat with a chicken taco packet for dinner...
• Wish there was Sierra Mist Free in the house...
• Married to the most amazing man ever...
• Wish I could go to bed right now...
• Thanksgiving is next week, it arrived very quickly...
• Thanksgiving is next week, yummmm...
• And then Christmas, oh how I love Christmas!

A new love: The Fruit Roll Up

Fruit Rolls up are the it thing around here!  Very exciting times!  And showing them to us is also very exciting!

Alterations

I came out of a training today and was told that an employee believes I am altering the stats of one of our incentive programs so that she is reflected poorly.  Nice.  Here's the funnies part, she fairly consistently ranks between 4th-7th on a list of 11.  So, later in the day my boss asked if I could run a completely different stats report and provide analysis and I said, "Yeah, no problem, although I'm not sure I'm the one you want to do it.  I might alter the numbers."