Tis the season to be thankful...

As quickly as the Thanksgiving Holiday crept upon us, it has just as quickly passed.  We hosted again this year for a whopping 26 people.  Surprisingly it seems to get easier each time we do it.  My sister-in-law is a huge help as she is a whiz in the kitchen.  We changed the menu up slightly to add some variety and also to save on oven space. 

Inspiring

The alarm clock went off at around 6am this morning and the work day officially commenced.  "Time to make the donuts" is what came out of my mouth while walking into the kitchen to feed Riley.  The ho-hum monotony of the daily work day routine setting in.  The drive to work, the phone call at 7:45am from my husband, and pulling into my parking spot at 7:55am... all the same as any other day. 

It's not until lunch that I come to realize just how much I take for granted.  I attended a brown bag luncheon entitled "Overcoming Obstacles" with the ladies in my office.  What an eye opener.  The speaker was John Robinson, President and CEO of Our Ability, Inc.  John is 3 foot 9 inches tall and was born with congenital birth defects.  I hate to use the word defect though after having heard him speak, watched him move about, and learned all that he's working towards.  The word defect does in no way belong associated with him.  

He shared several comical stories about living with his disability: walking through deep snow, attempting to grab the girl scout cookies from on top of the fridge, and devising a way to button his pants.  What really hit home however was when he said "I just wanted to be normal."  Normal, to me, is a terrible word because it brings to mind conformity and assimilation, the opposite of unique and diverse.  He went on to explain though that his idea of normal was the aspiration to have the Monday through Friday job, the mortgage he couldn't afford, a wife and a family.  Simple things.  Things I have and complain about.  

So I'm taking a moment to reflect on just how wonderful my "mundane" life is:  

• The mortgage and taxes that I hate to shell out.  At least I have a roof over my head and a gathering place for family events.  
• The dog that I argue about who's turn it is to walk.  Rain or shine that little guy loves me unconditionally and I cannot see my life without him.
• My husband and his predictable morning phone call.  At least I have a counterpart to go through life with and he's thinking of me, letting me know he got to work safely.
• The Monday-Friday job that promises a hassle at least once a week.  I have income and I did not face nearly the challenges that some do when applying/interviewing for a job.
• My ability to easily grab the girl scout cookies from the cabinet even though I don't need the calories.   God blessed me with a fully capable body (and a little too much free will in the chocolate/sweets department).  For that I should be thankful.

Take a moment to reflect on your own life.  What are you thankful for today?

Kaleidoscope

Today's blog post is going to be a kaleidoscope collection of thoughts.  I couldn't really decide what I wanted to write about, so you are going to be subjected to multiple blog topics all rolled into one.

I've decided that my bad luck isn't going to change itself, so I'm going to change my outlook on life.  Through the power of positive thoughts I am hoping to climb out of this funk I have found myself in.  It kind of hit me last night when in my head I was saying "please God I just need a break" that maybe he's tired of hearing that.  My life's not so bad.  If I want things to be better I need to stop thinking of them as so horrible.  So tonight I think I am going to change up that conversation in my head by really trying to focus on positive things that may have happened today or even this week.  For instance, last Friday I had dinner and wine with two girlfriends of mine.  Then Sunday I had a few of our family and friends over for a bbq, at which our awesome neighbor and my grandfather have come up with a plan to help remove the dead Elm tree in our yard.  All of these were positive things that got overshadowed by all the sucky things that have happened lately.  I just need to be more thankful and less of a cry-baby.

Breakfast.  For those of you who know me, food is one thing I really enjoy in life.  Lately I have become bored with my daily dose of yogurt for breakfast.  I had switched up from Yoplait to Chobani, then to Brach's with granola, then back to Yoplait.  In a nutshell, breakfast has become boring and I need something to look forward to.  Lately I have even taken to skipping it because, well, that strawberry yogurt in the fridge just wasn't appealing anymore.  And as we all know, skipping breakfast is the worst thing to do if I want to keep pounds off my midsection.  I think I need something more savory, preferably healthy, but it also has to be easy.  I have limited time in the morning and I think what was great about yogurt was the "grab and go" functionality it offered.  So, ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Has anyone seen "101 Ways to Leave a Game Show"??  Oh. My. God.  My husband and I watched this last night instead of the Yankees game and we were shocked what they were able to get away with subjecting people to on this show.  Last night I watched one person be ejected from the game by being attached to an enormous anchor and dropped into the harbor, another was shot out of a cannon, and the most shocking of all was one guy was dropped into shark infested waters with chum!  The host is a little bit of a d-bag because he takes sick pleasure in ejecting people this way, but I think that's how his role is supposed to come off to the general public.  So, yeah.  We may be tuning in again just to see what they come up with next.

Did I miss anything?  What would you like to hear about?

Reminiscing

This time last year I was in a bad place.  Well, technically speaking a good place location-wise but a bad place in my life.  On year ago today, I was on vacation in Ocean City N.J. with friends at a gorgeous condo just a few blocks from the beach.  It was just what I, or should I say we, needed.  Only a few weeks beforehand my husband and I were finding out that our very first year of marriage was truly turning out to be the most trying one (save your "I told you so," trust me, I know).  After being together for ten years we really didn't think any surprises would be in store once we got married, but fate has this neat little way of sneaking up on you and biting you in the proverbial arse.  On top of all that, my chiropractor turned nutritionist tells me that my thyroid is slow (no kidding - ice cold hands, hungry all the time, lethargic, low motivation, dry skin, headaches...you get the picture so I'll spare you the rest).  Her genius idea is to try an organic approach and put me on a 21 day cleanse.  Let me tell you, the last thing an already irritable person needs is to be told what she can and cannot eat and especially not right before a vacation!