Looking Ahead

Here we are the day before the last day of November (so hard to believe!!).  This morning, I erased November from our dry erase board and made December.  From the looks of it, we are pretty busy next month.  2013 will be here before we know it!!!

We have 3 holiday concerts at VU.  The first holiday party at my gym.  Lunch with our friends, Beth & Paul.  Gathering at our place and/or heading to The City with my friend, Jenn, who will be visiting her family over Christmas (she lives in Denver).  Of course, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Then, it will be the 29th and we are off to belatedly celebrate our anniversary and to ring in the new year in Sin City (Vegas, baby, yeah!!!)

We would like to meet with Dave & Sandra for a long overdue dinner double date. 

I hoped to go roller skating again.

We need to meet up with the Stephenses.

Chris will be off the week of Christmas (he doesn't have to use any vacation time) and I may use up my last remaining 2012 PTO to be off, as well.  We will both be off New Year's week.  So, I could end up with 16 days off (that includes weekends) and only have to use 6 PTO days!!!  Chris gets all those same days and only has to use 3 days!  Not too shabby! 

Oh, we caught the full moon last nite!  Awesome!!  We walked to the beach, under a bright, bright moon and, while walking down to the pier and back, we saw shooting stars (Chris 3 and me 2)!  My first shooting star sighting EVER!  It was magical!!!  Thought for sure they were signs that we would be successful in the largest Powerball game, but I guess I was wrong b/c we didn't win a thing...not even our $2 back!  And I think the lunar pull on the water was strong as the waves were crashing onto the shore. 

It was pretty chilly, too.  We were both bundled up in winter coats with hats and gloves.  On the walk back down the beach, Chris even gave me his scarf and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up.  (My thighs were beet red when we got home...I was wearing jeans and had thought to put on my Cuddleduds and then forgot!!)  I told him that January thru March we may have to drive the few blocks to the beach on full moon nites b/c it will just be too darn cold!  I plan to walk along the beach, for sure, but we might be popsicles if we walked there & back, too! 

A Good Sore

I know I have said it before, but it bears repeating: I have the best gym!  LA Boxing, Merrillville, is incredible!  We have awesome instructors who will hold you accountable and push you when you think you have no more to give (one more rep!!!).  So, we are usually sore the next day (sometimes 2..with the second day's soreness often worse than the day after classes)!!! 

On one of the walls, there is the day's circuit plus the sign in (& the wait list), as well as many sayings written by some of us.  One of the many our circuit instructor, Nick, has posted is: Sore Today or Sorry Tomorrow!  Sometimes, it's a little of both!  HA!

We had a very leg-intensive workout last nite and I am feeling it somewhat today, mostly in my hips, actually.  I also have a tender spot behind my neck, btwn my shoulder blades, where the Smith Machine bar rested.  

Oh, and I stumbled in Walmart Monday nite ...didn't fall, tho... and I am REALLY feeling that along the outside of my left shin.  Today's choice of footwear, not helping either!  UGH!!!

I am at a crux, trying to decide if I take Amy's boxing class tonite or skip.  I will be right back in the mix for the circuit tomorrow and will go to boxing on Friday, so that I make 4 classes this week. 

Chris and I will be walking to the beach tonite to see the Full Moon (one of my goals for the year we are living in Ogden Dunes is to hit the beach for EVERY full moon...weather be damned!) and while that isn't anything near the workout I get at the gym, it is physical activity.

I don't want to aggravate my leg and then be off for a week or so....

Anyway, my "Yay Burpees" socks are on their way and I can't wait to wear them!  They are more perfect for boxing or kickboxing classes, than the circuit (except when Nick makes a burpee circuit ~~ each exercise ends with a burpee...so tough!!), so I have to pick the right time for their debut wear.

We are getting another lovely fall-like weekend coming up!  Perfect for me to transition my outdoor fall decor to winter, which includes breaking up my pumpkins & gourds for the deer, squirrels, chipmunks to munch on.  A squirrel helped itself to the pumpkin in the birdbath ~ we were cracking up while watching it.  Then, Chris said he saw a deer picking at it yesterday!  Makes me happy...especially since they waited until it was after Thanksgiving to destroy my display...that we can help the critters out!  I plan to strategically place the pieces around  the back to bring the deer where we would like to see them!  Fingers crossed!! 

Hope you can get out tonite to enjoy the Full Beaver Moon!  Bella Luna was gorgeous early yesterday evening as I drove from work to the gym.  She hung low in the northeastern sky with a pinkish hue!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when the moon is out in daylight!!!  It is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world!

    

Long Holiday Weekend

Ahhhhh....I am thoroughly relaxed after our extra-long holiday break.  Both of us were off Wednesday thru yesterday (Sunday). 

Wednesday, we lounged as long as we could before heading out to our spa appointments at Phaze 1 in Highland.  The salon itself could certainly use a visit from Tabatha (Tabatha's Salon Takeover), but our services were pretty superb!  Chris enjoyed his massage and I had a fantastic facial with a chemical peel.  The only downside: I was taken about 30 minutes late and Chris was taken about 15 minutes early, so what I wanted to avoid by booking our appointments simultaneously happened....we both ended up playing the waiting game.  (I got the better end of the wait, tho, b/c it was before my service.  Poor Chris, after being totally chill following his full-body massage, lost some of his euphoria during the boredom.)  I think we would both return to this particular salon/spa IF it were closer to our home or our jobs.  I will check out the pricing (we had Groupon deals) and compare with places closer, but we both need to regularly "indulge" ourselves ~~ it is definitely a health booster! 

As soon as we got home, I began making my 3 dishes.  Within a couple hours, everything was done and cooling or chilling. 

Thanksgiving began for me with a grueling boxing class at the gym ~ ~ perfect way to jumpstart this day where there is usually over-eating!  While I was gone, Chris took off on a walk, to include some new trails around us.  When I got home, he joined me for a walk to and along the beach.  It was going to be a balmy 60-degree day and I wasn't going to let it go by without spending part of the holiday at the water!  We even took off our shoes and waded into COLD Lake Michigan to stand on a small sandbar. 

The rest of our day was spent in a couple places for me and a few for Chris.  We started at my aunt's.  Chris left shortly after eating our meal, so he could visit his parents & have dessert.  I remained to chat and relax.  Chris came back to my aunt's, I ate my Pumpkin Pie Brownie, we made plates of leftovers for the next day and we headed to his aunt's.  So many of Chris's extended family gather at his aunt's, so we spent several hours catching up with many of them.  

Altho we were going from place to place this year, we both enjoyed the entire Thanksgiving day!

Friday found us doing absolutely nothing!  We stayed in our PJs, watched Christmas movies on Lifetime or Hallmark, ate our leftovers.  It was a super windy day, there was nothing pressing that needed our attention and we just felt like taking it easy!  LOVED it!!  We eventually threw on some clothes, made ourselves somewhat presentable and ran to the grocery store to buy a few items and get some cash for the next day's trip to Chicago.  We also stopped for a Powerball ticket (didn't win...darn!) ~~ the whole trip took, probably, 30 minutes.

We took our first train ride from Ogden Dunes to Chicago on Saturday...and our first time on the South Shore doubledecker cars!!!  What fun!  It was so cool to see everything along the way from up high!

We knew it was going to be COLD (temps in the 30's with wind chills much lower ~ BRRRRRR!!), so our first stop was a Starbucks for some warm drinks!  We then made our way to the German market & to see the windows at Macy's (something to do with fashion...not very holiday, in my opinion...I miss Marshall Fields).  We did plenty of walking, had a late lunch/early dinner at Lou Malnati's (yum...pizza!) and found our way to Old Town.  We got back to the Theatre District just after 5, where we got in line at Garrett's to snag our large bags of Chicago Mix, before heading into Macy's to check out the Christmas shoppe.  Then, it was off to the train with no time to spare.  (Unfortunately, no double decker for the ride home.)

Sunday, November 25, 2012, was our 20th anniversary!  We started our morning with mimosas and a smorgasboard of foods.  We cleaned and Chris started laundry, we read one of the papers and then we started watching the Bears game at noon.  After halftime, however, the Christmas decorating began...with our tree.

We hadn't put up a Christmas tree at our old house on Willow for many years, even after getting a slim one, b/c there just wasn't really enough room.  We would have needed to completely block our front door, which would make getting the paper Sunday mornings a real chore, especially in winter with snow. 

The tree is in the 3-seasons room, in the corner adjacent to the slider that leads from the house out.  It is so cozy out there with the lights and the electric fireplace!!  

Chris put out our wooden sled decoration, which is alongside the old wooden skis ~~ like they were made for one another...as a winter display on Ski Hill Road!

We also did most of the indoor decorating.  All that is left is hanging garland from the loft and, maybe, from the valance above the front windows.  This morning, before work, I decorated the valance above the dining room windows with boxes, my shiny pink tree, our Christmas tray, votive holders, a picture of a stocking and a squatty stuffed snowman.  (It is going to look so very bare up there when the holidays are over...)

We didn't exchange any anniversary gifts, but we did buy one another a mushy card!  Chris always writes the best stuff in the ones he gives me, too!!

We finished our day by watching one of our favorite Christmas movies, Scrooge, starring Albert Finney.  So much of it we know by heart and both recite the lines and sing the songs!  If you haven't caught this version of the Dickens' classic, you really should. 

We enjoyed a full, yet still relaxing weekend ~~ exactly as we wanted!  The upcoming weekend is expected to be in the 50's, so I will get out there to transform the flower box and the birdbath from fall to winter, while also putting the finishing touches on my pots full of evergreen branches.  It will truly be a Winter Wonderland at the Loveshack!

Anniversary Brunch Menu

On Sunday, Chris & I celebrate 20 years of marriage!  That is a big accomplishment!!!  We are going to Chicago on Saturday, our usual visit to see the holiday sights, etc.  I am thinking that a somewhat lazy Sunday morning after all the walking in The City will be needed, so I am coming up with some brunch foods that we can pick at all morning...or all day...long. 

Eggnog, Almond Vanilla and Cranberry Bread Pudding

Quinoa Kale Patties

Sausage and Sage Cornbread Stuffed Acorn Squash

Bacon-wrapped Egg Bites

And we will wash it all down with mimosas (finally using the champagne that Ken & Curt gave us when we moved in)!!!  Once that is gone, I suspect we will move on to the Moscato d'Asti...

Cheers to 20 years, Wolfie! 

Recipe Change

Pumpkin Pie Brownies

In lieu of the Pumpkin Cranberry Bread, I am trying this new recipe!  YUM!

Weekend Roundup

FINALLY...we enjoyed a bonfire!

We made a point of heading straight outside for a fire after returning from errands yesterday afternoon.  The temps were in the mid 50's all weekend and the skies were clear & sunny ~~ perfect for a daytime bonfire!

While stoking the flames and basking in the heat, we enjoyed some meat sticks with cheddar cheese, Angry Orchard ciders and riesling wine.  

The smell on my sweatshirt lingered all nite!  One of my favorite scents!!! 

But I am getting ahead of myself...

Chris finished hanging the garland on the deck railing and added white lights. 

We had our second lunch guests over on Saturday, Chris's parents.  It was also the first time Chris used the built-in gas grill.  We enjoyed turkey burgers, brats, veggies with hummus, chips and spinach salad.  While we made some fresh iced green tea, beverages enjoyed were Angry Orchard and riesling.  My in-laws brought the salad, as well as Moscato d'Asti (which we may drink this weekend to celebrate our 20th!!).  They also brought a box of 48 petite cheesecakes, which Chris insisted they take back to be used at their Thanksgiving dinner.

We practically ran out of the house after they left, however, b/c Starbucks was offering 2 for 1 Holiday drinks from 2P-5P and it was almost 4!!  I got a Gingerbread Latte and Chris a Caramel Brulee Latte ~~ and we splurged for the venti!!  With caffeine and sugar in hand, we headed to our local mall where I needed to get my 6-month jewelry inspection.  I did try on some rings, but decided that I already have more than enough jewelry and there are other things (like a new purse) that I do need and would rather spend the money on.  We strolled our favorite stores and I looked in others for a purse, but we came home empty handed.

Chris was practically devastated last Sunday when I forgot that he wanted to go out for breakfast!  So.....I made sure he knew we were going on Sunday and that it was HIS choice of where.  He picks a truckstop restaurant!!!!!  The Country Pride Restaurant at the Travel Center was our newest gastronimical adventure!  Verdict: we really liked it!  It was clean, the server was very friendly, the food was served quick and was super delish.  Chris got eggs, biscuits & sausage gravy ~~ he said it was better and more flavorful than Cracker Barrel!  The biscuits were crispy and the sausage gravy peppery!  I had french toast, eggs and bacon.  My french toast was crispy and cinnamon-y and the bacon was thick and the perfect amount of crunchy!  The biggest surprise was our server asking if we wanted coffee to go!  Um, sure!!!  We will make a return appearance!  The only negative, and it is surprising, the breakfast menu is small. 

We drove up to New Buffalo, Michigan, yesterday to hit Warner Vineyards' tasting room to buy some Holiberry wine and, maybe, do some sampling.  Unfortunately, they may only be open on Saturdays (or they weren't opening until 3 and it was noon)!  Total bummer!  But the drive along US 12 is serene and scenic, so we weren't devastated.  We turned around to head back to our 2nd destination, Lighthouse Mall in Michigan City.  It was an ideal day for an outdoor shopping trip.  Like our local mall, we have several go-to stores, plus we went to others where I could look at boots and purses.  With our coupon booklet in hand, I got a new purse at Wilson's Leather (one I had seen in our mall, but the last one wasn't in a condition I found acceptable) and we both got new wallets. 

We also stopped at Le Gourmet (where we get to sample dips) and Harry & David's.  Bought some treats for our Thanksgiving hosts, as well as some tea and a snack bag (some wasabi tinted grub ~~ too hot for me) for Chris...also with a discount from our coupon booklet!  Woot!!  It was pretty quiet at the mall, which we loved!!   They do a crazy midnite Black Friday thing....so you know the ridiculous die-hard "I have to spend, spend, spend" folks are just chomping at the bit, lying in wait for the after Thanksgiving lunacy!!!  We made a quick trip to a local butcher, who is super generous in his samplings, where we bought some meat sticks before heading back on the leisurely drive home.

It was both a relaxing and productive weekend. 

We only work 2 days this week.  Chris is off for the holiday beginning Wednesday and I am taking off Wednesday to begin the weekend.  We have our spa appointments Wednesday afternoon!  Oh, how I cannot wait for a facial!!!  And I just know that Chris will be in heaven during his massage.  The beginning of our 20th anniversary weekend...not too shabby!

Thanksgiving Eats

So, we spend Thanksgiving at my aunt's.  I lived with her & my uncle (from whom she is divorced) and my 2 younger cousins for 5 years, beginning in high school, until moving in with Chris.  She has a hodge-podge of guests, to include old family friends of her mom (who joined us until she passed last year), her sister & husband, sometimes another of my aunts and her husband, sometimes my cousins (tho not this year b/c neither live here or near), other cousins if they are in town and us.  It's a tight squeeze in her place, but it is always full of love and delicious food!

We always bring a couple of dishes to the gatherings and this year will be no exception.  Of the three dishes we are bringing, only one will be a new recipe.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is the new recipe.  It is from Diabetic Living and includes sweet potatoes, pecans and lots of yummy fall seasonings!  I love the sweet potatoes topped with the crispy marshmallows, but like to do the non-traditional, somewhat healthier version. 

I also make a Cranberry Walnut Marmalade (it might be an Eating Well recipe)!!  It is so yummy ~~ well, Chris & I think so and it has done well the other couple/few times I have taken it to the holiday dinners.  There are fresh cranberries, dried cherries, walnuts, sweet wine, orange zest.  It tastes great alone as a side, on rolls, with mashed potatoes, with turkey or ham.  You can't lose! 

It is far supreme to the canned, jellied cranberry "sauce"!  And what is the deal there: there are canned whole cranberries ~~ get those if you simply MUST have the can!

For a "dessert", I am making a Pumpkin Cranberry Bread that I tried my hand at last month, I think. 

All three are dishes we will be happy to have leftovers to take back home!  And all have healthy & nutritious elements to them!  With the most important ingredient being....

LOVE!

Buffalo Chicken in the Crockpot

So, over the weekend, we had our first guests and I tried out a new crockpot recipe that I got from a co-worker.  The next time I make it, I won't follow it exactly as given.  Here is the new & improved:

1/2 cup butter

1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Sauce

2 T oregano

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, slightly thawed

Melt butter in saucepan, add sauce & oregano.  Bring to simmer.

Place chicken in crockpot and pour sauce over.

Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Shred chicken with forks.

Serve on buns (like Italian beef) with blue cheese or sour cream.

The original called for 1 cup butter, 2 T dried onion and using chicken legs.

I mistakenly only used 1/2 cup butter and can't imagine another 1/2 cup in there!!

I didn't have dried onion, so I omitted it and doubt we missed it.

The chicken cooks down so much that it falls off the bone...thus leaving bones that have to be picked out.  And they are easily missed.  I, for one, hate, hate, hate to bite into bones in my meat, chicken or fish.  Grosses me out and I have a hard time eating anymore after!  So, my aunt, who was one of our two guests, suggested boneless, skinless breasts, shredded on sandwiches ~~ and I couldn't agree more.

That said, you can eat the chicken and its sauce on mashed potatoes or rice, too, and that would be a great way to re-serve the leftover!   

Fall Into Winter ~ Our Weekend Update

We had a glorious weekend!  The temps were high 60's, maybe even into the 70's!  A lovely return to fall, which provided time to do some outdoor stuff, like walks along the beach, cutting up an evergreen, changing up the pots and planters and starting on the Christmas & winter decor.  However, a bonfire eluded us again!  Friday nite, the time just got away from us and the rest of the weekend seemed too windy, plus there is much work going at the house next door and we didn't want to smoke them out! 

Here is my updated pumpkin display...with a hint of winter greenery!!! 

And these aren't all:  I have one pumpkin hidden, that is being used to prop up the others, one in the birdbath and one that had to be chucked b/c it was eaten up by wildlife. 

I forgot to get a pic of the bird bath, but the big orange pumpkin is now atop a leafy bed of evergreens!  After Thanksgiving, the pumpkin will be replaced by our giant outdoor ball ornaments.  Just have to figure out how to secure them, so they don't get blown out and down the ravine! 

I put clippings in my big red & white pot, as well as my little terra cotta one. 

 I will add red balls and twine balls (they are on sticks) and some wooden beads that resemble cranberries. 

I still have to craft the flower box and I have "Pinned" some ideas for reference.  I may have to ask around for glass jars to be saved for one of the possibilities.  Or, if the big ornaments won't work in the birdbath, then I will use them in the window box and the glass jars in the birdbath..ya know, now that I am writing it, I think that is exactly what I'll do!  Now, just need to ask co-workers to save me their glass jars.

We started hanging garland along the deck railing, but it started to rain,so we will finish it up this week.  We have about 3 or 4 more swags to attach, then we will go thru and add bits of holly & ivy.  I don't know if Chris wants to do any outdoor lighting..but I suspect we will do a little something.  We should still have our big snowflake lights that would look perfect along the back of the house, above the kitchen windows!  That way, we can enjoy them...and they should be visible from down the hill! 

I also added pieces of evergreen to the wooden, red skis that are part of the house's everyday look (we live on Ski Hill Road...).  Once we put out our wooden sled, it will be the cutest little scene that we will see everytime we use the garage! 

I will be sure to snap pics and share once all is said and done.

We had a lovely lunch with my aunt and her hubby.  They came hours earlier than I had anticipated, however (and forgot to send us a text when they would be headed our way), so we hadn't even gotten ready.  Fortunately, I was making a crockpot recipe and had started it about 7:30!  Whew!!!  The Buffalo Chicken was a HIT!  And is a keeper!  Think I will make it in the future with boneless, skinless chicken breasts ~ mostly to avoid the little tiny bones that have to be picked out.  My aunt says she will make it with the breasts and then serve on buns with blue cheese.  Great idea!!!

I also tried a Sweet Potato Casserole recipe on Sunday!  Super Delish!  Chris said he wants to know where I keep the recipe, so that he can access it when he feels like making it in the evening for breakfast the next morning.  It is good for meals any time of the day!!

Baked some acorn squash, too!  Added some orange juice soaked walnuts and craisins for the final 5 minutes of baking time.  We were pretty stuffed and haven't yet tried them.  My stomach is rumbling, so I think I will be warming up the half I brought to work very soon!!

We took advantage of the weather to also walk the beach both days.  Saturday morning, after some light house cleaning (in anticipation of our guests), we headed out.  I wanted to see how the sand had been moved around after the horrible high winds we experienced a few weeks back.  Then, late yesterday afternoon, we took a hike thru the neighborhood and then to the beach, where we walked east to where the beach ends at a pier and then walked the length of it back.  The water was so very calm both days.  On Saturday, we actually stopped and sat in the sand to just chat and enjoy the calm, soothing sound of the lake. 

We went out late Saturday nite to support our friend in a drag competition (late nite/early morning at Spin Nightclub).  While I didn't take my camera this trip, here is a little collage put together by Sinders.

Shadow of Night

My place in the request line at the library for Deborah Harkness's long-awaited sequel finally came!!!  I have had my hands on "Shadow of Night" for a week now, but haven't been able to spend enough time reading!  I am about halfway thru and have one more week to finish. 

I am loving "Shadow" as much as the first book, "A Discovery of Witches".

In both books, the author painstakingly researches history and seamlessly blends the magical, fantastical and paranormal with the historical.  The tomes are wordy and not for the light-hearted readers!  For those of you who love the written word as much as I do, they are so worth it! 

In "Shadow," the main characters, Diana & Matthew, timetravel back to late 16th century Europe, when much of the New World has yet to be colonized and the witch hunts are beginning...clearly, a dangerous time for Diana, a witch, to be detected and (falsely) accused by anyone who may have jealousy or revenge at heart.

I won't give any details away...let you enjoy all the literary goodness for yourself!



What's on Tap for the Weekend

Hopefully, tomorrow nite, we will have our first bonfire!  Just the 2 of us!!  We have quite a bit of brush that needs burned ~ so we will be enjoying the fire while helping to clean up the "yard"!  I also have pumpkin (shaped and flavored) marshmallows that I will just have to try roasted over an open fire!!

We will have the first guests to our Loveshack!  My aunt and her husband are stopping by on Saturday for a late lunch and to see Ogden Dunes.  We might take them down to the beach ~ where we haven't been since the nite we went to see the high waves during Sandy.  Coincidentally, they were the first guests at Harvest Moon House, too!

I am going to try out a new crockpot recipe, Buffalo Chicken.  The recipe calls for chicken legs, but my honey bought thighs, so we will improvise!  This is a recipe that I requested from a co-worker's wife.  He brought this to our Halloween party; however, I didn't try them until the next day's leftovers.  Holy, YUM!  Both cold and reheated, they are awesome!  I'll serve some frozen peas & corn, along with either garlic rolls or garlic bread.  Considering buying a dessert, but still toying with the idea of whipping something up from my recipe book...

I made a Cranberry Walnut Bread last weekend that is almost gone (I will enjoy the last piece today).  It is best when sliced and toasted, if you can believe that!!  Don't think I have made this bread before and pretty sure I copied it from one of the mysteries I read.  Fortunately, I had purchased a can of whole cranberries on my last Aldi trip!!  I will definitely make this recipe again!  Could be something to take for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

On Sunday, I plan to try out a Sweet Potato Hash recipe.  If we like it, then it will definitely be one of the foods we bring for Thanksgiving this year!  I love sweet potatoes and really like to have new ways to eat them!  They are so full of healthy goodness!!!

We also have a couple acorn squash I can bake.  I have already made some once this fall, with a new recipe, of course.  Think I might go simple with these: just honey & cinnamon as a healthy side/dessert to go with our Hash.

Our drag queen friend, Sinders Parrish, might compete in her 2nd Dragzilla at SPIN in Chicago on Saturday, but we haven't yet decided if we are making a nite of it.  We want to support our friend and it has to be comforting to recognize faces in the crowd. 

With the Northeast getting slapped with snow yesterday, I know that winter isn't too far off for our neck of the woods.  Looks like we are going to have some Fall weather this weekend!  Yippee!!  I hope it doesn't come with rain, so that we can be outdoors enjoying this, most likely, last hurrah of autumn's warmth!  I think I will see which of the Dunes trails Chris would like to hit Sunday morning!!!  There are several left to tackle and it would be crazy to let the weekend & weather pass without lacing up our walking/running shoes and making the most of the nature that surrounds us!

It's November....already???

With November being the month that "houses" the Thanksgiving holiday, I find this the perfect time to be reflective & thankful and to express my gratitiude.

In each of our lives, there is always something, no matter the size, of which we can be thankful.  After this week's "Frankenstorm" Sandy that walloped the East Coast, WOW!  All of us not affected should be counting our blessings!  What those people, communities, cities will endure during the cleanup and rebuilding, I cannot imagine ... and hope like hell I never have to experience!!!

While we haven't yet begun our new adventure in Colorado, I am grateful that we can afford to live in our new community for the time being, where we get to live among the trees, with the deer, near the beach ... to be so attuned to nature for the next year!!!  Ogden Dunes is a very good substitute...which could turn into a longer "layover" should we decide to buy a place next year. 

I am so thankful for our health!  We are pretty fitness-focused and I want that to always be our lifestyle.  As a matter of fact, while I will dearly miss my LA Boxing, I look forward to all the hiking outdoors that we will do when we live in CO! 

I am glad that I can try out new recipes and that Chris is willing to eat whatever I make!  Today, I am thankful that the pumpkin cupcakes (new recipe from Pinterest) that I made for yesterday's Halloween luncheon at work are so good and that I was able to snag 2 this morning for a breakfast treat!!  I look forward to trying, at least, one new recipe for Thanksgiving at my aunt's.

I am thankful to have my mom in my life and I want it to be for as long as possible.  I hope for her to finally realize that her health and her life are in her hands and to make the changes necessary to be able to watch her grandchildren, great grandchild, and not-yet-born grandchild (my nephew due in January) growing up.

I am so very grateful that my grandparents, my mom's parents, are alive and that we have been able to enjoy so many good times with them, both during our visits to Florida and theirs up here to visit my grandma's sister and her family.

I am glad that my relationships with my younger sisters are developing and that they are learning to know me (not from impressions but from ME).  I am grateful that their daughters will know me, even tho we live so many states apart.  (I love you, Shyla Lynn & Kennedy Harper!!!)

I am thankful for the friends that we have, both together and individually!  I have a few friends from as far back as I can remember and I am lucky to have some really recent new ones!!  I have friends from so many walks of life!  We respect & support one another's differences and rejoice in our similarities.  I appreciate the real, the 100% authentic, the tried & true, the honest-about-themselves kind of folks and those are the ones who will remain in my circle. 

I am thankful that this year we made it to Ghostwood Farm for their annual open house and that we have gotten to know Adam & Melissa Phelps!! 

I am so glad I laced up some roller skates and joined the Illiana Derby Dames, and another CPHS Class of 1990 alum,  for their Halloween roller skating party!  Reignited my love of roller skating and I hope to hit a local rink a few times this winter with our friends: Dave & Sandra, Kim, Paul, Mahdi & Che and maybe a few adventurous others!

I am thankful for our friends, Bart & Bobby, who have led to our friends, Dino, Tony, Jackie & Nancy.  We have had some of the best times enjoying the Chicago nightlife with most of them!  And I really look forward to many, many more!  Chicago Pride 2013 will be celebrated to the hilt!!!

I am so very grateful that I could visit my Florida family again this year.  Getting to meet Kennedy Harper, even tho she will be too young to remember, was very important to me.  Along with meeting my great-nephew, Casey Isaac, who was only weeks old!!  Spending time with just my mom in John's Pass ~~ a wonderfully thoughtful 40th birthday present.  Spending time with my brother (the grandpa!!!) on my last day.

I am lucky that my nephew Jake had time in his schedule when I visited Florida and then just a few short weeks later we got to see him in Chicago for an evening that included my first ferris wheel ride!!!

I am thankful that I was able to rock out to the 80's for my 40th birthday!  A party I had dreamed about for years and years.  I am so lucky that my honey was willing to DJ to save us a few hundred bucks (and sacrificing his fun) while dressed up as Adam Ant (you make those pants pop, Chris!!).

I am thankful that I have developed relationships with extended family, alot of credit going to Facebook.  While we didn't go together (total bummer), I did get to "share" the experience of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game with my cousin, Matt.  And, altho we didn't see them this year, I am so glad for the friendships with my cousin, Nathan, and his wife, Jennifer.

I have lost some "friends" this year, too, which has been difficult, but I am always learning who fits in my life and who doesn't.  It is best to move forward with the BEST.

This month, Chris & I celebrate 20 years of marriage! 

Chris, 22, and Jennifer, 20 ~ Simply Meant to Be

Whoa!!!  Seriously, where does the time go?!?  2012 went by fast....but how about the time between November 25, 1992 and now?? 

I am most thankful for the man in my life!  Chris has taught me so much over our 23 years together and I learn from him everyday!  He is my world and my best friend!  I could not have imagined loving him more now than I did 20 years ago, but the feelings I have for him run far deeper than any other.  I love you, Wolfie!

We are going to enjoy some spa treatments right before our anniversary and then a week in Las Vegas a month later.  And while I had dreamed of spending our 20th in Italy for 2 weeks, I am thankful that we have the ability to celebrate as is planned. 

I know there is more (much, much more) for which I am thankful and I plan to come back here to "write" them down as a reminder to myself how very fortunate a life I live! 

Wishing us all small moments in every day to reflect on what matters.