Happy & Thankful

I just adore Thanksgiving. This holiday is wonderful, if for no other reason than it's all about giving thanks, remembering your blessings & spending time with those people you love. Obviously we've got great reasons to love Christmas, but sometimes those reasons get lost in the stress and busyness of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is just low key, and it's easy to be grateful and calm. I like to list off the things I'm grateful for, so that's what I'll do.

I'm grateful for:

**My kids, because God couldn't have blessed me more.

**My husband, because even when I want to smack him in the head-I know that he's doing his best to make our family better, and he's always trying to make sure I get the things that I want (who couldn't appreciate that?)

**All the rest of my extended family...because even on a bad day I couldn't have asked for a better support system.

**My job. I may complain about money, my position (or lack of movement UP the ladder) and other random things that I deal with daily. But the truth is, I'm so very lucky to have a job.

**My friends, who consist of some of the most loyal, loving, kind people I've ever come across in my life.

**Other randoms:

Corridor X - taking time off my travel 5 days a week.

Trampolines - making it easier to workout AND I get to spend quality time with my kids.

Books - Because when you get a good one it truly does take you away from everything for a ttle while.

Girls Nights/Days - Hanging out with ONLY girls is sometimes a necessity to maintaining sanity.

Cameras - Because I can review the photos and videos that have been taken and remember those little moments with total clarity.

Here's a few random pictures that I've saved and thought I would share. They are all of South Highland Presbyterian in Downtown Birmingham:

Nov. 25th 2009-

Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.

-1CH 29:13

God Bless America!

We've had a really good couple of weeks! 2 Saturday's ago I went with my mom & friend Terri to the Southern Magic Readers Luncheon. A bunch of published romance authors and a ton of readers get together and listen to a couple of great speakers and eat some really good food...OH, and a BUNCH of good baskets to give away. It was fun, as always! I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to read. In fact, this year I won a wonderful basket by Beverly Barton. Beverly writes suspense/thriller/mystery types. She's a great author. In fact, my friend Terri loves her and last year won a "Name in a book" contest. So, Beverly's book that will be released in February will feature a character named Terri Owens. And I've gotten my name in Kelley St. John's book "To Catch a Cheat". It's a very neat to read your name in a published book.

Wednesday was Veteran's Day (of course) and Josh took off work to keep Brady and take him, for the 2nd year, to the Veteran's Day Parade. I also decided to take 1/2 a day off work and met my boys for lunch and then we rode downtown for the nations OLDEST Veteran's Day parade (thanks mom, for that informational tidbit). Braden got his own American flag and a big thing of cotton candy and he was completely entertained by all the people in the parade. Oh, he really loved marching with the soldiers and bands. Here's some pics...

When we got home we were met by a very nice couple that adopted our next to last puppy. Since then our last puppy has been bathed and now resides in an extra crate in our laundry room. He was very lonely with out his brother, but he's doing better now. Lets hope we find him the perfect home, this poor baby deserves it.

Okay, Saturday I took Kendall downtown for her pictures with Jaclyn. We went roaming around town and took a ton of pictures. Kendall looked so pretty, I can't wait to see them...and I can't WAIT to show everyone!!

Nov. 16th 2009-

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

-Thomas Jefferson

Fall is Falling

What I love about fall...the colors, the cool air, football (duh) and family get togethers (which are coming up soon). I am so glad I'm not sweating all the time anymore! Josh, Kendall, Braden & I had a great Halloween weekend. The kids had so much fun dressing up and going to our friends Jay & KB's house for trick or treating and hay rides. This was after having a mommy-Braden day on Friday. We actually went back to the Pumpkin Patch with my friend Jaclyn & her little boy Eli. We had a lot of fun and Brady finally got to do this bungee thing that he wanted to do last time. Unfortunately the long line & price kept him from being able to do it when we went a week ago. I was proud of him, they took him as high up as it would go and he just loved it. He's such a little daredevil. ...here's a few pictures:

We also took several good pictures downtown on Sunday, but I don't want to share all of those yet because I've got to decide which picture(s) to use for our Christmas card, and then I'll share some of the others with everyone. Jaclyn did SUCH a wonderful job!!

So this weekend... I've got the RWA Reader's Luncheon in Homewood and then Sunday we've got my dad's birthday party. WOOHOO! Always nice to have fun things going on!

Nov. 2nd 2009-

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"

-Dexter Kozen