Oh Christmas Tree

It has long been my tradition to put up my Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend. Today I am grateful for beautiful Christmas lights. After I finished decorating the tree, I spent a few hours sitting in front of it, addressing cards. It was a great way to get into the holiday spirit.

Oh, and I am grateful for artificial trees. I was never able to start the season so early when I put up real one.

A Great Thanksgiving Dinner

I have to take this opportunity to plug one of my favorite restaurants. We just went to the Rochester Chop House for Thanksgiving dinner. It was wonderful. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, pumpkin pie, the whole nine yards. Now, I know what you're thinking....it just isn't Thanksgiving if you don't have leftovers. Well, they've got that covered too. For an additional $4.95, they sent us home with a plate of "leftovers" (another whole dinner, actually). So, we get to do it all over again tomorrow. Delicious!

Ornaments Galore

Last night the Hubs and I went to Frankenmuth for dinner. Then we spent the night at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. It was just a quick get-a-way, but we had a chance to shop at Bronners this morning before we came home. What an incredible display of Christmas ornaments. They had everything you could imagine. I even saw one in the shape of the hat Aretha Franklin wore at the inauguration! I really wanted that one, but I wasn't willing to spend $43.00 for it. I ended up not buying anything. Sure was fun looking, though.

Dim Sum

Yesterday we met my BFF and her husband for Dim Sum. For those who are unaware, Dim Sum (literally translated "hearts delight") involves sitting at a table while carts of appetizers are wheeled by. You select the ones that appeal to you. They are served 3-4 to a plate, and range from BBQ pork buns to chicken feet. We sip tea, and laugh and talk, while we eat WAY more than we should. But it is such great fun, I'm already looking forward to next time!

Time Off

I have to be in Lansing for a conference tomorrow, but then I am taking a 4 day weekend. I am really looking forward to the time off. Things have been getting pretty crazy at work, and are about to get a whole lot crazier as we move into our last month in our current building.
Time off sounds pretty great right about now. Trouble is that I have a whole list of things I would like to accomplish, from cleaning the oven to addressing Christmas cards. I'm sure I will be ready to go back to work to rest up!

The Royal Announcement

I am very excited about today's announcement that Prince William is engaged to Kate Middleton. I am a royal watcher from way back. Yes, I got up very early in the morning to watch all the pomp and circumstance around the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. If I can possibly manage it, I will do the same for this one. But, before that there will be much hype, and I will drink it all in. Starting with the fact that he gave her Diana's engagement ring. Now, no woman wants to wear another woman's ring...unless...it was his mother's. That is very romantic, in my book.

Cutting the Red Tape

There is an old MASH episode in which Hawkeye learns the army has listed him as deceased. He spends the rest of the show trying to undo a simple clerical error, and getting buried in the paperwork involved. That is not too far fetched if you work in today's health care system.
Today I am grateful for the opportunity to help some people deal with the red tape. I spent a good portion of today working on two such issues. One was a pregnant woman whose Medicaid caseworker had signed her up for a program that only covers contraceptive management (a little too late, as it turns out). The other was a man with a dislocated shoulder and two very good insurances. Problem was that neither wanted to claim responsibility for being the primary carrier. And, when we straightened that out, they decided the injury must have occurred either on the job, or as the result of an accident (both of which would indicate someone else should pay the claim). Just to complicate matters, his disability insurance was bombarding him with forms the orthopaedic surgeon needed to fill out, so he could continue getting some sort of income while he heals. Don't even think of getting the government involved. Their attempts to streamline the system have only made matters worse.

Euchre Prizes

I won a little money at Euchre last night. So, the Hubs and I went to breakfast at the Original Pancake House this morning. It's one of our favorite places, because they make a great pecan waffle, and their bacon is the best we've had anywhere. Then we went to Costco. I had to pick up some wine glasses that I saw at our neighbor's last night. I was guessing she had gotten them from Crate and Barrel, or some such place. But, she said she had picked them up at Costco. They were a steal too. I just had to get a set. They will look great on our holiday table.

Attitude Adjustment

I have been in a blue funk for a while now. No clue why, but after several hundred games of Free Cell it became obvious I needed to do something. So today I decided to spend the rest of November adopting what Maya Angelou calls an "attitude of gratitude". I figure this Thanksgiving month is a good time to straighten my head out.
I started my day with a dentist appointment. Hmmm....well, my COBRA is still in effect. That hour of oral punishment only cost me $10.80 out-of-pocket. And, let's not forget the nitrous oxide (yes, I do take it even for cleanings - I'm that much of a weenie).
After the dentist, I worked in the yard, and cleaned up all the dying foliage. The hubs started on the Christmas lights, and we both enjoyed the mild weather. Tonight it's an evening with our neighbors, over several rousing games of Euchre. That includes the new couple who just bought the foreclosed house on our street. My thanks to them, for sure!