and we were thankful

yesterday we hosted our annual "stragglers thanksgiving" dinner. last year it was interrupted (happily) by my family visiting and my having to feed us all. man, that was fun.

this year we had our friend michelle and her 15 year old son, gage, over as well as tami (who i work with) and her beau, keith.

i texted mick a few weeks ago asking her what their plans were. she said there was another offer on the table, but that she would check with the kid. he answered with a resounding, "kev and shan's!" i kind of figured that would happen. :)

earlier this week it dawned on me that one of the girls i work with and her boyfriend might not have plans, but want copious amounts of food. they were on and off the fence not sure what they wanted to do, but at 3:00 sent a text saying they were on their way. i also kind of figured that would happen...what, with the lure of a huge home cooked meal?

it was such a lovely day. no crazy rush to get things cooking, just a glance at my time-line on the fridge and i knew i could have a leisurely day cooking. the turkey was 18 lbs. it was one our neighbors had stored in our freezer last year. they'd gotten it for free, but had no space last year to put it in their tiny freezer. we offered up storage, thinking they'd want it for the holidays. nope.

i told brett that we were cooking it and he was surprised we'd not already. a year is my limit on freezing a turkey for someone before it becomes fair game (no pun intended). we'll have them over for soup.

we played a game for a while, in front of the fire, but we ended early because it was kind of boring...why didn't we play quelf?!?

everyone had a good time anyway. it ended up being an earlier night, but that was okay. we all were full. not only our bellies, but our hearts (well mine was).

this morning i woke at the leisurely hour of almost 9:00. i've got plans to make the turkey stock for soup. i may not get out of my jammies, jury is still out on that call.

happy birthday, bay-bee

35.

i have now known you for 13 of those 35 years. how did i get to be so lucky?

when we first met i wasn't sure you were my type. when we first met you thought i asked too many questions because you just wanted to go home. it was at work, where we met.

you make me laugh. you make my life fuller. you make the sun rise and set, according to the dog. i suppose the cats and i agree. you are pretty darn special.

i love you, kevin. possibly more than you might know.

the quiet of the day

it's a nice quiet day around here. kev has been out and about running a couple of errands. i got to stay home and start some chores. the house is now vacuumed and the laundry is underway.

i am knitting and listening to music in our living room. it's nice that i am finally using this room more. we've lived in the house for a bit more than two years now and it's been the room we've never really utilized. i'm glad it's starting to get a bit more play these days. i do think i want to hang heavier curtains in the winter, however.

kev's birthday is tomorrow. we decided to go to dinner last night at a fancy steak house with two of our closest friends. man, it was goo-ood. petite filet with a bleu cheese crust...perfectly steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms (left whole), and meh potatoes (was unanimous).

i can't believe that when we first met kev was only 22 years old, i was 24. seems like yesterday sometimes, and others it feels like forever ago.

it makes me happy, knowing i married my best friend. i hope your birthday is what you want it to be, kev. i love you.

it's the holiday season...

working retail during the holidays can be crazy. being a manager is almost even crazier. staff want off to spend time with their family and i try to accommodate as best i can. this year i've only had to tell one person that they couldn't have their original desired date off, but we compromised and adjusted the schedule so she would get an extra day to go see her family and her beau's family. thankfully the crew knows i am one person and most of them are willing to cover for a coworker now and again when i am already on the sales floor.

starting tuesday, i'm working a nine (9) day stretch on the sales floor. leading right up to turkey day. i've got the menu set and the shopping list compiled. all kev has to do is go on monday before the big day to get everything on said list. one of the evenings i will make the cheesecake. and we have to remember to take the bird out of the freezer on the sat prior to thanksgiving. it's an 18 lb bird. i hope that the 14 year old boy, 16 year old girl and their mother who are joining us for the big day are hungry. cuz i've got a feast planned.

i'm glad to get the tradition of "stragglers thanksgiving" back into practice. michelle, gage and mallory will be a welcome addition to our feast.

a slow morning

it's a rainy monday in portland. the color of the leaves that still stay attached to the japanese maple is vivid and lovely. pops of orange, yellow and red against the cold grey skies. there is a chill to the air in the house.

i long for a day in jammies, but know we have errands that must be run. that's the problem with living in the rainy climate in winter. you don't ever want to leave your house on days off. we will get out, errands will be run. but the desire to start a fire so i can sit and knit in its warm glow is strong. of course that would mean having to go out to the garage to get some wood. and my fire starter is still in bed.

so instead i sit listening to the sound of the rain on the roof and the trees, thinking of turning the heat up a bit (it's set to 62) so i can work on a fun little project for someone i hold dear to me. i have a looming deadline, this weekend. eep!

life is good. i am thankful.