Tag: family

Giving Thanks

I try to give thanks for my privileged life every day, but it’s nice to have times like organized holidays to guarantee that I do it at least once a year. (Grief, I hope I’ve done it more than once a year!) Indeed, holidays are great for pausing for a moment to note the passing of time. If we didn’t have such moments, life would go by in such a blur we wouldn’t get to enjoy it as much. At least, that’s my humble opinion.

I am thankful for my loving family (mom, dad, Amy, Rachel, and Leo, and the extended family too). I am thankful for my kind & generous friends (elsaf, judiang, and so many of you out there I’d probably forget someone if I tried to list you all). I am thankful for my health and my wealth. I am thankful for the roof over my head and all the stuff under it. I am thankful for a job I love and students & coworkers who are a joy to work with. I am thankful for the freedoms that I have. I am thankful to be single & comfortable with that. I am thankful for the ability to travel when I want and where I want. I am thankful for the beautiful town that I live in, and for the beautiful planet that I live on. I am thankful that people are basically good. I am thankful for much more than I have the ability (or patience?) to write. I live a good life with good people and I hope to celebrate many, many more Thanksgivings.

I’ve been working on my Christmas MP3 collection and am, thankfully, finished. So now I get to listen to the music. Hopefully I shan’t have to do this again for some time. I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade today, and having seen Santa Claus, it’s now OK if I listen to Christmas music. (OK, I admit that some years I start before Thanksgiving. I was good this year.)

In fifteen minutes or so, the folks & I are off to my cousin’s for the Short Family Thanksgiving. I shall do my best to avoid stuffing myself like a turkey. And I shall endeavor to be thankful for the bountiful meal that we will be having. And thankful for the family that I’ll be celebrating with.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating!

Visit from Amy

Amy arrived Thursday evening for a weekend with us. Rachel was off at a retreat with her organization (Lutheran Volunteer Services) so she wasn’t able to come too. Thursday evening was also our second night of Parent/Teacher Conferences, so I didn’t get home until after 6:30pm. Amy called shortly after to say she was next door and supper was ready. Yay! Time to spend with Amy!

Unfortunately, we had school on Friday (despite the holiday), so I worked. Mom worked too, though I understand she was kidnapped during her lunch time and forced to eat good Japanese food and shop at Kohl’s by her husband and youngest daughter. Lucky lady! Still, I got home, went off to my final dental appointment regarding my wisdom teeth (I’m free!), and returned to spend more time with the ‘rents & sissy.

We went out to meet up with my coworkers at El Sombrero. Mom & Amy had margaritas & I had amaretto sours. And we all ordered yummy Mexican food and chatted with my current co-workers, many of whom were also Amy’s former teachers (and mine). After supper, dad (designated driver) drove us back so we could play cards at Granny’s.

Deanna (cousin) was home in order to see Amy and so she & Becky (aunt) & Granny, mom, Amy & I all played Shanghai Rum until after 11pm. And I won! (Surprised, judiang?) Amy did well despite not being as addicted to cards as the rest of us (well, not Shanghai Rum at any rate). She was, after all, playing for Rachel too. 🙂

Today we crammed as much quality Amy-time as we could in the day. Dad made us all Egg McMikey Sammiches (family thing, I might explain someday) and we girls headed off to Curves to be good girls. It was the first time I’d been since August. Whoops! Bad Trina! Still, we had fun – it’s always fun with friends.

We returned to home to pick up dad and have him drive us to Tipp City for their Christmas Walk day. Which turned out to be too many people in too cramped a place to look in shops that had many breakables. So after checking out the nice Hotel Gallery Shops, we returned to the car and headed down south to Far Hills Shopping Center.

Lunch was at WG Grinders, a Columbus-based chain that Amy remembered from her Columbus days. It was tasty and dad paid – yay! We then went into Far Hills Shopping Center and shopped. Books & Co. was the first stop and I got a book on Linux (silly girl – buying books doesn’t let me learn it. READING books does.) We looked around at the other shops too, but the main intent was to shop at Trader Joe’s.

We like Trader Joe’s. And Amy doesn’t have one near her city, so we took that as an excuse to return. We shopped for awhile and I spent $68.68 on all sorts of food things. We all got stuff. And then we returned home.

Amy, dad, and I visited Granny again for a little while, and then returned home for supper. Leftovers from El Sombrero, wine, cheese, and California rolls from Trader Joe’s were supper. I opened my Granello and everyone agreed it was sweet. And everyone else switched to the Gamba, a Zinfindel that dad & mom really like (and is bloody expensive – for a family that buys 2 Buck Chuck.) We ate and talked and drank and talked and ate and it was a fun time had by all. I love having Amy around. And it’ll be even better at the holidays when we get Amy *and* Rachel!

So tomorrow Amy flies back at 7am, so we’re all getting up bloody early to take her to the airport. (I missed her arrival, but damned if I’ll miss her departure!) I think our plan after that is to come home, nap, and later go to a concert at the New Madison UU Church. Sounds like a plan! 🙂