I GIVE THANKS . . .

I love Thanksgiving. No, not just for the fabulous banquet meal my mother prepares (although that is a big plus), but also for giving me a reason to reflect on all I'm thankful for. So here goes. Snooze if you'd like, I just wanted to get it down for journaling purposes for when my Alzheimer's is diagnosed.

I'm thankful for many things this year. I'm thankful for my new grandson, Nixon, and for the amazing blessing of being a grandma. I'm thankful for Heidi and for what a great mom she is. Nixon is one lucky little fella to have her! I'm grateful for my son-in-law Peter for being such a wonderful husband and fabulous dad. Nixon gets so excited when he walks through the door at the end of the day! I'm thankful for Jill and for the smiles and laughter that she brings into our home. She'll do anything for anyone and has a heart of gold. I'm thankful for my Molly and the way she is so thoughtful and kind and doesn't mind (too terribly much) being seen with her stalking mother. I'm thankful to Kevin for providing so well for our family. He worries tirelessly and I want him to know he's done a FABULOUS job at taking care of us. I'm thankful for my posse (Baxter, Scooter and Marley) even though I can't even go to the bathroom without them on my heels. I'm thankful for wonderful sisters, Kay and Elaine, who are my best friends in the world. We tease relentlessly and laugh until we wet our pants (which is getting more frequent the older we get!). I'm thankful for the best parents in the world who taught me how to serve and how to love. I'm thankful for such amazing friends who are always there for me. LDS forever! (Laurie*Denise*Shirley) And to one of my best friends, Lana, I will miss you terribly even though you're only moving twenty miles away! You've always been the shoulder I could cry on and I love you like a sister! I'm thankful for my calling in Special Needs and for all of my Special Needs girls and both Karens who have become good friends. So basically, my life is bounteously full and rich of blessings that you can't put a price tag on. I could go on and on with people who have blessed my life but the list would be endless. So, with a grateful heart I welcome Thanksgiving Day 2009.

GOING THROUGH PUBERTY AT 46?

Okay, there is a utube video that is SO GROSS. It's like an accident that you drive by and HAVE to look at. Well, this video (about four minutes long) keeps playing over in my mind when not otherwise occupied (which happens quite a bit). If you search utube for "world's biggest zit" it's a video of a girl pinching a zit on the back of some guy. Okay, it's the sickest thing you've ever seen. You totally have to see it. You'll want to vomit but it's worth the upset stomach. So, I showed Heidi the video (she loves to get zits, so she TOTALLY loved it.) Well, the next morning, I woke up with two zits. Teen-age type zits. Puberty-causing zits. I couldn't believe it. So, I'm going to try the "singing something in my head" game instead viewing the zit popping episode in my mind. I can't let this happen at age 46. Too many other things go by the way side in middle age. Acne CANNOT be an issue. So, view the video because it is truly something to see. But then watch something else that will overkill this in your mind. Like an episode of The Office. Even an annoying song that you can't get out of your head. Anything so you won't wake up with a high school face and be paranoid that when anyone looks at you they are ONLY looking at your zit.

BTW, if I don't mention anything about my wanna-be-thiness, it means it wasn't a good week and my grade, well, let's just say I sluffed the whole damn week.

The Circle of My Life

Just when I feel like I'm getting on top of doing things right, trying to stay motivated, just begining to do things a tiny bit better, what comes along? Something or some things to sabotage it. It's in the form of a holiday, birthday, season, reason, etc. Yep, I did start doing well. Then BAM. Trauma, stress, sadness, more stress and, last but not least, HALLOWEEN. I love Halloween Day but it is full of temptation! Preparing the fam's favorite food for this has all of the makings of failure (in the diet world, i mean). Success in the kitchen equals failure on the diet front in my world. Homemade buttermilk scones. Can't pass that up. At least my friend Shirley did bring veggies to offset the ridiculously high caloric content of said scones. Bless her heart for trying. "Trying" being the operative word.

Well, November is here. Well, I'll try, try, try once again. At least until Thanksgiving. Then I'll start it all over again. It's the circle of my life. A circle divided into little pie shaped pieces. Of course, it's pie.