My Favorite Week...

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. I love Fall (when there is a Fall, unlike where I live now...), I love football games, I love watching parades- especially when they're on tv so I'm not standing out in the cold to see them. I can pause them and get something to eat/drink or do anything and come back later. I love Turkey Bowls, Turkey Trots (5k's run on Thanksgiving morning), and everything having to do with it. It doesn't have the commercialism of Christmas, Halloween, Mother's Day, or any other holiday. It's an American holiday through and through and I'm definetely a patriot. I love to think of all the college students coming home for a long weekend visit and people gathering all over the country. I've never been nutty enough to fly over Thanksgiving, but it's exciting thinking about it. Because it's always on a Thursday, schools and many businesses are closed on Friday so our family gets to actually spend a few days in a row together; and then we still have a whole weekend! I love the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special. I own the DVD but still get excited when it's on tv. And by far, Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite dinner/dessert of the year. I love all of it! And when it's over, Christmas season starts!

This year we're planning a really great week. Wednesday, my best friend, Rachel, is coming from Utah with her husband, kids, and dog. (We've been wanting our dogs to meet for quite a while.) We're going to go to our annual flag football game Thursday morning at the park near our house, watch parades and football together, and play games. When dinner is over and we're sufficiently full, we're going to go to the movies. Friday we are going to decorate our house for Christmas and celebrate Rachel's son's birthday. It's going to be over all too fast, but I'm so excited...and it's just hours away from all starting!

I'm very grateful for a lot of things. Right now, Costco is at the top of my list. I'm not kidding. They bake my pies for every holiday. I'm really thankful for a lot of things but I won't make a list here.

I'm really, really grateful for my friends, old and new. Every one of you is a real gift and adds something to my life I wouldn't have otherwise. Collectively, I admire your humor, your parenting, your talents, your generous hearts, your compassion, your honesty, your strength, your patience, your ways of dealing with other people, your testimonies, and your passion for life. If a person is judged by the company they keep, then I'm doing just fine. If you're reading this, you're surely included.

If I'm just too darn busy having a wonderful time with my "sister from another mister" to write this week, have a really great Thanksgiving.

Swim and Dive Awards Banquet

Tonight was the Williams Field High School (Black Hawks) Swim and Dive Team's annual awards banquet. It was a really nice evening held at the clubhouse by the pool to a nearby neighborhood, Power Ranch. Jeremy served as the swim team men's co-captain this season. He lettered in swimming last year so he got a pin this year. He also got a certificate for being a state championship qualifier. Jeremy received the "Golden Wing" plaque for the most points scored by a male swimmer on the team for the season and received the "Black Hawk Award" plaque. That award is chosen by the coaches for the athlete who best exemplifies athleticism, sportsmanship, and academics. What an honor!

It goes without saying that we're awfully proud of him and how hard he has worked with swimming. It's such a demanding sport. And it sure makes him hungry! He used to come home from practice and make several hamburgers and eat them (buns and all), then he'd ask what was for dinner because he was hungry! At one point during the season, he wanted to quit. A caring and awesome coach talked with him and helped him see that what he's doing right now isn't just about right now, it's also about his future. He stuck out the season and is so glad he did. We're really appreciative of his coaches and the time and effort they give to the kids.

I never stop being amazed when watching our boys grow up. Seeing them achieve goals, learn important life lessons, learn to be leaders, make friends, and have a ball doing it is such a privilege. If it seems like I'm bragging...I am. I think it's a mother's right. Jeremy's an awfully sweet young man with an amazingly bright future. Way to go, Jay!

It's safe to have high expectations...

I saw Twilight today with some friends of mine. What a great afternoon; a good movie, a good lunch, and good friends. I could go see Twilight again right now! Usually I don't like a movie if I've read the book first and vice versa. This time I wasn't disappointed! Like so many people, I didn't want to expect a lot but it's ok...expect it to be really good!

Women at the Well

It's been so long since I've written. That's because I didn't really have much new to write about. My Sundays lately have been pretty busy with church, then choir practice, meetings, and practices for "Women at the Well". (I play the piano for choir and the WATW program.) Despite having to practice with the flu and my grumbling at having to leave my family yet again (who these days are really only home at the same time on Sundays), I've loved it. Last night for Enrichment, we performed "Women at the Well". Everyone did a really great job...better than any practice session we've had, which is the way I love it. It is really beyond great in this world of division and chaos to have evenings like that. It renews hope that things will ultimately be just fine. You could have heard a pin drop throughout the whole program. The voices of the singers and speakers cracked at some points and I had to bite my tongue to fight back tears--you really can't read music through tears and I didn't want to mess up and spoil the moment. Singers can be moved and have their voice crack and it adds to the feeling of the program, but a pianist messing up is another story. I have always wished I could sing but I realized last night that behind the piano is where I belong. I'm really grateful for being asked to be a part of the program and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Nostalgia...

It must be my age or something, but I had a huge, very real, very strong bout of nostalgia around 1 am. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I did my usual--I started flipping through tv channels. I found a show called "Saving Ronald Reagan". It was about the day he was shot and the doctors who worked to save him over the hours that followed. I didn't know that they didn't realize right away that he'd been shot-they thought maybe he had broken ribs from being shoved into the Presidential limo by the Secret Service. Even though I knew the ultimate outcome, I couldn't stop watching until it was over. As they wheeled him out of the trauma room toward the operating room, Nancy came over to see him and he said "honey, I forgot to duck". In the O.R. just before the doctors put him under, he lifted his head and said "I hope you all are Republicans". Upon waking after the surgery, breathing tubes prevented him from talking so he was given paper and something to write with. He wrote "am I alive?"

He had a positive outlook, a quiet strength, and a real presence. And he absolutely, without question, loved this country. He is not the first actor to get into politics but is the first to be better at politics than acting. He once asked reporters "how can a President not be an actor?" He had a point there!

When asked what he intended to do about the cold war, he said "win". He sure had a way with words. He also had a way with people. I can still hear him say "well..."

I wasn't alive when the Berlin Wall was put up, but I sure remember the day I heard President Reagan say "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!" and watched through tears as that very thing happened.

Maybe it's because I was a teenager through the 80s, but I think it's more than that. I just loved President Reagan. I'm glad I couldn't sleep last night...

Happy Birthday, Jen!

Who's got a great sister-in-law? Me, that's who. Jen is married to Ken's brother, Roland. Jen is really cool. She's friendly and is great fun to talk to, hang out with, etc. She always has great ideas and her good mood is infectious. She's more organized than a human should be and cleans compulsively...yet somehow we get along. Jen is an awesome teacher and soon-to-be Principal. She's a real go-getter, that one. She's the perfect wife for Roland which isn't always an easy job. She is excited about life and has her favorite things and favorite places. It's so fun to see something through her eyes. She bakes like nobody's business and is a great cook all-around. She's always a great hostess. She has fun stories to share and is a great listener, too. Her one fault is she lives too far away. Happy Birthday, Jen!



Sorry these pictures aren't very current, Jen...this picture is from Christmas of 2002.



This picture is from a fun visit in 2004.

Sports

This past week marked the end of the first sports season for the boys. It was a good one!

Adam's basketball team competed in the district finals. They won their game Monday and moved on to Tuesday's game. Although they lost Tuesday and didn't advance to the final, they did a great job. His school's 7th grade team did go on to win their title. We're really proud of Adam's dedication to basketball this year and are so glad he did well. He has a lot of heart and I'm sure he'll miss playing, although he's very happy that 6:30 am practices are over! He has joined the cross country running team to try to get into better condition. Good luck, Adam! We're so proud of you!

Jeremy participated in the state swim meet at ASU on Friday and Saturday. He was the only member of his high school swim team to make the finals in an individual event. Way to go, Jeremy! Two relay teams also made the finals, so Jeremy swam in three events. We're really proud of Jeremy and his swim season. He was co-captain of the boys' team for a second year and went to states for the second year in a row...and he's only a sophomore! We're looking forward to next year already. Jeremy is looking forward to some rest...



This is Jeremy (to the right) starting in his 500 freestyle race on Saturday.



This is one of Jeremy's favorite ways to relax. He took his guitar to the pool and entertained his friends and relaxed by playing songs.



This is Jeremy (left) with his relay team. Also shown, left to right, are Marcus, Saxon Thomas, and Andrew Gatti.

Austin is in 6th grade and there are fewer sports available to 6th graders. He could have played soccer but that's not really his game. He wants to join Adam in cross country, so it looks like the second sports season will be a busy one, too.

We're really happy that our boys want to get involved in sports. They have to keep up their grades to play, they make new friends, and they get some much-needed exercise while having fun.

It's November already?

We had a fun Halloween--although it was quieter than usual. We've lived in our neighborhood for six years. Each year we have been increasingly surprised by the turnout for trick-or-treating. Families have huge parties in their front yards complete with bales of hay, carved pumpkins, scarecrows, music, chili, bbq spare ribs, etc. We've been known to show movies outside, including "Monster House" and "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". As people come around to trick-or-treat, the kids get candy and the parents get some yummy food and have a fun visit. You really could spend the entire night on one street. Families from other neighborhoods have been known to come here because we have quite a reputation. No one is too young or too old to dress up and make the rounds. It has taken more and more candy to satisfy the hungry mobs, too. This year I bought five HUGE bags of candy because last year we bought three and ran out with hours to go. Around 5:30 I sat by the front door waiting for signs of the first trick-or-treaters. 6:00 came and went, 6:30, 6:45 and still no kids! I heard kids playing up the street but nobody was coming around yet. (This is especially odd because there have been years where by 5:00 the doorbell was ringing...) By about 7:15 kids starting coming around, but it just wasn't the night it usually is. We had a lot of candy left over! Austin is the only one of our kids who wanted to go trick-or-treating. He came home with 13 lbs of candy. Yes, 13. That is not a typo. So I guess he got enough for everyone! Between his stash and our leftovers, we had more than enough and threw away a lot yesterday. By only 8 pm I left our house and went to visit with neighbors. I scored some great chow mein and bbq spare ribs. Oh, and a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. Wow, that was good! Even though it was quieter than usual, it was still a fun night.

Our late summer garden is doing well (unlike our regular summer garden). Our strawberry plants are getting bigger and bigger. One of these days we may actually get some strawberries. We have five green peppers and several blossoms. And we have three tomatoes and lots of blossoms. Maybe we'll get some food for our investment after all! Here in AZ we have to use raised beds. We need about 6" of soil so we use concrete block forms and fill them with good soil. From what I understand, we can garden here year-round. I have no idea what grows at what time of year, but my thinking is that whatever plants are on sale at the garden centers is what will grow this season. I think it's a good plan.

I ask you all, where has this year gone, I can't believe it's already November! Maybe that's partly because it's still been in the 90s here. UGH! Enough already...this week is supposed to be cooler, with highs averaging in the mid 70s. That sounds much better!