Giving Thanks

It is so hard for me to believe that the month of November is nearing its end and we are only about a month away from a new year.  I hope you all enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving weekend.  I know it was different for many of us this year, but what better time than November and Thanksgiving weekend to remember to be grateful for all that we have.  I have made a point this month of finding moments to be thankful every single day.  From silly things like tacos to more abstract things like perspective and the arts, to the most important things like my girls, I have so much to be thankful for every single day. 

This week was a quiet one for us.  I did work early in the week, but was happy to have a long weekend.  The weather this week was mild so we were able to get out for some nice walks every day and Peaches was happy to snuggle up on my lap while I watched the annual Gilmore Girls marathon on UPtv each night. 

It's become our nightly ritual all week long for her to climb into my lap and she's loved every minute.

The work week flew by and Thanksgiving arrived.  With no family gatherings to attend this year, I cooked a small dinner.  But before dinner we got out for a nice walk.  

The girls were happy to help me with meal prep and of course I shared some cauliflower and brussel sprouts with them.   Since I didn't need a huge meal, I only prepared a turkey breast with mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, and the veggies for the meal.  I was also thankful for an easy day of meal prep!  

We ate a quiet dinner. and after I was done. I had a nice call with my parents and with Nicol and then settled in to watch The Wizard of Oz.  It was a wonderfully peaceful day and I enjoyed it very much.

After a quiet day at home on Thursday, I had some fun plans for Friday night...but first I had some things to check off the to-do list.  Friday morning was spent cleaning up my Fall decorations and starting to decorate for Christmas.  Also, a month after my car accident, I finally got a vehicle thanks to the help of my awesome car guy, Chuck.  It's a temporary car to get me through the Winter and to give me time to find the perfect replacement Jeep for me.  While it's not a Jeep yet, I'm certainly thankful to have a car in the event that I need it.

Finally Friday afternoon arrived and Vanessa picked us up for some Holiday fun.  The girls and I jumped into Vanessa's car and headed off for a little geocaching on the way to the Magic of Lights event at DTE.   After a stop for some salted caramel hot chocolate, we arrived at DTE and enjoyed our drive through the light display.

As we were driving home from DTE, we decided to make an additional stop at Crossroads Village for the Christmas at Crossroads Holiday Magic Drive Thru.  It was only slightly out of our way so why not add a little adventure to the day?  We arrived at Crossroads Village and got within a 1/2 mile of the entrance before coming to a complete stop.   It took us over an hour to make it to the entrance, but we were glad that we had stuck it out and made it in for the light display.  

The light display at Crossroad Village was excellent and we enjoyed the Christmas music playing through the village as we drove through.  Thanks to the mild weather we were able to roll the windows down and take it all in as we drove through the display.  We were definitely not disappointed with our detour.  

On Saturday, I was excited to be able to get together with Katelyn, Emmalee, and Vanessa for a walk with the girls.  Emmalee was in town for the weekend and we don't get to see her much, so we always try to make an effort to get together any time she's home.  

Of course, wherever Katelyn goes, Arlo joins as well.  We were happy to see him too.  Poor Arlo was the only boy to join our group for the walk, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

It was a beautiful day, mid 40s with sunshine, for our walk along the Riverwalk and I even got to walk without a dog for a bit.  That is a rare occurrence, but Emmalee was happy to walk Peaches and Maddie always prefers to walk with Vanessa.  We had a great walk and the girls were happy to see all of their friends.

On our way home from our walk, we picked up our fresh cut Christmas Tree and some tacos from the taco truck so we could settle in for a nice evening at home.  I got the lights and garland on the tree and enjoyed my tacos while enjoying the sparkly lights and the wonderful smell of the tree.  

The weather today was near 50 and sunny so we were able to spend some quality time outside.  I was able to mow the lawn one last time to help mulch the leaves in the backyard and do a little additional yard clean up.  The yard is definitely ready for Winter now.  I was also able to do a thorough cleaning of the new vehicle and take the girls for a nice walk at dusk to enjoy some of the neighborhood Christmas lights.

I spent the rest of the evening continuing to decorate the house for Christmas.  I still have a couple of finishing touches to make before I'm done, but I'm officially ready to enjoy the Holiday season.  The next few weeks, we have plans for some fun and safe Holiday adventures, but I am also looking forward to the peace and quiet of the Holiday season at home.  I hope that you all enjoy our upcoming Holiday season too. We look forward to sharing our adventures with you.