Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

I got this lovely email a few days ago. It truly made my day:

Hello,

> This time of the year with thanksgiving coming up next weekend (and no thanksgiving to celebrate in Sweden), we think about the wondeful time we had at your house at thanksgiving last year.

>

> This year, we are thankful that we have this great evening to remember! What a nice time we had, your hospitality was fantastic, and the evening gave us so many nice memories.

>

> Again, thank you for having us, we send all our love to everyone that will celebrate with you this year! And if you're ever in Stockholm, we would love to show you around!

>

> Happy thanksgiving!

>

> Kajsa and Martin

M.Anne, Martin, Kajsa, Martin

We had a great meal and played Minute To Win It hosted by Cal, and everyone had a fun time.  This year we don't have any new guests (planned anyway), but will enjoy the usual suspects.

In addition I am grateful for:

• having my 3 kids under my roof for a few days
• a vigorous walk with Pat this morning
• a job close to home that I enjoy
• a four day weekend
• money in the bank
• a sense of humor
• good health

It's so nice to have a national holiday that has for the most part stayed uncommercialized (pet peeve- blow up turkeys waving in people's front yards) that celebrates family, food, hospitality, and thankfulness. I wish for everyone to have this in their hearts this 27th day of November 2014.

Golf Ball Challenge

Yulia and Pat

My little Wellness Warrior plan for Thanksgiving 2014- take a walk no matter what the weather is (check), only eat one plate of food at dinner, only one dessert.  I didn't say anything about Krispie Kremes for breakfast, or how big my plate is, or how high my dessert is piled, did I?

Wellness Warrior

In my new job with a hospital (I work in the behavioral health clinic) it has been refreshing to encounter a focus on health for the employees. So far, this has translated into an extra $70 and a day off work for me, by participating in wellness activities and meeting certain biometric benchmarks. Last month was WalkTober, and we turned in miles walked using a pedometer. My first pedometer busted on the floor of the bathroom at the movie theater, but I found another one and finished the challenge, usually exceeding 10,000 steps a day, even though my job is about as sedentary as you can get.

This month's (actually 6 weeks) challenge is to complete a Couch to 5K Run or do a pull-up AKA be a Wellness Warrior. My idea is to head into the holidays as fit as possible so that I can enjoy all the treats of  the season. Since I hate to run, I chose the pull up. Sounds easy, huh? Not so. My baseline is 30 pull ups several times a week, with a counter balance of 40 pounds on an assisted pull up machine.

This week's challenge is to add 3 planks and 30-50 push ups per day in addition to your regular work out at different intervals. *break for 20 push ups* I'm back. This is really amping things up. My first plank was 30 seconds, my longest so far is 65 seconds. Supposedly, 2 minutes is the benchmark to shoot for, and I have a few more days to go.

On another note, November is feeling cold, cloudy and dreary. Perfect nap weather. *break for nap* Wow, I thought I just lost this post, but it came back. It's so boring, I knew I wouldn't have the energy to re-write it.

My new schedule is 9:00-6:00 Monday through Thursday. One advantage to working until 6:00 pm is having dinner on the table when I get home. I have to say, Pat has really stepped up in the cooking department. One delicious dinner he made was pork chops dipped in egg and Ritz Crackers. It was literally like Crack, one bite and I couldn't stop.

I don't believe in Christmas coming before Thanksgiving, however this year I already jumped the gun. Before Halloween, I had some colored lights I got from my mom's downsizing project and so I strung them all over our tiny Spruce, Bruce, outside. I haven't turned it on yet, but I still feel a little guilty. I also started Christmas shopping, mostly stocking stuffers that I see and can't resist. For some reason, I am now in the mood to decorate my dollhouse for Christmas. *break for miniature lights and tress* Okay, that's done now. The roofers have finally come...I need a cute, clever address for my house. Any ideas?

Lisa and Maggie playing in the attic.

The living room: