Thanksgiving

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving.

I went to my parents' house on Wednesday (hooray for a 5 day break from work) to make pies.  I've been making pumpkin pies with my dad on Thanksgiving Eve for... a long time!  This year we made some fantastic pies with the help of my little cousins, Mary and Emily.

What we did differently:
1. We put the pumpkin through a food mill.  This made it SUPER smooth.  No one likes a chunky pumpkin pie.
2. We added an extra secret ingredient (and by secret I mean accidental) - nutmeg!

Honestly, I think these were the best pies we ever made.  Here is a picture of what's leftover in my fridge.  I've been eating it for breakfast for almost a week!

There were lots of guests at my parents' house for Thanksgiving this year: me and Louie, of course, my brother, Pete, and my sister-in-law, Sandy, my Aunt Kammie (and inside baby Samantha) and Uncle Rob, my Aunt Sheila and Uncle Daniel along with their girls, Mary and Emily, and  my dear Uncle Dave.  It was really nice to see everyone.  I am happiest in the presence of my family, and I cherish every minute I get to spend with them.  They are all truly amazing people!

Before we had our turkey dinner, Lou and I had to make an appearance at "Chinese Thanksgiving" at The New Moon restaurant.  Louie's high-school friend's parents own this little Chinese restaurant in Clinton Township.  Every Thanksgiving they cook a feast of traditional Chinese dishes and have all of their family and friends take part.  Lou has been part of this for a number of years, and I have been lucky enough to attend the last two years.  It is so fun to visit with Alan, his parents, and any other of Lou's high-school friends that dribble in (Ed and Vicki :) )  This was the spread.  Mind you, there were 2 tables of this size set up along with at least three smaller round tables.

Then, we made our way back to my parent's house for the traditional Thanksgiving meal, too much pie, a cozy fire, and some games.  It was a busy, but wonderful day.  I wish I had taken photos!

Dog of the Week: Max!

Meet Max!

I went into the shelter this morning to do a doggy play-date.  This is where a pair of volunteers (or staff members) supervise the interaction of two dogs while they play and burn off some energy.  There were only two dogs paired up today since one dog of the second pair was adopted out yesterday (hooray!).  So, I was only tied up in my play-date for half an hour instead of the two hours I was signed up for.

After my play-date (which went very well, thank you), I stuck around to walk some dogs.  I took a couple of pullers and needed a break.  I saw "Max" written on the puppy room sheet.  He hadn't been out for a while, so I figured I'd give him a whirl.  I'm so glad I did!

I thought Mr. Max was an older doggy since he has a bit of gray on his tail, but nope!  This little guy is only 9 months old.  He walks perfectly on a leash and is super friendly.  He runs in the most adorable little leaps and bounds with his hair floofing around him.  Floofing is a word, right?  He LOVES cuddles.  In fact, he crawled up into my arms numerous times and laid his little head on my shoulder like a baby.  He didn't want to get down!

If I could have a dog right now, Max would come home with me in a heartbeat!

A Day of Rest

I am home sick today.

Usually, I love being at home, even if it is because I am sick.  I'm a homebody at heart.  But I am finding today to be quite frustrating.  Often times when I am ill, my brain goes into a kind of sleep mode while my body recovers.  I am tired and can't really think or focus on anything.  Yet, with this cold, my brain has been functioning pretty well for most of the day, but my body is still sick.  I've had trouble keeping occupied because nothing has been stimulating enough for my brain that doesn't require the use of my body.

Maybe I should have suffered through work!

However, as the sun is beginning to set (it's only 4:15 - what's up with THAT?!), I'm trying to embrace today for what it is - a true day of rest.  Today is a day where I rested my body and tried to keep a calm mind.  I don't get many days like today, and I always complain about not having them.  Even when I have days off I always fill them up with something, even if it's just dishes and laundry.  Not today.  Today I have done nothing.

It has been wonderful.

A Year of Marriage

A couple weeks ago, Louie and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary.  It is amazing how quickly time goes by.  It feels like just yesterday that we were staying up late together doing homework, walking the streets of Plymouth during the annual art fair, and making plans for our future together.

Many people told me that the first year of marriage is one of the most challenging.  I didn't find this to be true.  In fact, I found it to be very comparable, if not easier, than the previous couple of years we've spent together.  I think for many couples, the first year involves a lot of change - moving in together, realizing that marriage always a fairy tale, finding independence and maybe a new job.  For us, many of these challenges occurred before we were married, and our first year was a break from big life changes - we didn't move, we had no large events to plan, no job changes, we already lived together, etc.  Not to say we didn't have our challenging moments.  "For better and for worse, in sickness and in health" - those vows rang true.  Yet overall, we became closer to each other and developed a deeper understanding of where our life together will take us.

We had some amazing adventures!  Our honeymoon to Mackinac Island was a blast.  It was the end of the season, so there wasn't much to do. That was fine because we have strong homebody tendencies, and we were able to spend a lot of time bumming around the city and our hotel without feeling like we needed to always be doing stuff.

We went to Chicago last winter to see Les Miserables and the art museum.  I finally got to see some of Monet's works in person!

We attended the wedding of some of our best friends.

We went on our East Coast road trip which had been on our "to-do" list for years.

It has been an exciting year, and I'm looking forward many more together.  The vastness of "The Future" lies ahead of us.  There are unending choices to be made, challenges to face, and adventures to be had.  I am glad I  have Louie to hold my hand through it all.