Halloweeeeeeeeeen!

Now that it is November it's time to start the traditional - attitude of gratitude month. Boo-yah! I need a theme (we all know the Carlklef posts have been lacking in a certain pizazz lately - this is just the thing I need to get me re-dedicated).

So to start things off - I'm grateful that I was able to see all these kiddo's dressed up in their Halloween garb on Halloween. And yes, Davin really does have on a puffy pirate shirt. He doesn't know the Seinfeld joke but he does know that he looks awesome - and really that's all that matters. Just wait until I show you Mickey and Minnie Mouse - the only word to describe it is awesome.

As far as our costumes are concerned - we were extra lame this year. Greg dressed up as Dr. House - but he didn't have a cane so he was "healthy House." I wore all black and just tried to pass myself off as the kiss of death. Lame to the limit. But next year - we'll be all over it.

Bonus points and maybe a knitted washcloth to whoever can guess who Drake is (the scary black costume in the group shot).

the turkey made the turkey

We had a great Thanksgiving (but honestly, who is really going to post and say, "Our Thanksgiving was horrible"?). We went to St. George and partied it up at Club Carlston. Finally a real vacation - we slept in and chillaxed to the limit - watched some movies, went hiking, rode our bikes around town, and broke down and purchased Guitar Hero - or Rock Band. Whatever - they are the same to me. As part of our payment to stay at Club Carlston we agreed to make the Turkey - and by we, I mean Ross (although I really was the sous chef - I chopped some onions and poured on the spices). It turned out splendidly. Ross was very, very proud of his creation and found an excuse to put the leftover turkey on just about everything . . . until Saturday when he broke down and admitted that he needed to eat something different. I think it must have been the turkey on cereal that made him realize he had gone too far.

Gratitude - it's almost over

Being grateful all the time takes a lot of effort. So it is pretty much the end of November - and I'm exhausted. In grand finale - I thought I'd make a list of just a few other things that I am grateful for:

1) I'm grateful that Ross insists on keeping the Subaru "prepared." I mean if we were ever caught in a storm we'd have a 24 hour food kit, emergency blankets, flashlights - you name it. Not that I ever plan on that kind of stuff ever really happening. But it came in handy last night when we went to check out a house for sale (in foreclosure) that had all its electricity turned off. Lucky for us Greg busted out our emergency flashlights and we toured the place. We aren't buying the money pit - but at least it's another one we can cross off our list.


2) I'm grateful that we haven't taken the love bus one day this week to work. We have been able to sleep in until the blissful hour of 6:30 am and it has been awesome. Not awesome on the sube, she started smoking yesterday and we thought she was a goner - but awesome on the sleep schedule.


3) I'm grateful for Real Wives of Orange County - that's right - the women are back and I can't help but like that show. I stayed up to watch the season premiere last night - their lifestyles and concerns are SO RIDICULOUS - and I love how they act like they are all competing against each other. Actually, I don't love it - it is a sorry take on women - but at the same time I watch it and look forward to it.


4) Finally - I'm thankful for ridiculous things like this etsy shop that sells this crazy knitted necklace (see pic). I almost am interested in making one for the sheer joy of giving it away as a white elephant gift. But instead, I'm afraid, I better focus in on finishing this blanket that I have been working on since 1982. Soon - one day - it will be finished.

olive you!

Today I'm grateful that Ross loves olives. Ross loves olives so much that I didn't even have to make breakfast the other day - instead he dished himself up a bowl of olives and voila - a meal! Personally, I think this is disgusting to the limit but he found it delicious. While I'm on the subject, I am also grateful for a job where I can take any classes I want (provided they don't conflict with my job responsibilities). This means that maybe, just maybe, I will take a cooking class to try and help expand Ross's food horizons and my cooking skills. Or maybe I will just take calculus, you know, to brush up on my math skills. I think that's my problem - I would rather take calculus than be a better cook.

Now if only I could convince Ross to take that furniture/wood-working making design class that Matt G. took. I know how grateful Alyssa is for all her beautiful handmade furniture - and I want to feel the same!

I'm Grateful Too

Today I am grateful that my vote counted. KT was so grateful, she sent me this virtual cake. She is also happy/grateful that my vote counted because:

1. She doesn't have to listen to me wonder what in the world Sherrie Swensen is doing with my vote, and
2. She doesn't have to put up with my complaints about how Salt Lake County denied my vote, for the next 4 years.
   

As a side note, I wonder if how I voted affected whether it counted or not. I mean, who knows the process for these things. I imagine a table in a room where a person goes through the pile of provisional votes and reads them to a representative from each party who then make arguments on the validity of the vote until they reach a decision. Passionate arguments would be made by each side until justice and democracy prevail. I'm sure there would be some sort of gavel banging to make it official. Unfortunately, it is probably much less dramatic than that. It's not like Utah is a swing state. They just pile the votes from all the "official" red bags (more about my encounter with the red bags here) on a table and make sure the paperwork appears valid and nobody used crayons to fill in the bubbles. Either way, democracy in action is something to be grateful for, even a couple of weeks late.

You know how a lot of people say - you should be grateful for your "trials" because those are the things that make you stronger? I thought I would try it:

1) I'm grateful for zits. No, no I'm not, but maybe if I say it I will realize that these pesky things give me character. Except nope, this isn't working. I'm not grateful for zits. Ever. I don't get them often but when I do - I feel like I am a cursed woman - and right now - I'm cursed.

2) I'm grateful for my Thomas Kinkade mouse pad. Everyday at work I can look at this mousepad and be reminded that there is good art and then there is bad art. Very bad art.

3) I'm grateful that our dream house really isn't our dream house. We found (what what we thought) to be the perfect place. On closer inspection we realized that while the floorplan is probably the most perfect thing ever - the construction and all the finishings are all pure crap. Back to the drawing board - and back to my parent's basement. So I'm grateful that we are having a really difficult time finding anything we really like.

4) I'm grateful today is Wednesday. Nope. Again not working. I wish it were Friday.

he made it!

Today I'm grateful that this:

became this:

8 lbs 11 ozs - 21 inches long - baby boy - congrats to Kevin and Telacia - this really is the miracle baby.

chaos abounds

The best description of this weekend is - chaotic. That's what happens when some parents go on vacation, other parents arrive for a visit, and other parents get ready for a new baby (scheduled for tomorrow!). In keeping with being grateful - I'm grateful that Charlotte managed to keep the house spic and span with her cleaning, Sarah got to hold baby Ezra (who probably weighs almost as much as she does) and my mom (kind of) got her Christmas card picture.

I'm also grateful that Haylee brought her scissors (minus her professional cape - hence the garbage sack) so that Greg is no longer the beastmaster. Check out all that hair.

And that was just a trim.

dancesport

Today I am grateful for a little known competition called, "dancesport." This competition translates into me seeing a lot of the following on campus - and it is awesome:

1) glitter 2) fake eyelashes 3) sequins 4) couples getting passive-aggressively mad at each other as one of them misses a step 5) stage-moms walking around holding their daughter's important sequined dresses.





I'm grateful for dancesport because it reminds me of the AWESOME movie, "Strictly Ballroom."

I'm not grateful for the fact that Ross has two left feet so the dream of entering dancesport will always remain a wish.

gratitude abounds

Last night Greg and I were discussing Christmas. We came to the conclusion that because we get 10% off at the bookstore we might as well make sure that all the gifts we give each other come from that amazing store. SWEEEEEET. So today, I'm grateful for all the potential gifts that I will be getting from Greg (who says that this year he plans on "showering" me with gifts - I'll believe that when I see it). So for the time being - here are some potential new items that I will soon be grateful for:

1) Chenille pajama pants emblazoned with a "Y"


2) Hoodie jacket emblazoned with a "Y"


3) Shoes emblazoned with a "Y"


4) Bathrobe emblazoned with a "Y"


5) A replica of the sword of Laban in a fancy glass case.


6) A replica of a lot of amazing other religious items all in their own fancy glass case. (Jill St. John will be SO jealous).


Sweet. I guess I am thankful for the upcoming holiday.

grateful post 5,467

Today I/we are thankful for the following (in no particular order of importance):

1) Bombay House. We celebrated the close of our house by feasting on the delicious Indian food.

2) The crazy dreams I had last night after feasting on the delicious Indian food. Ashley and Scott - I don't know if you read this blog (probably not) but man - you guys were prominently featured in my dream and you guys were C-a-r-a-z-y.

3) Lily's cinnamon bears she dropped off at my office celebrating the fact that maybe just maybe we can hang out with the Mott's soon - because we hopefully, one day, will live closer to each other, before they move.

4) This morning getting off the bus I saw a girl smoking. On BYU campus. It was awesome.

this is a big one

I (we) are so so so so so so grateful that yesterday it became official . . . we sold our Chicago loft. Not just put it under contract - nope - sold/closed/finished/finito. Our buyer was a piece of work but we managed to negotiate and make it happen - without letting our emotions get in the way (it was tough). Selling our home in this market is pretty much a miracle of all miracles. While we still miss our friends (immensely) we are just grateful that with our home sold this means that maybe just maybe we might be able to buy a new place and live a little bit closer to work. I mean riding the love bus is fun but it gets really, really old.

gratefulness continues

This weekend I kept making a list of all the things I am grateful for:

1) Cozy 106.5. That's right - a really stupid radio station that does something totally awesome on Saturday nights. What is it? It plays showtunes on Saturdays. Honestly, what could be better than listening to showtunes while driving around on Saturday night running errands? NOTHING! While living in Chicago I often lamented that we didn't have this perk. Well we're back - and Saturday night Cozy 106.5 it is. I still have Edelweiss in my head from the duet that I sang with Christopher Plummer on Saturday. (I'm also grateful that my husband not only puts up with this but lets me sing loudly and pretends that it sounds okay).

2) That I never have to watch the movie "The Magnificent Seven" again. Been there. Done that. And never doing it again.

3) My hearing. I sat on the back row with a bunch of little old ladies in relief society that didn't have great hearing. I know this because the things they were saying really should have been said in quiet voices. They were speaking so loudly it was difficult to hear the lesson.

gratitude continues_

Today I'm grateful for Thursday night television. Not just all Thursday night tv. NO. Specifically, "the office" and "30 rock". Last night Oprah's appearance on "30 Rock" was hilarious. Sure, I was forced to watch it alone in my parent's bedroom as everyone else insisted on watching the U/TCU game (even though I CALLED the big screen. I CALLED IT!). Oh well. It was still really, really, really funny. And if taffy from Rhode Island, paisley, and sweater capes are on Oprah's favorite thing list - that will make me laugh even more.

I'm starting to worry that my gratitude list seems a little shallow.

gratitude continues

Today I am grateful for a healthy body. I mean being able to walk or run or lolly-gag is really a blessing. I am reminded of this because the other day Greg and I did one of our ridiculously hard cross-fit work outs. I am now reaping the benefits of this workout. The benefits of soreness. My arms right now are so sore that it makes it difficult, if not impossible, to pull my hair in a ponytail. Forget about washing my golden locks - I can't get my arms above my head to master the task.

an attitude of gratitude

I always mean to focus on being more grateful during November, this being the "attitude of gratitude." So I guess I am grateful for those ridiculous torso cozy sweaters being worn around campus (thanks for the term, Karyn). Moving on . . .

I'm grateful that I read this book. I really, really, really loved it. I loved it so much that I am making Greg read it and he is loving it too. Loving it so much that this morning, amidst the bus silence, he started laughing out loud. Embarrassing.

Greg is grateful I voted. It has been a long hiatus since I hit the polls. I won't disclose how long because then people will know my age and that's none of anyone's beeswax. And just so you know - I was the lone reed . . . I voted for Nader.

It's electric! (boogie-woogie-from the song)

I am late with my gratitude postings. I'm sure you all have been waiting with baited breath. Don't worry, I still am grateful for things. It's just that the past few days have been busy. Today, to mix things up I decided to take some pictures of some everyday items that make me feel grateful.

The electric broom. My mother is great at sweeping. She loves to sweep. In fact, if she is talking on the phone I bet she is also sweeping (and she is talking on the phone a lot). I, on the other hand, do not love to sweep. It's just not really my thing. Growing up I never had to sweep (see above as to why). So I am so grateful that my friends, the pinks, (my sweet friends who don't blog and don't comment) gave me this broom. I love it. Especially with hardwood floors.

Mascara. I have the lightest eyelashes in the world. Thanks to my friend, Lanni, who recommended this mascara--I put on two coats and wallah--I look alive.

The quietest dishwasher. I have lived in an apartment with a dishwasher--I much prefer having a dishwasher. I have also lived in an apartment with an extremely loud dishwasher (the kind of dishwasher that makes you shout to have a conversation). Finally, in our third place-we have the best of both worlds--a dishwasher that is quiet. (To really appreciate the quiet-ness of this appliance you have to recognize how loud our first dishwasher was. . . really loud).

Heat this . . .

I am grateful for my space heater that I have in my office (the temperature can get so cold in the afternoon). I am also grateful that I didn't start a fire in my office last night. I came into work this morning and realized that I had left the heater on all night.

The River

I'm grateful that I have to cross the river everyday to get to work. This is the coldest place in Chicago--where the wind whips right through you. Crossing the river in the morning like this reminds me that a) I am alive b) I am lucky for my North Face gear and c) my day can only get better.

CTA

Today I am grateful for (drum roll please) . . . the CTA. That's right the Chicago Transit Authority. I love not having to worry about my commute. The fact that I can walk less than a block to my train and ride to work and get there in such a short time is fantastic. Sure, sometimes I have to wait longer for the train than I would like but that beats battling all the traffic and pedestrians any day. To top it off, this morning I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the doomsday predicted to happen to the CTA had not happened-my fare was still $1.75 for a quick ride to work. Even better, tonight I had to run to the yarn store after work and it was hassle free riding the CTA (even with a couple of transfers). For once, Ross didn't have to play my chauffeur. So yes, I'm grateful for my beloved blue line. No matter how slow . . . it eventually shows up and it will eventually get me there.