What's in a day?

This year I am cooking my very first Thanksgiving turkey. I might be daunted by the cooking part if I could only get the thawing part complete. That bird sat in my sink all day long today and was just as frozen when I got home as it was when I left. Since then I have unwrapped it and bathed it and stuck it in fridge in hopes that in 8 hours it will indeed be thawed enough to cook. That's my worries for tomorrow...trying not to burn the turkey and making sure there's enough toilet paper in the bathroom for the guests.

I know others, however, for whom tomorrow is just another day. Nothing special. It may be because you're Canadian and well, you don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Maybe you've had surgery and can't get out and go anywhere. It could be that you are estranged from your family and have no one to go see. You may be in a halfway house...halfway to freedom, but not enough that you can visit family for a holiday. It could be that there's just no one left to have Thanksgiving with...or a recent loss of a loved one makes it all seem pointless.

Thanksgiving has become a springboard for Christmas in the retail world. It's an excuse to gorge ourselves in our personal world. It's a break from work and productivity in the financial world. But to others...it's just another day.

My heart is heavy thinking about those who won't be gathered with 20 other family members or the ones who's turkey dinner consists of turkey lunch meat on bread. Not that the day is anything extremely wonderful, but that it's what it represents - the thankfulness for our blessings and the people we are blessed with.

So to those of you who are having a hard time finding your blessings tomorrow...for whatever reason, remember that life is always changing. Thanksgiving is just one day. And you will experience your blessing another day.

Swingin'

A Trip to the Dentist

We may have been a little late on the dental visit, but I wanted to wait until Addison had an understanding of what was happening in hopes she would be less traumatized.
After talking about it for weeks, she excitedly went to the dentist today to get "pink sparkles" on her teeth.
I went first so she could see what was happening. I laughed as much as possible with instruments and suction and my mouth wide open while she peered so closely into the depths of my molars that the hygienist was uncomfortable.

 

This was before. The during was a little rough. I had to help the hygienist by holding her down in the chair and holding her mouth open. It sounds worse than it was, but she gets that way; goes all the way up stairs to the slide only to shimmy back down after she chickens out. In the end, she did well and her teeth looked amazing. She also was given a Belle toothbrush and was able to pick a toy out of the treasure chest.

I didn't realize until tonight that with all the excitement, the dentist forgot to give ME a new toothbrush.

 

Fortuitous Four

My very big girl...literally. She's 42inches tall, and about 43lbs, in the 97 percentile. Yes, she just turned 4. I have to share these few things so I don't lose these precious memories in this chasm I call a brain.
I learned a new verb last week.
"Mommy, prince me." I look at her puzzled. "Prince me!"
"Can you show me how to prince you?"
She then takes my hands and proceeds to dance in circles like Cinderella or Belle.
Ohhhh. Ok. I get it.
We also were invited to a Thanksgiving lunch at her school this week. There she and her classmates performed 4 Thanksgiving songs. So cute. She was not extremely interested in singing. She was too intrigued by the amount of grown-ups staring at her to sing all the words. We've got to work on that.
At the gathering I found out from another mother that her child was having anxiety concerning Addison. I had to laugh out loud when I found out why. Apparently during their time on the playground, Addison chases all the boys.
Not sure why, but I got a taste of how.
While trying to leave the lunch program, I found Addison literally skulking around a table. There, hunched underneath, a boy. She circled it like a lion hunting prey, and he was not moving. She on the other hand found great joy in this and when he made a move, she'd growl at him. Michael says she gets that all from my side of the family. We do have our aggressive tendencies. LOL
This isn't exactly a problem I though I'd be having with a girl.....but hey. Those boys will really appreciate being chased in a few more years.

The Fair!

 Me and Mom

She was fearless. 

 My daddy.

 Addison's very first pony ride. She cried because she didn't want to leave.

 

Fake horsies would do as well though...lol

San Francisco 2012

We travelled every major mode of transportation. Us on the boat to Alcatraz - Addison was the photographer.

On the plane. Addison LOOOOVED flying.

My sexy hubby.

Bay Bridge, San Francisco

Cutie Patooty dressed up for the 50's themed birthday party. You'll see this one again for Halloween.

 Down at Fisherman's Wharf eating seafood!

 Here we are on the subway/trolley.

 Addison taking pictures again. You can always tell it's her from that low perspective.

 View from the bay.

 Alcatraz

 We had an audio tour of Alcatraz. Even Addison joined in. She was very well behaved because we told her that if she was bad, we'd leave her there.

 Me and my girl with our headphones on.

 Me with bad boat hair, but sitting next to my handsome man.

It was a fantastic trip. Addison was so well behaved. We really enjoyed being a family.

Voting Day

I am never one to take a public stand on politics. I'm not sure if it's because I don't care or if I don't think that little old me matters. I couldn't tell you who's in the president's cabinet or even who our state senator was until I saw him on the ballot today. However, I know plenty of people who do care. And so in the temps struggling to reach 50 degrees today, I held a sign for a friend. The irony of it all was that after talking to the other sign holders, we were the only ones silly enough to stand out there in the cold and eventual rain and NOT get paid. Yep, they were paid help. I pondered this as I felt my lips chapping in the wind, but that thought was soon interrupted by a van full of mentally handicapped people turning into the drive. As they were banging their heads against the seats or blankly staring out the window, I failed to see how they could make any kind of informed decision, much less vote. Wow. The audacity of some politicians to heard in the mentally ill. I feel like it's just another indication of the profession.
I've heard some describe today as "epic". Conservative America is trying to take back the country. To some, we are led by Obama..the anti-Christ himself. The polls are still out. The outcome is yet to be seen. We wait, glued to our televisions as the U.S. map fills up with blue and red. I should have kept Addison up late. We could have done a political art project with our crayons and a map!