Friday, November 30, 2012

Thankful

Day 30

On this last day of the month, I am thankful (as I am every year) that I don't have to come up with something specific that I'm thankful for anymore after today. I am thankful for so many things every day that it should be easy to pick one and post it. But it's not, or it doesn't seem to be for me (as evidenced by the fact that I just had to catch up on the last week's worth of these posts... doh!)

25 days until Christmas...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Thankful

Day 29

Today, and every day, I am thankful that I have a well-paying job that I enjoy 99% of the time. I have a great boss, and the people I work with are, by and large, a good group of people. My commute is 15 minutes or less and I can work at home when I need to. Having a job that allows you to pay the bills, eat, and have a roof over your head is good. Having a job that allows all of that, that you enjoy, and that provides enough extra to indulge your family's hockey habit and eat out a couple times a week is wonderful. I am truly thankful.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thankful

Day 28

Facebook. I know that sounds weird, but I feel so much more connected to my family and some of my friends from high school and college that I otherwise would have no idea what it going on in their lives. My favorite part of Facebook is the photos that people post. :)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Thankful

Day 27

Flannel sheets. :-)

Monday, November 26, 2012

Thankful

Day 26

Today I am thankful that my kids are fairly self-sufficient at this point and CAN get along just fine when they want to. I came home from work with a migraine (the first full-blown migraine I've had in years) and promptly went to bed (at 3:30pm). I was unable to get up without feeling like I was going to vomit until 10:30pm. The boys remained quiet and did what they needed to do until Hubby got home.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Thankful

Day 25

I am thankful for K-Dog, who seems to love us unconditionally, no matter how long we are gone on any given day. I truly believe she enjoys her alone time on any given "normal" day. However, some weekend days, like today, we are gone far longer than we would ideally like to leave her. And she's still happy to see us when we get home. :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Thankful

Day 24

Gingerbread shakes from Red Robin. 'Nuf said.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Thankful

Day 23

Thankful for an activity that lights up J-Mav's and Keeper Boy's faces. J-Mav had a goal and two assists in one of his hockey games today and was on cloud nine!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thankful

Day 22

Today is THE day of Thanksgiving... a day for family, football, and food. I am thankful that I saw or spoke to much of my family today. I was at my parents' house, as was my brother and sister-in-law and one set of aunts and uncles. I got a text from another aunt. And we talked on the phone to our niece and her mom, as well as Hubby's brother, Uncle Hooter, our sister-in-law and our nephews and niece. I am super thankful that NEXT Thanksgiving we will all be in the same time zone!




Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thankful

Day 21

Today we are thankful that SOMEONE is still playing hockey, bad though it was. Tonight we attended the Hershey Bears/Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins AHL hockey game. The Baby Pens outplayed the Bears from start to finish, but it was still great to be in an arena watching a live hockey game. :) (Extra bonus: Our cousins, who have season tickets, were there, too, and we sat with them for two periods.) 

Now for the rest of the weekend we get to watch our favorite players play in a tournament -- J-Mav and Keeper Boy. :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thankful

Day 20

I am always thankful for our "hockey family." It grows every year, and some of dearest friends have been made through the boys' hockey teams over the years.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thankful

Day 19

Thankful for health insurance today. I know not everyone is so fortunate.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thankful

Day 18

Today I am thankful for a little extra sleep. It doesn't happen often. :)

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Thankful

Day 17

Today I am thankful for the vigilance of our credit card company. They changed our card number last month after a possible "third-party breach" of some sort. We started using our new cards on 10/30, destroying the old ones. The old number was going to stay valid until about November 10, I think, to give us time to activate the new one, change any auto-pay accounts we have set up, etc. Got our statement yesterday and there were five charges on 11/7 using the old number. So it appears it was a good thing they changed the number, even though it was a pain in the butt. And they are going to refund the approximately $300 in fraudulent charges that appeared on the statement. Sometimes you get good customer service without being a bitch about it. :)

In another excellent customer service story, I had to take the truck in for service yesterday morning as the check engine light came on and it was doing something weird. The dealership (because it's still under warranty, I schlepped all the way to the dealer) thought they might need to keep it at least overnight after running the initial diagnostic, so I went next door to get a rental car as we need two cars for our activities this weekend. I got a car under the weekend special, which would've had me keeping the car through Monday. I did this because the rental place is not open on Sundays. It was $5 cheaper than the daily rate for the same timeframe. However, they told me if I was able to return the car today I could just pay the daily rate. That was fine. I went back to work. Three hours later, the dealership called and said my truck was all fixed and ready to go. Doh! So I walked back into the rental car place exactly 3 hours and 56 minutes after I had walked out. It was the same two guys behind the counter. I made a joke about how I had the car less than four hours and drove it a whopping 11 miles. I didn't even need to put gas in it. Long story short, they only charged me $17 (instead of the $43 daily rate). The $17 is the "daily" rate for the weekend special. They are not supposed to use that rate on its own... only as the conglomerate weekend rate. But I was grateful. :) Way to go, Enterprise!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Thankful

Day 16

So many things to be thankful for today! A wonderful niece who turns 21 today... vehicle warranties... and the sun. :)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Thankful

Day 15

Today I am thankful that I only need to eat two more elementary school Thanksgiving lunches. Ever.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Thankful

Day 14

Today I am thankful for the ability to play good cop, bad cop with my amazing hubby. I think I would've had a nervous breakdown by now if we didn't work together on this parenting thing.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Thankful

Day 13

Today I am thankful for my bestest friend, who is always there to listen to me complain, or cheer on my small or large victories. Love her!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Thankful

Day 12

A couple 60 degree days in November make me a happy girl!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thankful

Day 11

On this Veterans Day, I am thankful for all of the men and women who have served or are serving our country so that we may remain land of the free and home of the brave.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Thankful

Day 10

I am thankful to have a husband who doesn't believe chores around the house are "women's work."

Friday, November 9, 2012

Thankful

Day 9

TGIF!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Thankful

Day 8

I am thankful that, this year, I am not scrambling to get my Christmas shopping done for the niece and nephews in Hawaii so I can get the gifts mailed in time to beat the holiday mailing rush. Nor am I making purchasing decisions based on size and weight. Woo hoo!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Thankful

Day 7

No political ads!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Thankful

Day 6

Today I am thankful for the right to vote... even though I wasn't dressed to wait for an hour in line OUTSIDE the polling place this morning at 7am. Seven hours later, I am just about thawed out, I think...

Monday, November 5, 2012

Thankful

Day 5

The seat warmer in my truck. Seriously... one of the best inventions ever.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Thankful

Day 4

"Falling back" once a year. Today it made getting up at 6:30 to drive to another state for a hockey game a LITTLE more tolerable.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Thankful...

Day 3

Today I am thankful that we have the means to allow our boys to play the sport they so dearly love. There will be time for other things ... later in life. :)

Friday, November 2, 2012

Thankful

Day 2
As my parents are en route here to watch the boys play hockey this weekend, I am thankful that all of my kids' grandparents enjoy being around them and watching their activities, and that they make it a point to do so. So many kids aren't so lucky.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Thankful

It's that time of year again... the time when I vow to publicly say I'm thankful for something each day for an entire month. It always seems easier than it turns out to be, but here we go.

Day 1
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I am thankful that the storm tracked further north than originally expected, sparing us from something that could've been much worse. And I am thankful that my family in NJ, NY, and PA are all okay since some of them (or their property) took a direct hit.