An Open Letter to December (Because that’s what blogs are for…)

Dear December,

Thank you for sucking less than November. November felt cold like February and hectic like September, and that just doesn’t fly with me. December, thanks for charging in like a steam-roller but going back in time and slowing down a bit -- and for being warmer (temperature-wise and sentiment-wise). I know in November we’re supposed to reflect and give thanks, but I think you, December, are a better reminder of why we should be thankful. November has Black Friday (and all of the other marketing-based theme days that follow), but by this point in mid-December, we’re all “big-deal-discount”ed out. December, you give me an excuse to do something special for my loved ones or pick up something special that makes me think of them. Things that I think they might like or could use; I like that.

It’s easy to get lost in the hustle of it all, but I love the serendipity of “I just happened to bump into this while shopping for toilet paper and it caught my eye and distracted me from actually purchasing what I intended to purchase during my trip to the store (turn around and go back again...Toilet paper canNOT be forgotten), but it was worth it because of the joy I got from thinking of you and hope you can get joy from this gift.” Or the “I’ve been researching all year and reading lots of kids’ books to try to find the perfect book for your family and I think your little one will chuckle at this silly picture book and I love giving books because it gives parents a children a special time together to bond and learn and love and maybe even build tradition.” Or the “Let’s spend some extra time together today just wasting time, but it isn't wasting time because it is making memories together” moments.

And there’s the part of December that reminds me that, even though it can be hectic cramming four family birthdays in on top of the rest of the holidays, it’s nice to have such amazing family and friends to celebrate with -- and fortunate to have the means to celebrate together. Thanks also for helping me remember moments spent with those I've lost -- Sometimes those reminders are hard, but the memories are always special and heartwarming.  December really is a time for togetherness and thankfulness and mindfulness -- and excess amounts of complex carbohydrates. (And sweatpants.)

Much love, dear December (even though I still don’t like winter),

Cara

Take Notes

Have you seen this blog? It's one of my new favorites. Who doesn't need to be reminded to be thankful? Life can sweep you up and drag you along sometimes, it's nice to stop and try to think of something to be thankful for, even if that thing is Monday or traffic or a boring meeting. Today I'm saying thank you to Leah Dieterich and her wonderful thank you notes.

Anyway, it's worth a look see and a bookmark and frequent visits.

Guest Post: Waiting With a Smile

Jennie was our roommate. Well, maybe Lindsey never really lived in the same apartment, but she might as well have. Jennie is an amazing person, a dedicated teacher, a devoted wife and a very caring friend. She also makes awesome cakes that look and taste delish. We love our Jennie!


Why are we always looking for more when what we have always wanted is staring us in the face?

In October, my husband and I decided to stop preventing pregnancy. I have always known that conceiving a child would not be easy since I have a family history full of infertility and many symptoms of a condition known as PCOS, but I still hoped it would come right away. After hearing about a neighbor becoming pregnant and getting a call from my sister to announce she had an adorable new nephew, I was feeling rather down. I was starting to wonder why it is so hard for me to get what I want! As I was driving home feeling sorry for myself, I was struck with the realization that I have the most amazing family already and I will get a baby when God wants me to have one.

I spent a great deal of my four years at college wanting a husband and a teaching job. Although I tried to focus on having fun with what I was doing at the time, I still wasted too much time waiting for the future. Now that I have an amazing husband who loves me and a wonderful job (the exact thing I was waiting for two years ago) I certainly don’t want to waste my time waiting for tomorrow.

So here is my advice to others and mostly myself: No matter where you are in life - be happy. I can’t think of a time (whether you are a single adult waiting for your knight in shining armor and dream job or a mother of three just waiting for your kids to make it to all-day school) where there isn’t something to be happy about and a million things to learn.

A Thankful Heart

This would technically be a Christmas song, but I think it's the perfect transition. Also, I love it and it makes me happy. Hope it does the same for you (goodness knows we need a post Black Friday shopping pick-me-up)!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpb9EbmvM5M

Happy Thanksgiving

Of course, in the spirit of the season, you will get a list (we really do LOVE lists!) of some of the things we are thankful to have in our lives. Please feel free to add your own lists* to the comments. Let's all be thankful!

Lindsey

I am thankful for...

• family and friends
• Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Macadamia ice cream
• sweet smelling babies
• my nephews and niece
• my creative talents
• good TV shows (being specific would take another whole list)
  
• books and a bookshelf to put them on
• strawberries (covered in chocolate)
• creamy soups
• a new room full of things I love
• my health (even though it sucks most of the time)
• music
• my iPod (Robin Sparkles) and my laptop (Cheese)
• my mom
• hot actors to drool over
• blogs (and the people who read them)
• parentheses
• Glee
  
• being able to spend so much time with my nephews
• Google Reader, Facebook, IM, Skype - technology in general
• Sufjan Stevens singing The Friendly Beasts
• the camera game
• Old Navy and Target
• my sister and brother-in-law and the support they give me
• children's programming that doesn't make me want to smash my head into the wall
  

Miri
I am thankful for...

Mike, my cute husband. Living close to family. Having brand new nieces and nephews. Contact lenses. Reusable shopping bags. Planes that let us cross the country in a few hours. Owning a car. Living close to where I work. Having my personal library at home. Libraries. Free wi-fi connections at bookstores. Slip-on shoes (because I hate tying shoelaces). Kitchen appliances that make cooking easier. Fully cooked bacon from the store. My laptop. Mike being able to play the guitar. DVD players. Friends, roommates... countrymen... That I got to go to college. Comfy blankets. Board games and people to play with. Sunday dinner with family. Digital cameras. Facebook. BBC movies and mini series. Cell phones that can use the internet. Comfortable jeans. Flat-irons. Half-Price Books. Online banking (for what it's worth, which isn't all that much if we're being honest). Disposable diapers. The Food Network. The holidays, especially Christmas. Disney movies. Blogger, for making blogging easy. Cute earrings. Music. My iPod. Shoes. Sweaters. Fall, my favorite season of the year. Dishwashers, microwaves, washers and dryers. Musicals. Wal-Mart being open 24 hours a day. Books!


Megan

I am thankful for...

• Cell phones, Skype, IM, Facebook, and blogs for keeping me in touch with my family and friends while I'm in the wilds of Indiana.
• Cards from my mom (this time Thanksgiving dinner aids)
• my parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces
• My church and my branch.
• the BBC (yeah, Miri already said it, but I'm currently watching Rupert Everett as Sherlock Holmes, and I feel great about it)
• cook books and cooking blogs
• Bloomington, especially now that the square is full of Christmas lights, but also when the leaves were in full color and when it was warm enough to go to the lake.
• My amazing roommates, past and present.
• NPR, particularly Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, This American Life and All Songs Considered.
• Stella (my car).
• The National, Andrew Bird, Damien Rice, Paul Simon, Bon Iver.
• America's Next Top Model, for making me laugh.
• Good movies. Old movies. Stadium seating in theaters. Popcorn.
• Indian food, sushi, Wendy's.
• The Office. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• Gregory Peck, Paul Newman. Jimmy Stewart.
• A job, especially one where I get to work with my brother.
• SLIS.
• Lee Pace/Pushing Daisies.
• Springform pans and subsequently cheesecake.
• Mountains. England. Oh, how I miss them.
• Shakespeare, especially in performance. Tom Stoppard.
• Opera, especially Mozart.
• French toast, waffles, omelets. The Cyber Cafe with its life-giving danishes and pumpkin-cream cheese muffins.
• Jane Eyre.
• Billy Collins, T.S. Eliot, Emily Dickinson.
• Book club, British Sunday, dinner group, Institute choir.
• Pie, our kitchen, the upcoming holiday and the people I have to spend it with even though I can't go home.
• That I'll be going home very soon.
  

*It may go without saying, but these lists are in no particular order. I promise you all we are more thankful for our mothers than we are for technology, ice cream and contact lenses.

Be Thankful

I have had a rough year. So much happened and there were so many things going on inside my head that I began to doubt everything about myself. I struggled to make the most simple decisions and I basically allowed myself to just shut down. I was overcome with thoughts of things I had lost: a job, my independence, a social life, even unknown opportunities. Eventually, I learned that it was best for me to stop and just focus on the things I did have in my life--the things that would always be there and the things that made me happiest.

It's not an easy thing to do. You have to remind yourself constantly and you have to recognize when you are letting yourself get bogged down by "I wish" and "I want" and "what if." I go through my ups and downs with this exercise and sometimes I ignore it on purpose (those would be my mopiest times). But the truth of the matter is that I have so much to be thankful for... my life just isn't normal right now, and maybe that's the best part.

The moral of this story is to remember to be thankful all year round. Be thankful for all of the things that make you who you are and all of the people who love you for them. Be thankful for chocolate and babies and silly things like vampire movies and Psych marathons and finding the perfect pair of fuzzy slippers. Be thankful for the washer and dryer (I know I am...without those lovely pieces of machinery none of my clothes would get clean, at least not by me). Be thankful for the little moments and the big moments. It's easy to let things fly by without notice... choose to find those things and give thanks.