Thankful...

It's been over a month *over a month!* since I last came by here. To be honest, I haven't slowed down much in the space of that month. My life became really busy when I took on this new teaching job. The thing is, if I didn't love what I'm doing as much as I do, I don't think I'd be able to keep this up much longer. I am being challenged, stretched, pushed...I am feeling overwhelmed, excited, exhausted, refreshed, and far too many other emotions to explain here and now. I need to remember how to say "no" because lately all of my "yes" answers are adding up to very full days. But honestly, I'll take busy and happy, over the other option any day!Being in such a good place professionally, I have hope and many things I'm dreaming about for the next five, ten years and beyond. I'm doing what I've been made to do. It is clear that my fear-filled decision to leave the field of engineering nearly 8 years ago now was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I can also honestly say that losing the teaching job that I had for the first two years I spent in Washington was a blessing that allowed me to find my way to where I am now. It's ironic to think that the process to finding joy in my career required going through so much pain and uncertainty. I am thankful for the job I have, not only is it providing for our financial needs, it is also giving me the joy that comes from doing something that is worthwhile and valuable.As I think about Thanksgiving coming up so soon, my thoughts are filled with thankfulness for my family, we are closer than ever, I can hardly believe sometimes how much my relationship with my stepson has smoothed out as we've grown closer. I may be the only "parent" in history to be glad to see a child enter adolescence and the teenage years. I like being able to relate to him on a new level. I'm also grateful for the husband, the dear man who is my best friend, who has been patient with me as I've been so busy in the past few months. He knows that I'm finding my way with my career and he is happy to see me happy. He is taking steps to pursue some long-time dreams of his own...I'm proud of him for that.

That's all for now...I'm sure I'll check back in sometime in the next several weeks, probably just in time for Christmas!

What A Bunch of Turkeys

Happy Turkey Day!!! None of the birds pictured above will be losing their lives in today's celebration. These birds belong to our neighbor, I've been watching them while they have been out of town over the last few weeks. They're actually pretty funny, they call to each other with a little popping noise and then respond with a little gobble. Easy entertainment. Hope you have a fantastic holiday!

Oh The Baking That Is A-Happenin'

I am responsible for yams and pumpkin pie tomorrow. So tonight we had a "do it yourself" dinner night - which around here usually means I eat leftovers and the husband has frozen pizza. This was perfectly fine with me though because I had to bake that pie. I had left over filling, so I mixed up more crust and made mini-pumpkin pies. I used a cupcake pan to make them, they ended up about the size of a cookie. The husband already had one, and they were approved.

So now I've got yams to make tomorrow, then we'll be ready to go feast. I am going to head over to Zumba first thing tomorrow. They are raising money for our local food bank. It's also going to be a way for me to burn a minimum of 800 calories! That way I can have a little pie without the guilt. I picked up a new scale today and broke it in once I got it out of the box...let's just say I know I need to kick myself into gear, like now!

I hope your holiday planning and prepping is going well!