Black Friday

It was cold and dark as I crawled out from underneath the warm covers at 4:00am. I was going to give this Black Friday shopping thing a try, and already I was regretting it merely because of the hour it required me to awake.

For many years I had heard tales of people getting trampled, losing fingers, even dying when they ventured out to save big on the latest appliances, toys, etc. So naturally, I was nervous about what I was going to see at the Wal-Mart in the little town they call Kennett.

My only sliver of reconciliation is that we were going to be in the company of my sister-in-law. She doesn't take crap from anyone so I was fully prepared to stay by her side the whole time. I slowly got dressed and Jordan some how managed to get me into the car. We arrive at a half full parking lot 15 minuets later and I feel my heard start to race.

We walked into the store and I was preparing myself for a scene of blood and flying limbs, mothers cussing out employees and children crying. Basically I was waiting to see anarchy at it's greatest.

Was I so pleasantly surprised when we walked in the Wal-Mart and merely received a ticket for the item we wanted and waited in line. People were greeting each other and exchanging stories about how Little Johnny and Little Susie are just dying to have the New Whatchamacallit. It was wonderful. Jordan and I got everything we had on our list (and some more) all while I kept all 10 of my much needed fingers.

All of us left with our goodies and hit the McD's drive through from some sweet tea and coffee. When we got back to my in-law's house, little Shadow was greeting us with smiles. Overall, it was a fun and happy morning. The afternoon, however, brought out my "sleepy grumpies". But I suppose that was worth it considering I can now watch Harry Potter in HD! :)

Why I love November

As I'm writing this, I can hardly believe November has already come and gone. I have to take a moment to explain why November is probably my favorite month of the year. (March comes in a close second due to the epic madness of the NCAA basketball tournament.)

First of all, November is the month where I feel fall has finally arrived. I can bring out my sweatshirts, boots, fleece, blankets, slippers, and hot chocolate and not fret about the next day being close to 70 degrees.

Second-Birthdays! My birthday falls on November 12. My mother's is November 10th. I have a couple good girlfriends that have their birthdays in November. Can I also say that Laura Bush(11/4), Grace Kelly (11/12), Claude Monet (11/14), Calvin Klein (11/19), Scarlett Johansson (11/22) C.S. Lewis (11/29), and Winston Churchill (11/30) all have November birthdays. Do you see the trend? Apparently all brilliant, fascinating, and attractive people are born in November ;)

Third-Thanksgiving. It's such an important holiday and doesn't get all the attention is deserves because Christmas has already run over it. But I like to give Thanksgiving its due focus because I don't want it to feel overlooked. It's such a simple and sweet holiday really. A day to remind us to be thankful and gracious in all circumstances. To remind ourselves that we are blessed to have our friends, family, health, and animals that just happen to taste so good.

And last-but certainty not least-Jordan and I were married in November. This past November 21st marked our 1st anniversary. I never imagined the day I would become someones wife, much less celebrate it a year later. I know time is relative to everyone. A year can be considered long, or very short. But celebrating this 1 year seemed to be the final kick in the head that said, "Yes you are married! Yes you are loved! and Yes it is gooooood! It was as if I could say, "Well we made it the first year, the next 59 don't really seem like a big deal! Bring it!" This short (or long) year seems like such an accomplishment.

This year we celebrated by going out to dinner at The Brass Lantern, a very cozy place near Kentucky Lake. And then we caught the late showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (It's wonderful to have a husband that supports and enables my Harry Potter habit.) But in all seriousness, it was the best night. To simply reflect on the past year and be in each others company is all I really needed. I am so blessed to have Jordan in my life as my husband and I will love November all the more because of him.

So, there you have it. My reasoning as to why I love November so much. Is there a month you love as much as I love November?