Wow, what a weekend we had. It was so nice to have four days off, we really needed it. My daughter had told us about a hot tub that her friend needed to sell as they just sold their house and the new owners do not want it. We have been talking about getting one for the past year, so my daughter thought of us. Although I consider this to be about the worst time to get one, especially with Christmas around the corner and trying to save up for our Hawaii trip in February, we decided to take a look at it anyway. The thought of buying a used one really didn't appeal to me; the thought of not knowing what kind of people used it or how they took care of it kind of scared me. But since we knew the owners, it didn't bother me. So on Saturday, we went to see it, and it was love at first sight. It had everything I wanted: 8 seats, a lounger, leg jets and neck jets. I knew immediately it was going to have a new home in our backyard. After we had measured it, we went home to see what adjustments would need to be made to our backyard. First, we had to pour cement to extend our patio, then we have to hire someone to run the 220 wiring, then we have to hire someone to actually move it. On Sunday, Don dug out the lawn and braced it for the cement. Hopefully we'll have it poured this coming Saturday and the electricity taken care of. At least I hope so ... we have to have it moved by December 10th!
 

This Thanksgiving was better than I had ever imagined it could be. The day before, however, ended very stressful. The partners in our office wanted to close it early, however one partner didn't finish his assignment, therefore everyone pitched in as much as they could to get it done. Unfortunately it came down to work that only he and his assistant could do, so the rest of the office basically sat there doing nothing. The office policy is such that if the work is not done, the entire office has to stay. But, at 4:30 my boss came to me and said since I couldn't do anything I could leave, which I did. It reminded me why I usually take the day off before a holiday as a vacation day. Since I commute with someone, we usually have to drive separately as I never know what time I'm going to get off that day. Oh well, at least I have a job, although very stressful and frustrating at times.

I awoke on Thanksgiving morning to the sun shining so brightly I had almost forgotten it was November! I love California! Don and I had our menu down, right to the minute we were going to start each dish. I was in a lot of pain with my neck and back, so I was very thankful Don did the turkey and I did my famous broccoli casserole and all of the condiments, as well as decorate and set the table. My daughters arrived with their significant others bringing mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, deviled eggs and Crystal's famous pumpkin cheesecake. After dinner Don and I were amazed at how smoothly everything went, not a problem from start to finish. Shannon and Angel arrived for their 3rd dinner of the evening, and we all enjoyed each others company. The entire afternoon/evening was so enjoyable, I love how everyone gets along.

And we got some good news! Crystal and Mike had their offer on a house accepted also. So within a few days, both of my daughters found out they were going to have their very own house! How exciting! We're already talking about whose how next year's dinner is going to be at! Wherever it is, I'm sure we will all enjoy it!

 

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time. What I don't understand is why we choose one day a year to sit down and list all of the things we are thankful for. Every morning when I awake, while lying in bed the first thing I do is thank God for the new day and for all of the blessings in my life. Even years ago when every day seemed like a struggle just to get out of bed, I thanked God for for the new day. I think that's what is wrong with so much of America, God has been taken out of just about everything; so many people I see every day have a sense of "entitlement". Well, I've got news for them - we are not "entitled" to anything. Any day we may lose every "thing" that we have because of some unforeseen circumstance; but if we have faith in God and praise him even through our storms, we really have not lost anything. He is the constant in my life and I will continue to have my own personal "Thanksgiving" every day.
 

The clouds are dark and a breeze is slightly blowing through the trees causing the orange and gold leaves to sparkle as if they were gems. Although it looks as if the storm is about to unleash, the trees are still quite beautiful. We were lucky enough to miss the rain on our commute to work this morning, however I don't think we will be quite as lucky on our way home. But that's okay, I'm not driving today and I have my neck pillow so perhaps I'll take a nap. That's the great thing about having a commute partner!

I'm anxious to start the weekend. We don't have anything planned, but I'm quite happy spending time around our new house with my husband. Maybe if my neck behaves I can do a little sewing. And if it doesn't, I'll just curl up in my chair in front of the fire and do a little crocheting. Yeah, it doesn't get much better than this.
 

One of the newsletters I subscribe to suggested keeping a "Joy Journal", documenting one thing a day that has brought us joy. This is a great idea. So many days go by that we forget about the simple joys of life and only remember the greater ones. With Thanksgiving approaching, I think this is a good time for me to start "Joy Journaling". So to begin with today, let me see... the thing that has brought me joy today is having a job where I can work with my two close friends, Maureen and Barb. They keep me sane on an insane day, and can always put a smile on my face even when I want to scream. They truly make it a joy to come to work; and to think I get paid for seeing my friends all day!
 

Fall is in the air. What a beautiful site. I work near the university and the neighborhoods surrounding this area are full of trees, every kind you can imagine. During my lunch hour a co-worker and I decided to grab a bite of fast-food and drive back to work through the neighborhood. Leaves of gold and amber line the pavement of the streets; however the trees still show an abundance still waiting to fall. If I didn't know better, you would think we lived in Vermont - not California! It was such a nice break to take this 20-minute jont which transported us to a different place.

But now, it's back to work.
 

It's harder and harder for me to sit at the computer, so I'm trying to get some writing done little by little. Fortunately at work I can get up and move around. The traction gizmo the doctor prescribed is rather nice. It takes away the pain completely, but the down side is that it mushes my face and teeth together so I look rather "odd". My pom sits in front of me and stares, and Meeka, our outside dog, stares at me through the sliding glass door and growls. I must be quite a site - lol.

Yesterday was Shannon's baby shower. Her mother hosted it at Shannon's in-laws' house, and she had quite a few friends in attendance. Catrina and Crystal joined me, and they took some great pictures. Don and I bought her a stroller/car seat combo - boy, they never had anything like that when my girls were born! And she got a lot of clothes, diapers, a play mat, a diaper sling, a swing and 6 formula dispensers - lol. Needless to say she will be returning some of the formula dispensers. The baby shower was a salad luncheon potluck and there was a lot of yummy salads, everything from green tossed salad to bean salad; Shannon's sister-in-law, Crystal, made tostadas. My friend decorates cakes as a side-business, so I asked her to make a special cake for the shower. She made a 10" round "Fruit Basket" cake - white moist cake, with bananas and strawberries between each layer and a fluffy pink whipped cream frosting. I found a stork cake topper carrying a baby girl which was centered at the top of the cake and the words "An Angel is Coming to the Arce's" perfectly written around it. She also made a dozen white cupcakes with white whipped cream frosting, just in case there wasn't enough cake! As Rachel Ray would say... "Yummmmmmo"!
 

I hope everyone had a chance to thank a veteran yesterday. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about the many military men and women who have sacrificed for our great country. One day of rememberance a year seems so trivial in comparison.

I did not have to work yesterday, Veteran's Day, so decided to make a doctor's appointment and vet appointment. I had a physical last month and asked that the doctor order a x-ray of my neck as I have been having pain in it. I thought this was a good day for me to go back and see what the results were. Imagine my surprise when the doc told me I had a severe collapsed disk. I mean, I knew it hurt, but didn't realize it was so serious. I really thought I was imagining it all. After all, I have that mindset from years of degradation from my ex-husband. So part of me is happy that I KNOW I'm not crazy, and the other part of me is still in denial, not wanting to go through the surgery. After discussing my concerns with my doctor (who is fabulous, by the way), he prescribed some kind of traction gizmo thing that hangs over the door. The first time I used it, I instantly felt relief. It's wonderful. I wish I can use it all day long, but I think they'd frown on it at work Now, we'll just wait and see how long I can endure.

In the afternoon I took Zack (my pom) to the vet as his collapsed trachea has been giving him a lot of problems lately. He coughs all night. The vet said he's relatively happy for a ten-year-old, but his poor little body is starting to wear out. He gave us some meds, and I'm hoping to see an improvement in a couple of days.

So I have to take care of Zack, and Don has to take care of me. And today I feel like we are just falling apart.
 

The weekend's over and it's the work week once again. This past weekend was so busy, I should be glad to get back to work! But I'm not. Saturday started off with me waking up at 4:00 and not being able to get back to sleep. My neck was bothering me, so I laid on the couch with the heating back until 6. I then managed to get up, start Don's coffee and jump in the hot shower. The shower eased the pain in my neck so I was dressed and ready for the day by the time Don woke up at 7. The delivery of our new couch and love seats were expected, so we managed to move our 8' couch and loveseat out to the storage shed in the back yard - all by ourselves! What a feat that was! But it was worth it, just knowing we were geting new furniture! The furniture was delivered, but in two different colors! The recliners came in dark chocolate brown and the couch came in ash. There was a delay of only about 45 minutes before we got the correct recliners to match the couch, so I really can't complain. But we were so looking forward to relaxing in them that 45 minutes seemed like an eternity! Once they came, the whole living room changed. We also bought a new carpet with bright, bold colors reminding me of Tuscan decor. I absolutely love the new look!


 

It's Friday and I'm ready to embrace the weekend! Big plans for this weekend - we're having furniture delivered! Our couch and recliners arrive tomorrow, but that means that we must first move the old couch and love seat out. So the plan is, first thing in the morning, Don and I are going to move our boxes of Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations OUT of the Tuff Shed and into the garage; then move IN to the shed the couch and love seat. We'll cover it with plastic where it will remain until Shannon or Catrina need them. Shannon and Angel are looking to rent a house, so will be in need of furniture. We're just not sure how much room they will have and the furniture is quite large. Catrina and Jeremy are going to buy a house (if they ever find one), so they may have a bigger living room for it. Crystal and Mike are also looking to buy a house but they already have their funiture. Just wish SOMEBODY would get their house before February when we go to Hawaii - we need a dogsitter!
 

Why is death so hard? As a Christian we have a sincere belief of life after death, do not fear it, but embrace it. So why do I feel the moisture welling up in my eyes when I hear about the tragic death of my friend's husband? As soon as she told me about the 39 year old police officer being shot and killed on Halloween while on-duty in a senseless murder, my emotions taken on what his young wife, the mother of two small children, must be going through. I don't even know him or his family, but the tears start to flow for them anyway. Scum of the earth takes away a life that was sworn to protect and serve leaving a family heartbroken. My prayers are with them.
 

Daylight savings time is hard for us commuters. The first couple of days of a new time change people seem to forget how to drive. It's dusk on our drive home now and by the time we arrive one hour later it's completely dark. The highway traffic comes to a standstill at some points; as we approach we expect to see an accident. But no, it's just a very slow moving driver who's forgotten how to drive in the dark which is backing up the traffic for miles.

We eventually got home, and my step-daughter, Shan, was there. As we sat down for dinner, her cell phone rang. Imagine our surprise when it was my step-son, Nathan, calling to say he was home (Hawaii) from Iraq. We knew he was expected soon, so peace of mind set in as we realized he made it home safe.

After dinner Shan and I sat down at the sewing machine to work on her first project. I am teaching her how to make a baby blanket, so I changed the thread and turned her loose. She slowly sewed the light turquoise satin binding to the turquoise and blue fleece, making sure each stitch was perfectly straight. It was quite an accomplishment for a beginner to sew on such slippery binding. She did a great job and it turned out really cute. It brought back so many memories of when I was pregnant with my first daughter and all the joy it brought me to make things for them. I'm so happy I can pass that on to her!




 

What a great day. I'm so happy Don is back, although the jet lag took a toll. But today it seems he's getting back into the swing of things. I started out today by braving the traffic to get my nails done bright and early. We didn't go to church today as Don was still pretty exhausted, so I left him resting while I started out. The girl who does my manicure opened the shop for me so I was able to get an early jump on the day. The traffic in town was already starting to get congested as the annual Sikh parade and festival is today and they estimated 250,000 Sikhs coming in from all around the world. Last year it was only 100,000 We have learned on this day to stay as close to home as possible as the whole town is gridlocked.

After I finished my manicure, I stopped by Michael's craft store and was able to find the cake cupcake pan that I had been looking for. My oldest daughter, C-1, is engaged and doesn't want a traditional wedding; for her cake she wanted a large cupcake and regular cupcakes around it. Lucky for me in today's newspaper I found a coupon for 40% off an item from Michael's, so made a point of using it for the pan and also bought a skein of yarn for the baby afghan I'm crocheting. Then I found myself heading home to check on my hubby. He was wide awake and ready to go. We noticed in today's newspaper an ad for a local furniture store that had recliners on sale. I have wanted a recliner for so long; all the furniture we have in our house belonged to Don when we got married, and it was furniture he was totally comfortable in. Unfortunately I'm built quite a bit different, so my shorter torso didn't quite fit the couch or loveseat at all. In fact, the only way I could sit was with two pillows behind me. So we decided to check out the sale. Good thing we did; we ended up buying a couch and two matching recliners, all 1/2 off! I'm so excited, I can't wait to have a chair I can actually fit into!

After grabbing a quick lunch at Wendy's, we headed to the grocery store then home. C-1 called me to excitedly tell me about a house she and her fiancee looked at. They are searching for the right house to buy, and yesterday they looked at 10. Only one stood out. Don and I decided to go with her to look at "the property". The property consisted of 1/2 acre with a house and a smaller house on it. They need some work, but she was extremely excited about it. So, who knows? If it's meant to be, they'll get it. And Meeka will finally be back with her mama!