Happy Thanksgiving!

This year's Thanksgiving was probably my favorite. I woke up before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began at 9 and got started on the do-ahead potatoes I was making for our family's feast at my parents' house. Dave was nice enough to let me hog the TV all morning. Haha! My dad made a turkey in the rotisserie, and it was soooo juicy! Yum! That, combined with green bean casserole, delicious rolls, do-ahead potatoes, and ham wraps and shrimp for appetizers left me stuffed by the end of the meal. I didn't eat anything else, with the exception of apple pie for dessert, the rest of the day.

In addition to the good food and time with family, I think this Thanksgiving was my favorite because of what I have to be thankful for. It's been a tough, challenging year, but I'm so grateful for the simple fact that we made it! I'm more grateful for the way life is today, and I know I wouldn't be so appreciative if it weren't for what we went through to get to this point. Thank you, Lord, for working through the tough times and bringing us through!

Birthday Boy

Dave's birthday was this week. In honor of his special day, the school district Dave works for gave him the entire week off. (Okay, there's this little thing called Thanksgiving that played a part in that week-long break.) As part of our celebration, I planned a special evening for my lovely husband.

Dave's requested Shepherd's Pie since we were married, but I hadn't made it for him until his birthday dinner. It was a hit! We've been enjoying the leftovers ever since.

Since Dave bought an iPod a couple of months ago, he's been forced to use my pink case whenever he's gone out with it. His birthday gift from me was a manly, black case he can use.

I love birthday freebies! We used a coupon for a FREE 2-scoop sundae at Culver's for Dave's birthday dessert. Culver's frozen custard is a yummy birthday treat.

Fall Decorations

Fall is my favorite season for decorating. There is just something I love about the bright orange, yellow, and red colors that make me eager to pull out my fall decorations as soon as the temps start to dip. I'm planning to decorate for the next season after Thanksgiving, but I'll be enjoying my fall decorations for the next week before putting them away until next year.

The flowers are a new addition--and probably my favorite piece this year.

Fall decorating is incomplete without the fall issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
Scarecrow #1

Scarecrow #2

Lovely candle holder

Five Year Reunion

At the beginning of November, we headed down to my alma mater for Homecoming and my five-year reunion. It was fun to go back to campus and see how everything (and everyone) has changed. The day was sunny and warm--the perfect weather for a football game! Unfortunately, I didn't buy tickets because I figured it would be freezing cold like every other Homecoming football game I've attended. Instead, we had fun at my college home group leaders' house, catching up with them and a bunch of friends from my college home group.

Hitting the road with Starbucks

The editor in me was very disappointed to find this spelling error. Can you spot it?
Our home group looks much different with spouses and children added to the group.

Happy Chipotle Day!

Halloween for us means more than collecting candy or attending a costume party. For the Gwynnes, October 31 means a cheap dinner from Chipotle! Dave was reminded of the great deal a couple of hours before dinnertime, so we made sure to head on over as soon as church was done that night. The only catch to the free burrito deal is that you have to dress up in aluminum foil (in other words, like a burrito). Below are our interpretations of that requirement.

My aluminum foil headband

Dave's aluminum foil toupee

Pepe Le Pew and Other Scary Animals

For the last few weeks, we have been sharing our neighborhood with a lovely skunk. For awhile, we were catching a whiff of Pepe Le Pew on a nightly basis. Instead of cool, fresh air floating into our home, we were experiencing some not-so-pleasant fragrances when we dared to open our windows.

Now that the sun disappears earlier, when we are still likely to be out for walks, we have mentioned that we need to watch out for Mr. Skunk. Last week, when we returned from our friend's book group a few doors down, we made sure to walk through well-populated, well-lit areas just to make sure we didn't meet the neighborhood's newest resident. Fortunately, we made it back to our place safe, sound, and still smelling sweet.

I barely considered a run-in with the skunk when I suggested we walk to the library this past Monday night. But as soon as I was spooked by a wayward cat, I thought about that other furry creature. Still, we continued on our way. As we crossed a street, we saw something scurry across the road and across our path. The headlights from the traffic gave enough light for us to see that this animal was not another cat--it was Pepe Le Pew himself!

I began freaking out (mind you, he was still a safe distance away). When Dave suggested we cross to the other side of the road, I refused. All I could say was, "Let's just take the car! Let's just take the car!" Dave had never seen me in such a panic, and he started laughing at me! Finally, he gave in, and we walked back to our car so he could drive us the 5 blocks to the library. My heart was still pounding as we walked in.

I never thought a skunk would scare me like that, but the last time I was that spooked by an animal was when I was 4 or 5 years old and our neighbor's little dog got loose and chased me down the street. I guess I'll be adding skunks to the list of animals that put me in panic mode. It will join ladybugs (ladybirds for my Scottish friends) and anything with the ability to sting me.

Which animal are you most afraid of?

Our Saturday

The last few weekends, Dave and I have been intentional about using our days off to relax and to do things we enjoy. Saturdays especially are lived at a slower pace. The alarm clock is turned off, and no agenda for the morning is set. Today, we had an event planned for the afternoon, but the rest of the day was unscheduled. Here's what our Saturday looked like:

A coworker of mine was performing in a community-theater production of Godspell. I am a fan of both musicals and supporting friends who are performing, so Dave and I met up with a group of my coworkers to see today's matinée.

After the musical, Dave and I headed to a nearby Trader Joe's. I'd never visited one until a couple of weeks ago, and I've already found a few favorites. Their Pomegranate Green Iced Tea is now my drink of choice for the summer. Really, it's replaced my previous favorite, Arizona Green Iced Tea. We also picked up some chicken fried rice and Caramel Bites. Yum! I first had Caramel Bites in The Netherlands, so when we discovered them at Trader Joe's, I was super excited. These tiny waffles with caramel sandwiched in between are soooo good!
Finally, we went to Lou Malnati's for some delicious deep-dish pizza. I'd forgotten how much I love that place! We finished up our meal with one of their Chocolate Chip Pizzas. It brought back memories of Wednesday nights after our college group, walking over to the local Lou's and enjoying that delicious dessert. It was fun to introduce Dave to this favorite.
Another fun thing about today was that Dave had his first experience driving in a busier, downtown area. He handled it like a pro, even when I had him navigate the parking garage for a spot.
(This, of course, wasn't the parking garage Dave had to drive through, but such a thing exists in Germany. Could you imagine parking your car in this tower? Yikes!)