Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

I am not a big fan of Thanksgiving.  I large meal followed by a lot of clean-up.  I neither like to cook nor like to do dishes.  I prize myself on not having used my oven or my range since I moved in 2 months ago. 

But this year I am looking forward to it.  Chris arrived home Saturday and Andrew and Sabrina are coming in tonight.  My cooking responsibilities are minimal.  Pies and stuffing from a box (the only kind Andrew will eat).  Oh, and I have the Pillsbury crescent rolls at the ready.  I pick up the Turkey from Boston Market today, along with some festive cupcakes from Gigi's for the non-pie eaters.  I have a little bit of cleaning to do.  The yard guys are putting on the finishing touches on the mulch they are laying.  A few tentative snowflakes are falling. 

Tomorrow we will celebrate all of us being together.  6 people, a family reunion. And we will give Thanks to God.

The Second Anniversary

Saturday November 20 was the second anniversary of Tom's resurrection to heaven.  Anniversary's are an unusual time.  Hard to know how exactly to handle it.  Last year the boys and I took a brief trip.  It was wonderful and healing.  I toyed around with the idea of a trip this year too, but veternarian bills for the pugs stole my vacation money.  So I knew we would be staying home.  Chris came home because he has the whole week off for Thanksgiving. 

I couldn't decide whether to spend the day away nearby by myelf, or just treat it like an ordinary day.  I chose to see what I felt like that morning.  The 19th is harder in some ways because that is the day of the accident and the night we spent in the ICU.  But I worked Friday and had a long lovely day with patients and the day drifted by without too many memories. 

Saturday I had the luxury of sleeping in.  So by the time I got up and did my usual slow morning routine, I decided I was up for an ordinary day.  Ordinary days in marriage are what make a marriage wonderful.  Spending time together with no real agenda.  Going to the store, gathering the makings of meals together is a lovely thing.  Getting your husband to carrying in your groceries, even better.  So off to the grocery store I went.  It wasn't busy and I just milled around the aisles.  Very enjoyable.  I returned home to find Chris had arrived and he helped me with the groceries.  We both decided to relax before going out to dinner, and be both fell asleep for a while.  We woke refrreshed and went off to dine at Undici's, since my lovely realtor Jan Melody gave me a gift card to it.  We had a delicious meal with excellent service, toasted Tom and caught up on the happenings of our lives, college, work, the new home. 

The funniest thing happened when we were ready to leave, our waiter seemed to want to shake hands, so I offered mine and he bent down and kissed me softly on the cheek.  I quickly knew it was a kiss and a touch from Tom.  He blessed my day and enjoyed the ordinariness of it.  Since the worst thing about widowhood is the lack of meaningful touch and sweet kisses, I will treasure that gentle act.

I am doing so well after two years.  Sad at times, angry even less, I now have settled into holding precious images of Tom through the years, especially his talent of making me laugh.  It was a joy to know him.  A gift I will always have. 

I'm back

Hello to all my friends.  Never would I have thought that moving and getting settled would be so arduous and prolonged.  Here's why.  I did it alone.  I was working full time.  All the other times I moved, I had at least a few weeks off or wasn't working at all.  And Tom was around to help. 

But now I feel like I am at home and loving my new place.  Her are a few pictures from my moving experience.

The boxes are all unpacked, the guestroom is newly painted and most light fixtures have been replaced. 

Here's a tip - NEVER use College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving.  What an overpriced nightmare.  In the past I have used All My Sons Movers and should have this time.  I chose College Hunks because I had a lot of furniture I wasn't taking with me and wanted to give it to Goodwill.  College Hunks said they would take my unwanted things to Goodwill and then move my stuff to my new house 2 miles away.

First, they didn't send hunks nor college students.  Even though the young men were nice, they were college drop outs and had about as much muscle as me. It took them 12 HOURS.  Secondly, the truck is too small.  It is about the size of medium size step van.  I lost count of the trips they made.  Third, these two weaklings carried one box out to the truck and then into my house one at a time.  I don't think they knew how use a dolly.  Finally, half of my wood furniture is scratched or chipped.  One end table will have to be replaced.  And they brought in my beds and didn't even set them up.  So at 10pm I had to put my own bed together just so I could sleep.  I have written to the company to complain and ask for a partial refund.  They were just a disaster.

But that's over and I am completely happy.  I have gotten rid of so much stuff and that is a very freeing experience.  Now everything has its place and it's fairly easy to keep things tidy, which I am fussy about.  The dogs love the yard and spend hours outside snooping around.  I believe Rascal is convinced she will find that cat who lived here previously.  I am having lots of fun.  And it's so quiet.  Till the boys come home this week.  More on that later.