While being thankful and feeling so happy to be ironing my tablecloth, Noelle comes into the office and says, "Look I have lipstick."
Well this day started out pretty well considering how thankful I am for GoogleReader and all the posts I've already read to get me right into the Thanksgiving spirit before I go and attack my kitchen in full force, starting with the dough for rolls. Thanks to friends and family for putting up their own lists of things to be grateful for and the reminder that it doesn't take much to find joy in our lives if we just stop and check ourselves out. Here is my short list of things I'm thankful for:
Boo - For the past seven months we've been able to hang out more than ever, really. If someone had told me long ago we'd do that I would have laughed and said it would never work, but it did and now that he leaves every morning, I really miss him. He's a hard worker and a great dad.
Employment - It seems so cliche, but if you only knew.
The Internet - This is my window to the world and it doesn't even make me sad to say that. I love shopping here, keeping up with friends, and just generally finding information that I might not otherwise know.
NPR - I often say, "Everything I know I learned from NPR." Its so nice of them to have interesting people on and to let me listen in to their conversation. It has served me well in many capacities for carrying on a decent conversation with someone who is way, way smarter than I. Thanks NPR.
Family - As my sister says, we have a zillion siblings and many parents. Luckily we all seem to like each other pretty well, and miss each other when its been a while since the last visit. Thanks to my mom who used to remind us to be thankful for a dad. (It was the 80's and it seemed deadbeat dads were a hot topic and thankfully we did not have one of those, but sometimes needed that reminder.) Thanks for in-laws who love and accept us, despite how different we might be from them.
A House - We've been apartment dwellers for a long time, so moving into a house was a big deal. Loudness , stomping and all other forms of irreverence could ensue without a thump from a neighbor or the gentle comment of "Wow were you guys having a party last night?" Our house has also allowed us to have people over more than ever. We have room to host friends and family, especially for our Thanksgiving feast. That makes me happy.
Heavenly Father - Blessings really do come, even if its not on our time. But its ever so important to remember where they come from and why. For that I'm thankful, even if I don't always know it.
After our zoo experience we checked into our "super" cheap Super 8. There was actually not a single super thing about the whole hotel experience. I told Boo we should have asked to cash in some Marriot points from his dad and move down a couple buildings. Too little too late by then. The next day we headed out early (to get out of our sweet digs) to Balboa Park. I've seen it posted online as the Central Park of the west coast. We got there early and had no troubles finding parking and making our way around. We visited many of the gardens, played in the fountains and took in some sweet people watching. Parks never disappoint. 
After some much needed afternoon naps we headed out to watch the Utah football team take down the San Diego State Aztecs. Honestly, the game was kind of sad. I'm pretty sure that there were more Utah fans than SDSU fans. I guess they could make the argument that Qualcom Stadium is ginormous, but really... It was fun however to be part of the Utes awesome season this far. 
Boo and the Weeks' pet gorilla, who really liked to steal candy from unsuspecting kids
We tried to snap a self portrait and the first one was hideous, but by the second Noelle was done. So I'm dodging her Tootsie Pop while trying not to drop her.
