Thankful Day 20 & 21

November 20 - Thankful to get back to work today and get this week over with. (Only working 2.5 days this week and taking a small break until next Tuesday)

November 21 - Thankful that we got to spend a great evening with our group of friends. Brian and Amber got engaged this past weekend and announced it to everyone tonight. Amber's parents were in from Michigan, for Thanksgiving. Just a great time!

Thankful Day 19

November 19 - Thankful for a few things today (and it's only 9:20am!)

• Um, HOW BOUT THEM PATS last night!?!?! Thanks to such an eventful game, I was able to get all of my Christmas Cards done last night while watching the game, can you believe it? Of course I paid dearly this morning, when I didn't roll out of bed until 9am!
• We might get some snow today! OK, just flurries, but still! I LOVE SNOW and am thankful for every day that we get it! (The bitching only commences around late March/April when I've usually had enough!)
• 3 days before I can eat like my FAVORITE food! Thanksgiving food! Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, potatoes, pumpkin pie, squash...YUM!

Thanks to Ali Edwards for posting this on her blog - I made one of these! (Am also making 2 more to go along with this.



Idea and directions came from Tia Bennett HERE!

***I also added a pic to my Nov. 17th post about going back to blonde!***

Thankful Day 18

November 18 - So, I'm at Walmart...we're putting our bags in the trunk of the car and I keep hearing this dog bark, and I know it's nearby and there are no houses nearby and no cars where I hear it. (Walmart Rt. 114 Danvers) So, out of the corner of my eye, I see a little dog, on a rope, tied to a light pole behind some snow plows and I drive over there and see this little dog barking it's head off. I go over to it, it's friendly, but I just couldn't figure out why or how someone could do this to a dog. My first thoughts were that someone abandoned it, but no poo or pee nearby, so it couldn't have been there too long...then I realized that maybe someone was shopping inside and the little dog needed to stay outside so I call inside the Walmart and asked if they could page the owner or do something and the lady tells me she will get a manager and he'll be right out. So, we waited about 15 minutes, no manager, but a little old man comes over and see's me by his dog and I just let him know that I was very worried that someone had left their dog there, but was glad that that wasn't the case. He thanked me for keeping her company and he assured me he only needed to run in to get a few things. Her name was Ebi (short for "little shrimp"). The little old man lived way back behind Walmart in a retirement community - they had walked over to do some shopping. I'm thanking myself for taking the time to care.

Thankful Day 17

November 17 - Back in, oh...let's say September...I had blond hair. Then I decided to go red, the red was so flaming, that I had to go darker red, a month later, I was dark brown. I hated it. I don't like me in dark hair because it makes me look REALLY BAD like M-Jacko white, with dark hair. Let's just say I'm VERY THANKFUL to have my blond hair back! Lesson learned - don't do that again!

[ETA: edited to add Saturday morning bed head!]

Thankful Day 15 & 16

November 15 - Thankful for my strength and courage.

November 16 - Thankful for today...as it is the very LAST chemo treatment for my friend Penny! A toast to Penny - "I know this has been a long few months - you too, have courage and strength! Today marks the closing of another chapter in your breast cancer journey, but so that a new chapter emerges. Time to get back to some normalcy (sometimes I even wonder what that is in my own life, too!) and put this part behind you. You can do it, you're a Thriver!"

And a toast to Dave, her husband - "Dave, you have been a loving and supporting husband through this journey with Penny, and to myself as well! Today begins a new chapter in your journey with the fight of breast cancer. Your strength and courage is immeasurable. Your love and compassion is vibrant and your energy will be back to fully charged - keep your chin up kid!"

Love, Tanya

Thankful Day 14

November 14 - Thankful to have dinner with a friend/old co-worker whom I hadn't seen in awhile. Thanks for dinner, Erin!

Thankful Day 13

November 13 - This morning, as I was headed out to work, I started my car, waited a couple minutes for my car to warm up and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something moving in front of me, I waited and waited and a little squirrel popped his head out of our trash can, he was apparently eating something, but he was just too cute! I snapped a few photos from my iPhone. Some days, I'm just thankful that I see nature act this way, even if he's digging through my trash! I guess it's time to go get him some squirrel food!

Thankful Day 12

November 12 - I think I'm going to go for the "future thankfulness" today. Today I went to the Radiation Oncology Clinic in Winchester, to get set up for radiation. The set up included a couple CT scans to ensure that the area they radiate is where they want it to be, I got 2 tiny tattoo's to mark where the coordinates go, they wrote down that I like XM Radio Channel 82 (The System) and I have my ID card. I belong to the "IN" crowd now. My membership expires in mid January.

Seriously, when my Radiation Oncologist told me that I'd feel like "home" over at his clinic, he was right! The nurses, techs and all of the office people there are just so awesome! So polite, asking if you need anything, answering questions, etc. I really felt lucky to be able to experience such hospitality and gratitude.

I know I'm going to be thanking them A TON!

I start Radiation on November 26th because it is the first full week.

Happy Veterans Day - Thankful Day 11

November 11 - My day of thanks celebrates 2 things. Veterans and poppies!

I know, strange to be thankful for poppies, but this past summer at work, my 5 individuals and 18 individuals from other homes did a volunteer day whereas we collected items for our troops such as toiletries, sunscreen, bug spray, razors, etc. Prior to this time I had a point of contact to send the goodies over to Iraq, but then, my friends squadron got orders to come home, so we figured it'd be pretty easy to ship over a care package anyways. It was not, unless of course you knew someone with an APO address.

My friend Fabre, she suggested I speak with my local VFW, since hers in Holliston, MA was taking care of sending packages from her area. I ended up speaking with the Chaplain from the Saugus, MA Post and he was such a wonderful spirit! I continued to offer to pay for the shipping and he refused to take our money because the money they raised for the poppy sales (starting today - Veteran's Day), a portion is used to cover the care package shipping for our troops.

So, get out there and when you see our wonderful veterans selling poppies, please buy a couple!

ALSO...I don't know about any of you, but I am just in the most WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SPIRIT EVER! I am like...I want to decorate, I want to listen to holiday music, I want to drink eggnog... I had already been working on my Christmas cards, but ran into a small snag with a particular kind of paper and envies, so cards are on hold until I get the new paper and envies in the mail. BUT, I was flipping through my Martha Stewart Living mag and she has some AMAZING holiday ideas for stuff.

One thing I have always been a stickler about at Christmas is gift giving. First of all, I don't care for shopping, but I LOVE to make little homemade gifts! Second of all...I think there are far more people AND ANIMALS in this world that need things more than me - like animals in a shelter, who live in a cage until they hopefully get adopted or waiting on their next donated bag of food or people living in homeless shelters, who don't have a home to call their own, or people living with a disease that PRAY for a cure. I always tell my family and friends to stop buying gifts for me, as I am a person who needs for nothing....but to take that money and donate it to an organization.

...this year, please give to an organization of your choice this holiday season. If you can't give money, please give FREE clicks to The Hunger Site ! (No registering necessary!)

XOXO

Thankful Day 10

November 10th (1991) is a VERY special day for someone I hold very close and dear to my heart. I am blessed and thankful that she is celebrating her 16th birthday today.

Thankful Day 8 & 9

November 8 - Thankful for ordinary days - they too, are necessary!

November 9 - Thankful that some Friday's are "Boys Night Out", so I too can have my "ME" time!

Thankful Day 7

November 7 - thankful that some things just come to an end.

Thankful Day 6

It's ok to be thankful for materialistic things. About 2 weeks ago, I had to go pick up one of my individuals from work, to go to an appt. As I walked up to her work area, she was stringing beads. At first I thought, "Oh cool, she finally brought some crafts items with her, for the days when there is no work", when to my amazement, I took a closer look at the beads and spacers and found them to look very much like the beads that are used to make Mel's Bracelets! I took a quick moment of silence, to catch my emotions. I asked her supervisor if these were for Mel's Bracelets and she said yes.

It just so happens that I had ordered my bracelet the day before on the Mel's Bracelets website and was giddy with excitement, knowing that I was going to have one to wear! BUT, this bracelet means so much more to me now. Knowing that the very special people that I work with make these bracelets.

So, today, I am thankful for the Friends of Mel Foundation, the people I work with, the bracelet I wear with pride and the fact that one of my girls made this bracelet!

Thankful - A 30 Day Journey - Join me?

I meant to start this November 1 and ask everyone to play along with their daily blogging - time snuck by and while it is indeed 5 days past November 1, it's never too late to be thankful and it's ok to go back and start a running list ( i had to!!)! Post a comment if you are participating along with a link to your blog (if you want to) and at the end of November, for all that participate, I will throw everyone's name in a hat and pick a winner at the end of the month for a coolness prize for being THANKFUL along with me! Pass this on to your friends! And for all you scrapbook folks...this could be a fun way to make a "Thankful" album!!


November 1 - Thankful for the most important person in my life (besides my cat) - Paul! I LOVE YOU BABE!

November 2 - Thankful for this time of year. I love the fall, I love that the holidays are coming - which is odd, because I am normally the anti-holiday grump - but I've rearranged my priorities and appreciate all that it has to offer.

November 3 - Thankful that 2 of my very dear friends celebrate 13 years of marriage today! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY K & K!!!

November 4 - Thankful today for spending the afternoon with our friends, eating dinner around a large table and hanging out to watch the football game afterwards, together! Love that!

November 5 - OK, I am not thankful that my new iPhone just arrived a few short hours ago, and I am not thankful that I stalked the FedEx tracking page to see if it were indeed coming today...But I am thankful that I have life, breath and clothes on my body, a car to go to work in and a job taking care of others, so that I can take care of me, the way I see fit.

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?