Photo Dump Courtesy of $2.50 a Month

So I caved.  I gave in to the Google Gods and I am now paying $2.50 a month so I can blog with photos.  You're welcome.  

You know, $2.50 a month doesn't sound that ridiculous .. it's like half a latte a Starbucks   Or a third of a large Peppermint Milk Shake from Chic-fil-a.  It's 5 phone calls on a pay phone (assuming they are still 50 cents a call... remember when it was just a quarter?)  I can't even buy a tank of gas for what it will cost me to blog with photos.  

That being said... get ready for a Thankgiving Photo Dump.

I started the day bright and early!  I had been avoiding the gym (due to neck and back issues) for 3 months... what better day to go back than on the day of pies and turkey!

Much to my surprise, when I got to Fitness 19 to meet my trainer, he was OPENING THE GYM FOR ME!  Ladies, it was 6:20 in the morning.  Early for me, but let's be real... not early in gym-land!  Turns out that the gym was opening at 8am on Thankgiving but my awesome trainer wanted me back so badly he made me come in before the sun rose!  I LOVEEEED having the gym all to myself!  Best gym day ever.  Unfortunately I couldn't move much for the next 4 days.

Then came the turkey.

My dad's job every year is to mash the potatoes and carve the turkey.  This is when all the Christmas Vacation quoting begins.

We all had our own gravies for the most part... Nana was in charge of the Eye Ball Onion's white gravy, Leslie had her Vegetarian Gravy, and I was in charge of the Turkey Gravy!

The table was set for a feast of forty!  Too bad there was only 5 of us!

My meal before I started working my way through the meat and carbs...

Someone wanted her share of turkey too...

The best part of the meal?  Skyping with my family in Switzerland!  It was like my aunt was drinking wine with us at the table!

My meal... before and after!

After dinner my dad turned football on and I turned nap-time on.   

Until this mutt decided it was cuddle time.  (This is Chloe's archnemesis, by the way.)

Because the nap was unsuccessful... it was Pie Time!  My mom had the fire pit roaring so I bundled up and took my apple pie, banana cream brownie pie, and wine outside.

I was slightly disappointed that we bypassed a Thanksgiving tradition.  Every year after we eat my sister and I go outside, roam the neighborhood and have a mini photo shoot.  This year, she has a REAL photo shoot on Black Friday instead.  

My event and marketing company 29:11 Celebrations teamed up with her to help stage a shoot.  I gave her some ideas about props and the setting before her clients came.  My friend Kasie (who is so legit she works in the White House!) was in town and helped out as well.

Before her clients arrived she snapped a few shots of Chloe and I!  These are great aren't they?!

Then her adorable Mother/Daughter duo showed up for their session.  How cute are they?!  

You can see more of Leslie's shoot here if you would like... 

Then Kasie and I cleaned up the set.  Don't we look like grinches stealing Christmas or something?!

Since I was photo-shooting it up on Black Friday... I ended up shopping on Saturday.  Shopping for Christmas presents turned into shopping for wedding decorations.  No, I am not engaged.  Yes, the boyfriend thinks I'm nuts.  I've decided I really love all things gold and sparkly (except jewelry... I prefer silver or white gold and sparkles in that department!)  But since I love so much gold, now is the time to buy!  Or look.  Or look and then buy.  Or look, then buy, then hide it so no one thinks you have gone off the deep end... 

Christmas presents were purchased!  I am happy to say that I am just a couple gifts away from being done with my holiday shopping!

And then it got cold.  

The end.  

PS.  I just got a new camera for my trip to Switzerland (in 4 days!!)  I also just spent my life savings monthly coffee on blog photo storage.  Bottom line?  Be ready for more photos. 

Darn you Google Gods! Please Help!

I had an awesome "Thankgiving Update" post planned for you today.  I was going to walk you through my exciting Thanksgiving festivities... picture by picture.  

But then the Google Gods informed me that I have reached my limit.  Although according to the image (that I just uploaded!) below... it looks as if I should still have space.  

Blogger friends!  I need your help!  Have you ever had this happen?  Do I have to pay this monthly fee in order to continue the blog?  What do you recommend?  Help help help!

Email me, leave a comment, but please just send me some words of blogging wisdom!  

Thankful Vlog at the River

I feel like I start a lot of these blog posts with an excuse as to where I have been and why I haven't been writing.  For some reason, my blog writing and my gym time really seem to go hand in hand with each other.  At 6:30 this morning, as I was wrapped up in my electric blanket cocoon, "I'm going to eat pie tomorrow... how about gym time restarts Friday."

Anyway - are you ready for my excuses as to where I have been this week?  Remember I told you about all those jobs I try working?  That's part of it.  The other parts include almost having to drive to Charleston, South Carolina (an 8 hour drive), packing for that, then canceling those plans because of a sick grandmother scare.  In the midst of all that craziness a distant relative of mine won the lottery.  Crazy right?  I swear I can't even make this stuff up sometimes.

 Last week I made a Vlog for y'all.  But it never got posted.  So tell me a better time than the present!  Enjoy!  And welcome to the Rivah! 




So there ya have it!  Today, and always, I am quite thankful for how amazing, peaceful, fun, and relaxing my family's cottage and river is.  I wish we were spending Turkey Day down there this year!

How about a couple more images for you from that weekend?

(Above)  Sitting on the dock as the sun was setting...

(Below)  Leaving the cottage and beginning my drive back to Virginia

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!  Thank you for your patience as I have become a scatter brained blogger.  If you would like to link up with me and share what you are thankful for today - do it below!  

New Girl and a Heart Attack Will Make Ya Thankful

I would be absolutely positively lying if I told you I had my act together.  I would continue to turn into Pinocchio if I told you I was not worried the slightest bit about my future or that I wasn't exhausted after working a full time job, then staying up until the weeee hours (which, let's be real, for me that's only midnight-ish) juggling a couple odd jobs.

I can tell you that I have seen my boyfriend for about 30 minutes total within the past few weeks, which worries me.  I can also tell you that my health insurance company decided to drop my chiropractic coverage without informing me until I am several hundred smackaroos in debt to that office, which worries me.  I will lastly tell you that my bedroom and desk is beyond a hot mess, which adds mental stress to my scrambled little brain, and, you guessed it, it worries me.

I watched the New Girl episode from yesterday while I ate my lunch today, and I'm not going to lie... I could also go for some soft pretzels.  It's just that kinda week.

 My regular followers are probably thinking "What the heck?!  This was supposed to be part of the 'Ya Gotta Give Thanks' series not a 'Shall We Complain About Everything' series, right?!

 

Don't you fret... there's a twist.  In the midst of me wanting to go off on just about everybody in quite a similar fashion as Jess in my all time favorite New Girl clip above... I was brought back to reality.

Today I am thankful for all the mini bumps that are currently in my path.  Yes they suck.  And yes they are overwhelming.  But I need to be reminded that things could be worse.  If you are friends with me on facebook you would've seen this yesterday:

So today, I am thankful for all that I have.  I am thankful for my health.  I am thankful for my friends and family.  I am thankful that I can complain about silly things and not have to worry about major, life altering things.  Don't get me wrong!  Some of which that is worrying me right now is, unfortunately, a huge life deal.  But it's nothing like a massive heart attack.  That's for sure.

I am also thankful for prayers.  And all of my friends and family that are praying for my "second family" as they go through all of this.  My "Second Dad" is currently stable... but having to go through a quadruple bypass surgery in a few days.

If you are prayerful person, please keep him, and the rest of the family in your prayers.

All that being said - today is Thursday - so if you want to linkup and share what YOU are thankful for - do it below!  I apologize that I have fallen off the face of the earth this past week.  Come back tomorrow for a Vlog I did at the River!  Just to warn you though, you may get jealous.

See ya then!  :)

Ya Gotta Give Thanks Linkup

Wow Thursday!  What a sneaky ninja you were this week!  I didn't even see ya coming!  As I got ready for bed last night it hit me that A.  I totally missed a post for the day  B.  I really needed to get crackin on a post for Thursday because I am hosting the 'Ya Gotta Give Thanks' linkup  and C.  I needed to figure out how to do a linkup  and D.  I need to keep better track of my calendar so that Ninja Days don't creep up on me like today.

I'm quite excited about today's post though!  And I hope a few other bloggers actually link up with me! (And if you missed the boat we will have this link up again for every Thursday in November, so please join us!)

Since I have missed a few days here and there in the "Ya Gotta Give Thanks" series I decided a recap list filled with the odds and ends that I'm thankful for today would be permitted.

So here we go.  Today I just need to shout it from the rooftop (well, rooftops aren't that safe - and it's mighty cold outside... better stick to the comfort of my bed) what I'm thankful for!

My macbook pro and it's hot pink shell and hot pink keyboard.  Yep, I'm that girl.  If only it sparkled!

Having an interior townhouse.  Although a window or two on the side would be superb, as an interior unit, I have yet to turn my heat on.  And it was a whopping high of 47 degrees today.

My electric blanket.  Remember when I proclaimed my love for it last year?  I still feel the same today.

{source}

Family that steps up in tough, crazy times.  Life has been a roller coaster recently.  And it's not slowing down anytime soon.  Thanks for keeping me slightly grounded (mother), or fixing my leaking toilet (daddy), or teach me photoshop and saying things like pill-a-pie-knees with me (leslie).

Cat cuddles in the middle of my day when I'm working at my desk.

No more political ads of any sort.  Hip hip hooray!  (I'm in Virginia.  Apparently we are the newest, hippest, hottest swing state around.)

{source}

Movin 107.7 and your recent name change.  I have welcomed the new Christmas 107.7 with my mistletoe ready and the VHS of Christmas Vacation already playing.  Let's be real, I could jam to x-mas tunes year round if y'all didn't think a girl on the beach, mid-summer, humming anything from "Silent Night" to "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" was a nut job.

Blog friends.  I am thrilled to call a special few of you real friends, despite the fact that we have never met.  We have exchanged heartfelt comments, emails, facebook posts, and even text messages.  You guys really do mean a lot to me.

Wine.  Because let's be real.  When am I ever not thankful for wine?!

Lastly for today, I'm thankful my car mechanic guy, Carl.  Not only does he always look out for me, but Tuesday he removed a filter with rat poop in in from my new (used) Pretty Prius.  I had to go back because it sounded like a mini helicopter was taking off in my glove box.  And yesterday he went above and beyond when he removed a monster sized mouse nest!  (I refused to leave the parking lot until he promised there were no more mice in my car...)

Now you tell me, who isn't thankful that Fievel has gone west and skidaddled out of my automobile?!

<a border="0" href="/" target="_blank"><img src="img577/8109/yagottagivethanksbutton.gif"/></a>
With all that being said, what are y'all thankful for??  It can be one thing or a ton of things.  Serious or silly.  Doesn't matter to me!  Link up below and grab a button for you post!  THANK YOU for being a part of this series!  See ya next Thursday!

Furbabies and their Politics

One hour, twenty six minutes, and 7.6 seconds is approximately precisely how long I stood in line today to cast my vote for the next President of the United States.  Talk about a commitment!  I joined the line that was wrapped around a gym, up and down a hallway, outside the door into the cold, around the side walk and out into the parking lot.  As I stood there I thought, this is crazy!!  Will my vote really make so much of a difference that I need to stand in a line this long?!  Heck, there isn't even a roller coaster ride waiting for me at the end.  And at least in Busch Gardens they have festive music playing while you wait!  

Although, listening to "The Star Spangled Banner" or "God Bless America" on repeat for 86 minutes may have driven me even more crazy!

Time commitment aside, I think we, as American's need to be very thankful that we have the right to cast our vote, no matter who you support.  I mean, just take a look at how divided my family is...

Spitty support's Obama... "we must continue on, and we must move Forward to see the changes in things as local as our own litter boxes!"

Chloe support's Romney... "More bones for the middle class!"

Rockie supports Gary Johnson... "People before Politics!  Private organizations should step up, not the Government when it comes to issues like Catnip and Fur Balls!" 

All that being said, I'm not a very political person.  Nor are my pets.  But we I got out today and casted my vote for who I think is the best man for the job.  I hope you did the same.

I am going to leave you with a quote the my boyfriend texted me yesterday.

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
-- John Quincy Adams

I am so thankful that we all have the right to vote.  I am thankful that we have the right to vote for whomever we sit fit for the job.  I am also thankful that we have the right to vote for things we believe in.

Don't forget about Thursday's linkup!  Get ready to share what you are thankful for along with other bloggers in my "ya gotta give thanks" November series!  :)

PS.  Yes Michael, I specifically picked Rockie as the Gary Johnson supporter in hopes that would score him some points and you would like him a little more... it was just my attempt at cheap political marketing scheme to pull at your not-a-fan-of-kitty-cats heartstrings.  Does he have your support now?

Thankful Thimble

It's a tough thing when you are thankful for so many things that you just don't know what one to mention in a blog post!  Welcome back to my November Series "ya gotta give thanks" were my posts this month may not directly revolve around what I'm thankful for, but the highlight of my gratefulness will definitely be mentioned.  If you want to get involved you can read the details at the bottom of yesterday's post.  Remember, every Thursday in November I will have a linkup where you can share what YOU are thankful for!  :)

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to keep this Friday post short and sweet.  Wanna know why?  No, it's not because my dog ate my homework... my excuse is oh so much better than that.

I got a paper cut.  Yes, you read that right.  A paper cut.  But not just any ole paper cut.  I got a paper cut underneath my finger nail!  I know a few of you just quivered in pain for me.  I appreciate that.  I'm pretty sure in some far off land, paper cuts under finger nails is some sort of twisted punishment.  Remind me to never visit such far off lands.

That being said, today, I am thankful for the creation of a thimble.  I highly doubt that when a Roman back in the 1st Century AD (yes, I wiki'ed it) created the very first thimble, he or she... eh, let's be real, it was probably a she that invented something so ingenious as the thimble.  Anyway, she probably never imagined some girl would be sitting in front of a computer (because they totes knew what computers were in the 1st Century AD) would appreciate her thimble as much as I am today.

Do you know how difficult it is to type with a paper cut underneath your finger nail?  It's too bad it's not my pinky finger.  I don't know about ya'll but that is my least used finger when it comes to typing.  A bandaid wouldn't help this situation.  The only thing that will help me get through the day with my computer??  A Thimble.  (Although I'm sure wine would help too.)

So today, November 2, 'I gotta give thanks' on behalf of my very thankful finger to the Thimble.

Do you have any weekend plans?  I will be heading to Carolina to get my family's cafe back up and running.  More details to follow on that I'm sure!  Happy Friday y'all.

Super Exciting Awesomely Terrific November Blog Series

A quick-ish recap of last night for you before I release the details of my super exciting awesomely terrific November Series!  As you saw yesterday I was flying solo in the Halloween Costume department AND I did my first "fashion" post.

As the day went on, and it got closer to trick-or-treat go time, I decided it was time to put chloe in her JMU Duke Dog costume.  (Yes, you saw her in my left over 80s stuff, but what's Halloween without a costume change?!)

As a graduate of James Madison University, I have and always will bleed purple.  And so will my dog.  And my future children.  As will their children.

Our mascot is the Duke Dog.  He is amazeballs and looks like this...  

{source}

But MY Duke Dog looked like this! 

Since Michael works late and I never see him during the week, I decided to dress up with Chloe.  Yes, that's right, my dog was the second half of my 'halloween couple costume.'  Pathetic right?  Eh, I'm cool with it.  She was the Duke Dog, and I was a JMU fan with my fun jersey.

We're cute right?!  I think she was trying to lick all the 80s makeup off my face... 

We also gave out legit candy this year.  No kidding around from this household, Snickers and Reese's all the way.  (Unfortunately, I have a ton leftover... Must use self control and not eat all of it... starting tomorrow!) 

Chloe, unfortunately did not behave well.  Shocker, small humans with scary masks terrified her.  When she went into protective mode and had the urge to take down a 4 foot, 6 year old Captain America, it was time for her to go inside.

All in all, it was a good Halloween evening.  My roommate and her boyfriend stood outside with me to greet the 40ish kiddos that came by the house.  We ate pizza in the driveway and chatted with my favorite neighbor for about an hour.  It was a nice evening.  I hope you all had a great Halloween as well and accomplished a handful of quality tricks and delicious treats.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that October is behind us, and I am officially back to blogging, I am bouncing off the walls with excitement, not because of all the snickers, but because I am going to have a November Series here on the blog!  Are you ready for this?!

I have decided that my November posts will all have a theme... a theme of Thanks.  The posts may all still be a little random, since I guess you could call me a "lifestyle blogger" and let's be real, my life if pretty random.  But they will all have one point or one sentence or one word that represents what I am thankful for that day!

Shall we get this party started then?  

November 1.  I am so super thankful and happy about silly little holidays like Halloween.

No, it's not my favorite holiday, but I just absolutely love how spiders, witches, and candy corn can bring people together.  What other night of the year would you find a bunch of strangers giving candy to each other, standing in the cold, making sure kids of all ages have a great time in a fun costume?  

Simple as that guys.  Future "ya gotta give thanks" posts will be a tad bit more specific than this one, but I had to ease into it!  Do you want to know my most favorite part about this new series?!  I would LOVE LOVE LOVE IT if other bloggers would like to link up with me on this once a week.

Please let me know if you would be interested in linking up every Thursday this month to share what YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR!  You can share something serious like "I'm thankful for my significant other" or "I'm thankful for my kids."  Or you can share why you are thankful for Wint-o-Green Lifesavers or super shiny pennies.  Whatever floats your boat!



<a border="0" href="/" target="_blank"><img src="img577/8109/yagottagivethanksbutton.gif"/></a>

Leave me a comment below if you would like to join in.  Then grab a button and stick in on the side of your blog.  In an economy like this, after crazy storms have crashed into the east coast, and as we prepare for the holiday season - we can never count our blessings enough.  I'm sooo looking forward to blogging in November.