bright black friday

has been very good to me this year.
so was thanksgiving for that matter.
ross and i got up late yesterday and went to his friend deborah's for turkey-day. she has a lot of very nice friends and the food was amazing. there was a LOT of homemade middle eastern and indian food as well as sweet potatoes cooked with jack daniels that was fabulous. and turkish coffee....and cherry pie....
yes, i know you're supposed to have pumpkin pie on thanksgiving and there WAS pumpkin pie, but my favorite is cherry. any day of the week.

so then ross and i came home around 6 and made root beer floats with root beer schnapps (very good if you haven't tried it) and watched the prophesy and hung out with his friends susan and mick. today was of similar laziness. lots of talking and snoozing and movie-watching (hannibal today, except i had to hide during the part with the brains).
i woke up this morning utterly limp.
that almost never happens. and it is the sign of truly having enough sleep. a luxury i almost never indulge in.

i have so much to be thankful for.
ross...who is everything i wanted and never dreamed was possible in a man. i am spending two whole more days with the man i love before i have to get back and face reality.
my family...who take such good care of me and are always there for me with their interest and support even when i am no fun.
mom and i are going to make xmas cookies when i get home and decorate the house with my grandmom's decorations.
my vocation...i may not have the details figured out, but it is a gift to feel your life claimed by something bigger than yourself.
my friends...who are there for me in ways that i don't deserve and never expect, helping out when i don't want to admit that i need it.
my cats...lets face it, cats are snobs. adoration from a cat can only be interpreted as a compliment.
i have enough to eat.
i have a warm place to sleep.
i believe (knock on wood) that i have finally heard the last of the cough that has been hounding me for the past few weeks.
i have comfort and christmas music and next year i can look forward to having a christmas tree in my own house for the first time and never having to spend holidays away from ross anymore.
i have work that brings me joy and stretches my understanding of the world.
i have a great distraction from my work in the form of owbn.
i get to go to south africa soon and have my life changed by another culture.
i am thankful for music.
i am thankful for dancing.
i am thankful for seeing the stars at night without any city-glare.
i am thankful for fast computers that play really cool games and let me communicate with my friends from far away (and make my papers SO much easier to write).
i am thankful for good books.
i am thankful for stories.
i am thankful for hot baths that leave you awake and smelling good.
i am thankful for the chill in the wind that smells like leaves burning and leaves you itching for snowball fights and nights by the fire.
i am thankful for the smells that bring good memories
and the opportunity to make more of those memories.