A "Wild, Wonderful" Thanksgiving

We didn't really have any plans for Thanksgiving Day. But "plans" are overrated when you're married to my husband!

Wednesday evening, after he got home from work, Nick announced, "Why don't I call my Aunt Kathy, see if she can put us for the night, and we can go down there for Thanksgiving Day?"

An hour later, our car was loaded down with four people, two dogs, blankets and pillows... and we were on our way to Aunt Kathy's.

We have had plans for quite some time to go to Aunt Kathy's this weekend for a late Thanksgiving celebration. Nick's brother and his wife are in town... and Nick's sister and her daughter are arriving late, late, late Saturday night. So, after the Weirton Christmas parade tomorrow, we're heading to Aunt Kathy's to spend the night and have the Thanksgiving feast Sunday afternoon with most of Nick's family. We'll still be doing that... yesterday was just a "bonus." A nice, unplanned (in typical Nick style) bonus.

Thanksgiving means something very different in West Virginia than in most other parts of the country. It's not really about turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie and pilgrims. It's ALL about the menfolk leaving the house at 4am decked out in camouflage and Hunter Orange and sitting in the woods most of the day, hoping to drag home a deer at some point.

So, yesterday, we had a perfect "Wild, Wonderful" Thanksgiving. Nick spent the majority of the day in the woods with his brother, his brother's in-laws, his cousins, and his son.

Avery and I spent the day with Aunt Kathy and the 20+ dogs that she's boarding this weekend. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast (courtesy of Aunt Kathy), the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, a pot of coffee, a scrumptuous lunch (courtesy of Aunt Kathy's mom), and lots of good conversation. We also visited with my sister-in-law and her family and greeted the mighty hunters when they returned (without deer, unfortunately, but that's not really the point, is it?).

Maybe for the first time since we moved back here last February, I felt like we were "home" again. There's a lot that I feel is not-quite-right in my world these days, but yesterday doesn't fall into that category. It was the best Thanksgiving Day I've had in a long time. And I'm very thankful that my husband doesn't believe in "plans."

Been there, done that

I stole this post from my friend Lisa. I really enjoyed glancing through her list (Lisa, we're gonna have to do something about that karaoke thing! lol), so figured I'd do it myself. I'm sure most of you won't give a hoot about my list, but I've been making Christmas cards for three days straight and I have positively NO creative energy left... It's this or nothin'!

So, here goes (things I've done are in bold):

1. Started your own blog... duh.
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to DisneyWorld
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty... that was painful if I remember correctly.
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa... she's very tiny.
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing... trust me when I tell you not to do this when you're 4 months pregnant!
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris... actually I think we only made it halfway up, to that middle level, but I'm takin' this one anyway!
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling... hmmm, does sitting on the boat while your friends go diving count?? (I didn't think so)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China... not yet, but ask me this time next year and I might have a different answer.
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp... Dachau, the most depressing place I've ever been.
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt... well, I didn't finish the quilt, but I did make several squares.
73. Stood in Times Square (Dad, have I done this? I don't remember!)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating... I've watched my husband and brother-in-law do this plenty, however!
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (or two)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee... never ever; isn't that amazing??
100. Read an entire book in one day

My little blogger

Damon announced last night that he wanted to start his own blog. At first, I laughed... and then thought, "well, why not??"

So, we set him up with his own e-mail address and blogspot today.

The child has been on the laptop, looking at his blog, posting on his blog, looking at his blog some more -- all evening. Every now and then I hear him giggle to himself... apparently he thinks he's funny.

Just now, as I was typing up this post, he discovered the comments that I left on some of his posts this evening. He thinks that's just great!

Anyway, you can visit Damon's blog here. Feel free to leave the aspiring writer some love (and keep in mind that I have absolutely nothing to do with his topics, opinions, or spelling/grammar).

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Nick and I have been "training" our kids for YEARS not to mess with our evil min pin when she is in the possession of anything edible.

Lizzie is evil. She steals food, from wherever -- the trash, the table, our plates -- and then she guards it with her life. We all know this about Lizzie. We aren't new here.

Sometime this morning, Lizzie pilfered a 4-pack of cheese on cheese crackers that was sitting on the kitchen table, leftover from someone's lunch yesterday. She then carried these crackers into Damon's room, where she lay on the bed all day with them and growled menacingly at anyone who dared to so much as LOOK at her crackers.

Comet spent most of the day under my chair. Even HE knows better (and he's not very smart). Avery and I didn't miss Lizzie at all. When she stays tucked away somewhere all day, we're generally grateful.

But, Nick came home for lunch this afternoon and, for some insane reason, decided he didn't want Lizzie to have those damn crackers anymore. (All I can figure is that he's determined to prove to her who's boss... can you hear me laughing?)

As Avery and I were settling down at the table, ready to consume the Wendy's he brought us, we heard a horrible ruckus coming from the bedroom.

I'm not sure who was the victor. Nick got the crackers away from Lizzie. He also got six bloody holes in his two thumbs... and spent the rest of his lunch hour bandaging them.

I'm always telling Nick to "choose his battles" with our children; he's never been very good at that. Apparently he's no better at choosing his battles with his evil dog, either... I kept saying, "why didn't you just let her keep the stupid crackers?? Were they that important?"

And I'm pretty sure Lizzie still thinks she's boss tonight.

Snow Fun

It's been snowing here for a week... and is supposed to continue for at least the next week (I haven't seen a forecast beyond that).

But, for all of the snowing that's going on, we've had very little accumulation. Schools haven't been delayed or closed yet... and the kids haven't been able to get out there and throw snowballs at each other.

This afternoon, right around the time I had to venture out to get Damon from school, it started coming down pretty heavily and sticking a little. So, when we got home, the kids begged to stay out and play. They had a blast, even though there was barely enough snow to cover the ground (let alone make a snowball!!).

After I snapped these pictures, the neighborhood boys came down with their sleds and snowboards. They didn't seem to care one bit that there wasn't enough snow and they had to scoot themselves down the hill in the backyard.

A Splitting Headache

This is what I'm going to have every Thursday night, I've realized.

Thursday evenings are Cub Scouts meetings. And now that Nick is stepping up as a den leader, it's become a family affair (instead of just the boys spending quality time together every Thursday).

Every time we go to a scouting event, I think, "I'm so glad I only have two children... and that only ONE of them is a boy!"

Boys are insane enough on their own, and in pairs. But, a fellowship hall FULL of boys (40+) is enough to make you wanna tear your hair out.

The happy news is that Damon earned his Bobcat badge tonight. Yay, Damon! :)

There's nothing cuter...

than a big, stupid Golden Retriever playing fetch in the snow.

I wish I'd taken my camera out with us this morning (not that Comet would stay still long enough for me to get a decent picture of the snow on his nose anyway!).

It's been snowing off and on here for days, but last night we finally got a little accumulation. The kids were very disappointed that there's finally a little bit of "play snow" on the ground, but they had school anyway. Bummer. Back in Maryland, they would've had the entire day off for this!

I told Damon this morning that there's plenty more snow where this dusting came from... not to worry! I'm sure he'll have a "Snow Day" before too much longer.

How is it possible...

for me to be sick again?!?!

I swear, our house just got over the flu. I was really looking forward to a "healthy period" for a while!

Last night, I woke up sick to my stomach... it came out of the clear blue, so I figured maybe I ate something that didn't agree with me. But, no one else in my family seems sick, and we've all eaten the same things.

And, today, I'm still not feeling great.

There's no chance that I'm pregnant, unless some sort of miracle has occurred and my body parts are growing back together. So, I guess that means I'm just sick... again.

All Quiet in the Frozen North

I know I'm doing a really crappy job as a blogger here lately... I thought I'd pop in and say "hey!" and let everyone know that we Witscheys are still alive and well.

I'm in the middle... well, really, at the end... of another book project. So, I'm eating, sleeping, and dreaming all things Congenital Heart Disease. Yippee! This book will be finished mid-week with any luck... and then I'll probably spend several days recovering!

We're also keeping busy with the Cub Scouts lately. Nick is in the process of stepping up as Damon's den leader (he has "Sucker" written on his forehead)... and we're really trying to keep Damon interested, so we've been doing lots of scouting things. The past two Saturday mornings were spent "Scouting for Food" in the cold and rain. Fun stuff!

Oh, big news for me, of the sad variety... My darling son somehow managed to spill a glass of milk on my camera Thursday night, after I'd used it to take pics of 50 Cub Scouts for a Christmas ornament project that I volunteered for (I have "Sucker" on my forehead, too, apparently).

I was honestly in a state of shock... sitting here flipping the switch on... off... on... off. And nothing ever happened. The poor thing was just DEAD. I had visions of Thanksgiving and Christmas with NO camera, and I cried like a baby. I think I may have even sent up a prayer or two...

By the next morning, my beloved camera had recovered somewhat. Now it works... it just won't zoom at all, which kinda stinks because I use my zoom on almost every pic I take! But, at least I can take pics, even if they aren't the best.

So, I think that's all the excitement in my world at the moment.

Now, I must return to my thrilling chapter on TGA... that's transposition of the great arteries... duh.

Gee...

Does anyone think it's about time for me to put up a new blog header??

I'll add that to my "to do" list... I might get around to it by next summer, in which case, I can just leave this one up! lol

Relief

For a moment, I'm feeling relieved... for the first time in over a week.

I finally got caught up on a batch of work that was due last week... that I fell VERY behind on due to everyone's illnesses (including my own). My next job is going to allow for sick days, I swear!

So, it's done... finally. Whew!

Now... onto the next project that I had to push aside to get caught up on THAT. Love that domino effect! I have a book project that's due in one week. I have to complete at least two chapters a day for the next 7 days if I have any hope of finishing this by the deadline.

WHAT, do you suppose, are the chances of that happening??

Right now, however, I'm allowing myself to feel relieved (and it feels wonderful!). There will be plenty of time for me to stress over this next project... starting tomorrow.

Fall Fun

I posted just a few days ago about my favorite (and only) tree... remember? Well, TODAY, it decided to lose all of its leaves. I'm not kidding... this morning, there were leaves on my tree. By this afternoon, my front yard was buried under three inches of leaves... from one (rather large) tree! The kids had a blast playing in the leaves after school this afternoon...

They even made leaf angels!

And they humored me by smiling for a picture or two...

Then played in the leaves some more.

It was almost as fun as playing in the snow. And I have a feeling we'll see plenty of that before long!!

Still alive... I think

Our house was hit with a nasty round of flu/sick/ickies this past weekend.

Avery was the first victim Friday night. Her second failed sleepover attempt at Grandma's ended with her home and throwing up by 9:30pm.

I didn't feel well Saturday, though I wasn't running for the bathroom every five minutes like my daughter, so I thought I got off easy (wrong!).

Sunday night, Damon was hit even harder than Avery had been. And, finally, Monday (after cleaning up after two sick kiddos all weekend), it hit me.

Nick was home in bed all day yesterday.

It's been absolutely, positively no fun around here for the past several days.

And, to make matters worse, my lower back picks NOW to start aching like nobody's business. So now that my stomach has started cooperating with life again, my back is protesting.

I'm days and days and DAYS behind on editing work... and every second that I sit at this computer, my back screams at me even more.

wahhhhhh.