Syncopation of a One Horse Open Sleigh

It's the end of the autumnal season and we've roared right into Tis The Season, Have Yourself A Merry, and Chestnuts Roasting et al. I've successfully stayed out of the shops, including the grocery store, all weekend and am happy to be happier for it.

Despite the term "Black Friday" it is nonetheless Thanksgiving weekend. And there are still many things I can be thankful for. This weekend my friends became my family and though no one can replace those you grew up with and raised you, sometimes the family you choose is exactly what you need as well. Last night I had a fantastic time, oddly enough. One of the IT heads at work, whose team is responsible for a testy bit of software that caused me and two others to work on Friday morning so we could recover data loss, went to dinner with us last night and we took the piss out of him all night. He's actually quite hysterical and my face hurt by the end of the night. We went to MGM and Magic Kingdom - which started out being insanely crowded but within a matter of an hour dissipated and we walked on to a bunch of rides.

Today then is my official shopping day. Going with Disney Cast Members is nice because they get a very healthy holiday shopping discount. I of course can't say what I plan on buying because of little spies that read this journal, but I'm looking forward to fulfilling some gift ideas.

So I'm running behind on my things to be thankful for so I have to summarize here and I'll do it quickly (notice, on days I have to go to work I procrastinate by writing lengthy summaries...now that I'm on my OWN time I'll abbreviate!).

Thursday's Thankful List
1. My sister - It's always a good idea to have a sister to share friendship and family with. Sisters are a good idea, period, and I'm thankful to have one that understands why I think of Ray Liotta's wife everytime I put leftover turkey into a toaster oven. And understands why I think Josh Lucas looks like Coug.

2. My Grandmother - When you're a little girl and your mom passes away, you're left wondering who is going to replace that maternal role in your life. The sisters my mom had live on the other side of the world and that her mother was unknown to me, my dad's mom - "Grandma" - stepped into that role when her own life was in chaos. Besides losing her daughter in law, my grandfather had just had a massive stroke the year before and she was caring for him. It's a lot to deal with two tween girls, but she did it and at 93 still does.

3. My Dad - Building on the thoughts about my grandmother, a lot of dad's would send their kids off to live with Grandma or an aunt and move on with their career and life. My dad respected my sister and I as equals in the household and often treated us as peers and lived a crazy life as we tried to figure out life without a mother. I can't imagine being young with two children and sticking it out when society never really expected him too. Most of my friends who lost their mothers had fathers who dumped them off with relatives or remarried within months, presumably to help raise their children. My dad never did that and I'm thankful for that because the most important role model a young woman can have is a man who doesn't run away from his problems or his life. It showed my sister and I what being a real man and a real father means.

4. Coffee - Actually this is something the rest of the world that has to deal with me should be thankful for!

5. 2 Round Trip Business Class Tickets Waiting For Me - I have two round trip Club World tickets on British Airways I've been savoring for years. Or it could be four regular coach tickets but what fun is that?

Friday's Thankful List

1. Friends that are Family - Janet joked with me once about taking a cruise and calling it a "family reunion with the family you choose." I'm very lucky to have not only friends that I can call family but when we are together, they become families together. Janet, Paula, Marie, Linda, the Kid, Patricia, Rich, Lenora, Kim, Lucy & Ethel - they've made me a part of their own families and I have a million 'nieces and nephews' and that's why I go broke at the holidays. But I love them all.

2. Living in Celebration - Besides having to have the strength of character to say, "I live at Disney World", I do love it here. Sometimes when I wish I lived in a place where I could hang purple aluminum blinds, I'm thankful that my neighbors cannot. I love the bike trails, the turkeys, the deer and the fauna. I love the swamps and the brick streets, the small parks that are vignettes of greenery in an otherwise urban setting. I grew up half in the corn and half in the city - Celebration is the perfect marriage of urbanism and the back forty. I love that most people don't even realize that.

3. Knowing How To Cook - I was cooking components of Nam Tok when I was ten (little did I know my mom was just pawning off the tedious part to me). She bought me a small skillet as a birthday present once and I learned how to make eggs and hamburger patties. I've been cooking since I was a little kid and I've accepted I will never, ever be a baker. But everyone has the one thing they are good at and have confidence in - this is my skill and my confidence.

4. My "A Room With A View" DVD - I love watching this movie while having brunch. It's just a little tradition I've had all my life. It's not even my favorite movie but it's one that I can say is the perfect companion on a quiet, lonely Sunday morning.

5. U2 - What would I do without their music? Everyone has the music that speaks to their soul and none does this more for me than U2. It's the soundtrack to my life and in that, I can't say anymore about it because the music speaks entirely for itself and in some cases, for myself when I can't find the words. Even now, when thinking of giving thanks, I find myself reciting these lyrics:

And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage that you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind.