Giving Thanks

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I've decided that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love that it is the least commercialized holiday (besides Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Flag day, I suppose), and it is literally about thanking God for close family and friends. Because this year I am thankful amidst a ton of papers and projects (actually I had four due the Monday and Tuesday after this short break), I decided to spend Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family an hour and a half away from Madison in Hartford, WI and return to Madison Friday night to pump out some projects. Ceej had been planning on working Friday, so he was going to meet me in Madison that night to keep me company while my 6 roommates were away.

So Wednesday night rolls around and I'm taking a "study break" to clean (because I love cleaning) and watch Private Practice when I hear a knock on my door. For those of you who don't know, I am a major chicken when it comes to being alone at night, and I immediately assumed it was a robber coming to kidnap me. My eyes bulged out of their sockets, my heart started pounding out of my chest, and sweat was forming around my face (pathetic, I know). It got worse when I looked out the peephole of the front door to see a man with his hood up, a cap on, and looking toward the ground! After a few seconds of debating if it was Ceej or not, I called his phone and -low and behold- it was! After recovering physiologically from my near-death experience, I felt absolutely thrilled that I could spend the holiday weekend with one of the things I am most thankful for.

Thursday morning we drove to Hartford and had a day filled with great food, family, and fun! My cousin, Courtney, and I agreed that this year our already-close extended family felt especially unified. We talked, laughed, and played an intense game of Apples-to-Apples.

That night Ceej and I stayed with my cousin Lindsay and her husband, Shane, in their beautiful, newly built home. It made Ceej and I really excited to decorate our own little apartment in the upcoming months (the details of which are yet to be unveiled by you-know-who (God)). While we didn't make it out shopping for Black Friday (we were busy being treated amazingly well by our hosts... complete with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast!), I found out later that my dad was able to take full advantage of the bargains. This man who hates lines and busy malls camped out in front of Best Buy from 8pm Thursday night to 5am Friday morning to get a laptop for $500. He said that while it was quite cold, it was worth it (although he doubts that he would do it again). I'm proud of his ambition, and I now realize where my bargain-hunting ability comes from!

Friday night Ceej and I relaxed to the movie Schindler's List; I had never seen it and it came highly encouraged by his parents, for good reason! It made me even more thankful for everything I have... how blessed I am with family and friends as well as the opportunities I have been given and often take for granted. Saturday my wonderful fiance went grocery shopping for me and cooked me dinner while I did homework, being so respectful and supporting of my obligations. After a scrumptious dinner we went to the hockey game against Michigan (Badgers won!) and to the Comedy Club on State Street. My roommates will tell you that I am slightly obsessed with the Comedy Club here--it's one of my favorite things to do in this city! It was such a fun night; we just have so much fun together! The weekend high was extended when I came home from the library tonight to an apartment decked out with Christmas cheer. We now have a decorated tree, stockings with our names on it, lights, snowflakes, you name it. It makes me so happy to be home!