Thursday Thirteen

13 things I will miss this thanksgiving because my son is in Iraq
1. I'll miss making him eggo waffles with butter and syrup in every square.
2. I'll miss reading "Cup of Christmas Tea" with Dave.
3. I'll miss the big bag of laundry to wash before he leaves again.
4. I'll miss him asking for leftsa.
5. I'll miss his teasing and mischief smile.
6. Ill miss him laying stretched out on the floor in front of the TV.
7. I'll miss him at the diner table telling me he is stuffed after I've asked him for the 5th time what else he wants to eat.
8. I'll miss the stories he shares about his skiing and rock climbing.
9. I'll miss reminiscing about what he was like as a little boy.
10. I'll miss his rare surprise kisses on the cheek.
11. I'll miss the sound of his footsteps on the stairs.
12. I'll miss going to a holiday movie with him.
13. I miss my son.

I am grateful for the time I have had with him and that he is healthy in mind and body to pursue what he enjoys in life.
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Customer Service

This is my favorite time of year. Even though I feel stressed about how I can afford to pay for Christmas I still enjoy this time of year. I was in a Hunting Goods store this last week and required some assistance from the sales staff to purchase a gift for my husband. The sales person was absolutely phenomenal. I felt like I was his only customer (although there were several waiting at the counter) and that he would have taken the entire day to help me with my purchase if needed. All three staff that I spoke to were delightful, helpful and stated if there was any problem with my purchase or we need assistance to come back and they would be more than happy to help. It has been a long time since I have experienced that level of customer service. You can bet I will be returning to Hammer's for future purchases.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day brought back memories of people I loved that chose to devote a part or all of their careers to the military. My older brother Mike spent 20 years in the Navy. I called him on Veterans Day to let him know I was thinking of him and to say thank you for choosing to serve. My father (who past away in 1984) spent 6 years in the navy and would have stayed longer however he had severe motion sickness that prevented him from serving on a ship. My grandfather (who also past away in 1984) served in the army in WWI. My son started his military career at West Point in 2001 and is currently serving in Iraq as a Captain. I have several cousins that served in the military. So to all Veterans and current Military thank you for what you have done and what you are now doing. Being an American is an honor and a privilege; because of you we have the freedoms we treasure. Thank you all.

halloween trick or treaters

We had a delightful time watching the little ones come up to the door to trick or treat. We had our usual large number. Our street is a popular route for the children. This is the first year in about three that I actually was able to be at home and pass out candy. The most darling costume was a six year old girl dressed as a bride, whose mother (or someone) had made her a wedding dress. The material looked like it had one been someone's wedding dress and her trick or treat bag was a white matching purse accompanied by a beautiful lace head dress. The most creative costume was a young boy maybe 9 or 10 that carried a cardboard sign that read "Candy needed, anything will do, God Bless thank you. Our city has seen several street corner loiterers with signs over the months that would read "Hungary, will work for food, God bless thank you". All in all it was a delightful evening topped off with a CSI.