What comes down...

It seems not too long ago that I was writing about packing up Christmas decorations-a little less than eleven months ago.  Then again, it seems like forever, and now I am putting them back up again.  Oh man, do I have a lot to do.  I must say, I am a little bit scared-but, I will just put on my big girl pants and do it!

There are boxes of decorations to get down, furniture to move, and fall decorations to put away.  Yikes-I need to get started!  I can already hear my knees screaming at me.  Hello ibuprofen.  I have gotten a small start though.  The candles went in the windows the week before Thanksgiving.  They are my favorite of the Christmas decor-they are just warm and inviting.  The reindeer and snowman went up this past weekend in the yard.  Thank you to my hubby and youngest for that one!  I do love it all, though there were times when I asked if we could blow up a picture of last year's tree and tape it to the wall.  And, you guessed it, I got a funny look from everyone within earshot.

We will get our tree this weekend.  It is a holiday weekend after all.  Wait, you didn't know it was a holiday?  Which holiday you ask?  Why it is Emma Eve on Saturday of course, followed by Emma's 10th birthday on Sunday.  Yes, my brilliant youngest daughter has figured out how to stretch out her birthday.  I really think Emma Eve is more highly anticipated, sort of like Christmas Eve.  Then on the actually birthday, we are off to see Santa himself.  Legendary Santa-if you are a Richmonder, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Accept no substitutes.

So, as always, there is much going on in our household.  Birthdays, decorating, and holidays.  All rolled into one.

Thank You

Today is Veteran's Day-a day to give thanks to our veterans who have served and are serving.  To say thank you to their families for the sacrifices that they make everyday so that their soldiers can protect us and our freedoms.  I can not thank them all enough.

There have been quite a few members of my family and my husband's family that have served in the military.  There are two who are currently serving in the Army.  We are so proud of all of them.

It is also my mother's birthday.  She had a good day-it is 11-11-11, so it was a lucky day as well!

I am also thankful for a post on my Facebook updates.  Here it is:

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/07/17/75-reminders-for-tough-times/

It came from a friend who is also a blogger.  Here is his site

http://employmentforumblog.com/


It was a great post that put things into perspective-when times are hard and you are having trouble seeing that things will work out, it is funny how things like this are presented to you.  Breathe in, breathe out, move on.  A great line from a Buffett song.

So, there were lots of things to be thankful for today.  Freedom, birthdays, and encouraging words.  Thank you.

That Time of Year

No, I don't mean Christmas.  It is the first weekend in November.  In Virginia, that means one very important thing.  It is time for the Urbanna Oyster Festival.  The festival of all festivals in my opinion.  It is said that close to 200,000 people will attend the festival over the course of two glorious days.  And why not?  It is in a beautiful place with fantastic seafood.  What more does a person need?

When people ask where we are going and I mention oysters, they scrunch up their faces and usually reply, "I really don't like oysters."  More for me!  Although, they have great BBQ, huge turkey legs, soups, crab, and other things that will satisfy those non-oyster eaters.  I go for the oysters.  Raw, on the half-shell with a drop of Tobassco.  Yum.

What is fun is you always run into someone you know.  I have not been to Urbanna and not run into someone that we know, even if it has been since the previous oyster festival that we have seen each other.  Last year, boats from Jamestown were sailed into the marina off the Rappahanock River, with re-enacters on board to answer questions.  There are artists, live music, parades at the end of the day, and endless seafood.  Heavenly.

I love that our kids now love to go.  They never moan and groan about walking around all day-they enjoy the food and the people as much as we do.  Smart kids!

So, the merriment will begin tomorrow morning-and you can be for certain that is where we will be.  Maybe I will run into you there!  If not, please try the oysters.http://www.urbannaoysterfestival.com/