reunited
While traveling I tend to plan. Something about being on a plane makes me think of the future or come up with ideas I would like to see happen. During my recent travels, I decided that around Thanksgiving friends from high school would be coming back in town to celebrate with their families and that this would be a good time to plan a mini High school reunion as we have not had an official one yet.
After football games in High School, we would invite everyone over to our house to eat chicken and hang out. It was a really great idea, because it gave us a safe and fun place to be together and dance/build a fire in the fire pit/play basketball/swim/throw the cheerleaders (often still in their uniforms) into the pool. It was always a great time and I am thankful to my parents that they allowed us to have everyone over.
So in honor of these times and in order to catch up with each other, we got together last week in the basement, just like old times!
i reached back to my cfa west coast marketing team balloon arch days (notice the colors dont start turning until the right side)
It was great to reconnect with CDW – a dedicated student in PT school and hear about her work in Central America – so inspiring!
our senior banner that we all had signed in high school (used to hang in the cafeteria) added to the atmosphere. It was great to have some teachers come! Jamal and I gave short talk and handed out roses to the female teachers and a book for Mr. Trucks. What a great time to see and catch up with friends.
tongue thai-ed
a good friend of mine since middle school, Petra, is working at a resort on Koh Samui Island in Thailand (how cool is that??). TODAY is her birthday (this picture was taken last year). Soooo, even if you don’t know her, you should go leave her a comment wishing her a happy birthday!! why? #1- she is a really cool gal, #2- its always fun to get birthday wishes, especially from the other side of the world! 
Get to her blog here: Tongue Thai-ed.
lost and found
there is a policy at our house regarding anything left behind by guests.
If you were to visit our home and leave something that was yours, you have two weeks to reclaim it before we either 1) claim it as our own or 2) get rid of it.
Apparently our friends were a bit forgetful growing up, so this is how this policy came about: Mom would ask us to clean up after our guests were over. Of course if something wasn’t mine, I assumed it was another siblings and would leave it for them to clean up- and they would do the same. Mom would go through the line to see which child the item belonged to:
#1 – It’s not mine!
#2- Nope!
#3- No ma’m (I was polite, of course)
#4- uh-uh
#5-not mine
#6- no
Then the item/items would go on the porch for two weeks – if it wasn’t claimed by one of our friends in two weeks – we put dibs up for it if it was an item we deemed useful – or out it went!
Fast forward to the present, these are the most recent findings:
beach towel iGo charger
Two weeks from now I will put dibs up for these items unless of course they are claimed
happy birthday baby brother
then and now. Yesterday was his big day. Can’t believe he is 14!
both of these are old ones. *Notice the birthday candle in the chicken. *The beach picture is a sandman with earmuffs!
Brother- making sandman castles then to making friendship bread sand castles and throwing football now – you make me smile. Happy Birthday (yesterday)!
Thanksgiving: Looking back.
24. November. 2004 : American traditions in a Chinese town!
I remember cooking my grandmothers macaroni and cheese casserole (wow that looks funny-did I spell that right?) for everyone- and the dish being licked clean! Grandmother had sent me a box in the mail with the ingredients that I couldn’t get in China.
This wasn’t thanksgiving but the date was November 2006:
Thanksgiving 2007, on Emory’s campus:
This year (more family members were here, this was just my only shot from the trip):
Go check out my cousin’s post for more
Traditions: ‘O Christmas Tree!
the Sunday after Thanksgiving we pile in the “Burb” (affectionate name for the suburban) and drive to the Farmer’s Market. #2 did the negotiating – and this year’s winner is…..
An 11 footer! This Christmas tree is nice and full! We got a stand to go along with it. And as you can see it fit nicely on the roof for the ride home:
baby sam always keeping a eye on everything:
all ready for decorating! it was fun to listen to Christmas music and dance with my nephew!
Check out more traditions.
