30 Days of Thanks: Day 19

So I'm a week behind in my thankfulness, but that's not to say that I don't have something HUGE to be thankful for. This makes it Blog Official. Still not Facebook official, but that's coming later this week :)

I've been secretly blogging in another location, set up temporarily until I was ready to share with the rest of the world.

Well will you look at that...


For those of you unfamiliar with the world of cheap Wondfo test strips, those two lines mean that I'm expecting a new little Bean! I won't tell you how many of them I used, just to make sure. Plus a digital. Those things are awesome.

Estimated Due Date: May 21, 2013

The best part is that we've had a new kind of test done that came back all clear for a number of chromosomal abnormalities, and also allowed us to find out really early whether this will be a girl bean or a boy bean. Unfortunately, I can't share that piece of information until I've told the family, which will happen on Thursday when some of my nearest and dearest are assembled Chez Moi for thanksgiving dinner.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 11

Very thankful for freakishly warm November days that allow for fingerprinting and long walks through the woods. Back in the 40s tomorrow :(

30 Days of Thanks: Day 10

I'm thankful for a kitchen-creative husband who helped me perfect the homemade peppermint mocha. Also thankful that loves to cook and is actually really good at it, because if it were left up to me, we'd eat nothing but pasta.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 7

Today I am thankful that we get Four More Years!

I'm also thankful that women are finally standing up and making their voices heard and taking a more active role in politics. We added FIVE women to the Senate! That's pretty amazing. We still have a long way to go, but progress is progress. Not only that, but we've also elected our first openly-gay Senator. Way to go, Wisconsin! And as if it couldn't get any better? Maine, Maryland, and Washington State voted to legalize gay marriage. I'm so, so thrilled for so many of my friends who have been waiting years to be able to marry their partners. Hopefully this is just the beginning for equal rights under the law.

It was a great night, but I'm really paying for it today because I stayed up so late. I honestly thought it was going to be a nail-biter, even with Nate Silver's (now-proven to be statistically robust!) projections. I was prepared to go the distance and wait up watching until the wee hours of the morning, but there was no need.

Even today, I'm still jumping for joy inside. I hope that this is a sign that people are starting to recognize that treating each other equally and with respect really is a good goal to work toward.

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30 Days of Thanks: Day 5

I'm thankful for leftover Halloween candy. Enough said.

Milk Duds and Snickers are my favorite. Please feel free to send me any extras.

Not sure how i feel about these new Milky Ways, though.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 4

I'm incredibly thankful that the election is almost over. Living in one of the most important swing states is difficult - we're inundated with tv and radio ads, candidates are constantly stopping through, and my mailbox is regularly stuffed with propaganda from both sides. I'll be glad when it's over.

That said, I'm incredibly thankful that i live in a country where i can voice my opinion every November - I can vote on local issues, like the always-important school levies, state issues, like voting against  DOMA, and national issues - my vote helps to determine the president, and that's pretty cool. So thank you to all of the women who came before me, who fought to make sure that our voices speak just as loudly as mens'.

Finally, I'm thankful that, for the most part, my friends and family members don't let politics stand in the way of our relationships. I'm thankful that we're mature enough to respect that we view things differently and that we can hold intelligent, level-headed discussions on important issues. We're the single blue sign in a sea of red in this neighborhood, and I'm thankful that we're even allowed to speak our minds and stake our claims in the form of political lawn signs :)

30 Days of Thanks: Day 3

30 Days of Thanks: Day 3

A lighter post for today!

I'm thankful that my mom loves having sleepovers with Charlie, because that means date night at our favorite Italian restaurant.

Even more thankful for the return of Peppermint Mochas at Starbucks! I enjoyed a nice, quiet hour to myself this morning while I waited for my mom to drop off the kid.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 2

30 Days of Thanks: Day 2

I'm thankful that my friends and family in the NY/NJ area came out of Hurricane Sandy relatively unscathed. With only one exception, they all still have houses standing. My great aunt and uncle, two of the neatest people I know, have a house on the coast and were completely flooded. But they're safe with relatives, which is all that matters. So many people lost more than just property, and I'm thankful that all of my favorite people are unharmed.

This is Point Pleasant Boardwalk, where I spent lots of summer weekends as a kid.

Seaside Heights - the roller coaster in the ocean was the Jet Star, my first roller coaster ever.

So much devastation. Keeping them all in my thoughts as they begin to rebuild.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 1

I really need to get back into the habit of blogging. I have so much going on in my head, and plenty of things to say, but not enough time to do it. And I find that when I sit down and put fingers to keyboard, I just draw a blank. So here goes. Maybe if I can stick with 30 days of small posts it will be enough to kick my ass back into blogging shape. I have a lot of catching up to do, I hear I missed some really good posts from my Few Clowns Short friend.

I think I tried this last year, and it worked for a while, so here goes.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 1

I'm thankful for my job. Not only am I thankful to HAVE a job, but it's a job that I love. I always get to try new things, take on new tasks, and learn new skills. I work with awesome people, I have a great team, and we have a lot of fun while we're hard at work. I'm thankful that I don't dread going to work on Monday mornings. I remember how horrible it was at my last job, where a pit of anxiety would start setting in on Sunday afternoons. I didn't want to go - I hated the work, I hated leaving my kid, and I hated everything that it stood for. I don't miss that. Doing something that I find fulfilling makes me happy and proud to be a working mom.

I'm also thankful that I work for a very family-friendly place that allows me the flexibility to go and help with the trick-or-treat parade at Charlie's school. Parading around with 35 3-to-5-year olds was a lot like herding cats, but I'm so glad I was able to go. Not everyone is as lucky.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 15

Today I'm thankful for the elusive double-strawberry-starburst pack, a fun day out of the office at a geeky GIS conference, good company on the 112 minute drive down, and a multi-disc CD changer to get me through rural Kentucky when all the radio stations are playing country music.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 14

Today I'm thankful for Tosh.0 reruns. I wish I had discovered the show sooner, so thank you Comedy Central for the veritable Tosh.0 marathon set to record on my DVR. I'm also thankful for DVR.



My favorite Tosh.0 clip is posted on my running blog. Check it out if you need a good laugh.

Husband was surprised that Tosh made my List. Not like he, himself isn't proof that I have a thing for geeky men.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 13

Today I'm thankful for mechanics who don't treat women like idiots who know nothing about the cars they drive, the Lithium station on Sirius in the sweet rental car they gave me, $7.99 pizza night at Noce's Pizza, and my husband-as-workout-partner who keeps me motivated when I'd prefer to sit on the couch.

I'm also thankful that I don't have to drive an SUV/minivan every day! Once was enough :)

30 Days of Thanks - Day 12

Today I am thankful for the little moments and family memories that we're creating every day.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 11

Today I am thankful for lazy Sundays that preclude blogging but leave lots of room for pancake breakfasts in pajamas, King Arthur's Perfect Pancakes, and the Reality Bites radio channel on DirecTV, because Toadies, Better Than Ezra, and Rage Against the Machine make for a very eclectic breakfast soundtrack.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 10

Today I'm thankful that Ohio FINALLY got Yuengling! I don't understand why it took them so long, Pennsylvania is right next door.

Yum! I see a lot of carb-loading in my future :)

30 Days of Thanks - Day 9

Today I am thankful for the five pints of Ben & Jerry's I have stashed in my freezer. It's nice to know that the hardest decision I'll have to make tonight is which one I want to eat.

Happy Friday!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 8

I'm thankful that in addition to my super Little Sister, I have an equally amazing Little Brother, the middle of the trio.



TJ is a talented musician who lives in Brooklyn with his fiancee Patti.



He has a freakish ability to pick up any instrument and teach himself how to play it within a matter of hours. It used to drive me crazy when I was little - I would slave away at the piano for weeks to master a single piece, and his fingers just flew over the keys like it was nothing.



You can check out some of his music on his website.

I think he sounds like a cross between Sublime, Coldplay, and Radiohead. My most favorite song is embedded below - his version of I'll Fly Away. He did all of the vocal harmonies separately and then mixed them all together. Super talent, for real.



Best of all, he's about to be a proud dad to a baby boy. I can't wait to meet my new nephew in December!

I definitely lost out on the artistic genes, I forgot to mention that Katie is also a talented artist - she draws and paints and designs sets for plays. I'm lucky to have had such an amazing set of siblings to grow up with.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 7

Today I'm thankful that I get to call a very special and inspiring person "Little Sister." Of course, she's not so little anymore, all grown up with a life of her own in the Big Apple (yes, I'm the only one of my siblings who didn't make it back east).





Not only is she smart, caring, and hilarious, but she's very unselfish and is trying to save the world.

Case in point - right now she's in the middle of a three-week trip to Africa where she's volunteering at an orphanage. She's been sending us little pictures and texts (and, every once in a while, a longer email) telling us about her adventures. Since some of our family members aren't so tech-savvy, I started a blog for her that they can visit to see what she's up to. So now I'm sharing it with you, too.

Smiling Kate Goes to Africa

30 Days of Thanks - Day 6

Happy Election Day! Have you voted yet? I'm usually at the polls first thing in the morning, but Charlie decided to throw a temper tantrum (catalyst still undetermined) so I figured I'd just go after work, instead. Polling Locations are no place for a screaming 3-year-old. (but truthfully, where is?)

So today I'm thankful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to voice my desires through voting. Sure, our system isn't perfect, but whose is? I do my fair share of bitching and moaning about things, and then on election day I make my voice heard.



Did you exercise yours today?


On a separate but related note, I did learn an interesting random fact this week - did you know that voting isn't actually a Constitutional right? True story.

"The Constitution contains many phrases, clauses, and amendments detailing ways people cannot be denied the right to vote. You cannot deny the right to vote because of race or gender. Citizens of Washington DC can vote for President; 18-year-olds can vote; you can vote even if you fail to pay a poll tax. The Constitution also requires that anyone who can vote for the "most numerous branch" of their state legislature can vote for House members and Senate members.

Note that in all of this, though, the Constitution never explicitly ensures the right to vote, as it does the right to speech, for example. It does require that Representatives be chosen and Senators be elected by "the People," and who comprises "the People" has been expanded by the aforementioned amendments several times. Aside from these requirements, though, the qualifications for voters are left to the states. And as long as the qualifications do not conflict with anything in the Constitution, that right can be withheld. For example, in Texas, persons declared mentally incompetent and felons currently in prison or on probation are denied the right to vote. It is interesting to note that though the 26th Amendment requires that 18-year-olds must be able to vote, states can allow persons younger than 18 to vote, if they chose to." (source)

30 Days of Thanks - Day 5

Today I am thankful that Husband Charlie has agreed to give running a shot! We're both signed up for the Leadville Trail Marathon on June 30, 2012. I'm thankful that we're going to have the experience of training for and running a marathon together. Thankful that he's willing to indulge my crazy streak, and thankful that we're both healthy enough and active enough that we just might succeed at our crazy endeavor.

What's so crazy about a marathon? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, right? Well, this isn't just any marathon - you can read the dirty details of what we're about to embark on at See Bean Run. Certifiable, for sure.