Lots to do today, but it’s going to be a wonderful day.  The sun is shining and the temp is supposed to be around 70–a great California Thanksgiving!

Baked the pumpkin pies last night and the turkey is soaking in the brine mixture.  Still have to do a bit of cleaning (vacuuming and a bit of dusting), but the house looks pretty good.  Will make the stuffing in a few hours and will get the bird in the oven around noon so that all will be ready for dinner at 4 pm.

I am thankful for many things this year…unexpectedly this morning (after stepping on the scale for the first time in a week) I am thankful that I have now lost 17 lbs!!!  Will no doubt put a few back on today, but that’s ok since I plan on doing a lot of physical labor this weekend.

Other things to be thankful for:  Kevin and Soula have their own home and I was able to visit them twice this year to help with the move.  Patrick has a new job that he loves and a great girlfriend (Veronica) that he loves (me, too!).  And, finally, my family members are all in pretty good health, compared to last year at this time.

Last year my sister, Jean, was dying of cancer…and suffering a lot.  This year, while she is not with us, she is not suffering and she is in a much better place.  Wish we could all see her, but kind of nice for her that she can be with all of us even though we’re spread all around the country.

So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Hope it’s a great day!