Giving Thanks

I am holding on to the last few hours of my Thanksgiving vacation and stretching it out as long as possible. At the end of a break I always have an urge to stay up all night in an effort to prolong the awful inevitable. If I weren't yawning already I might stand a chance. I can't complain too much though, the next few weeks should be nice. It is my favorite time of year after all. It always seems like work is a little more laid back during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We spent most of the past few days in Thibodaux with the rest of my extended family. It was great to have a chance to visit with my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I accomplished almost everything on the list and, most importantly, feel very well-rested for the first time in a long time. The energy is thanks, in large part, to having a ton of help with La Luz and is also due to the fact that the country air turns La Luz into a hibernating bear. She took four hour naps and slept until 9 almost every day.

La Luz spent most of the weekend playing with her t-ball set, throwing rocks in ditches, chasing the dogs, chasing the dogs in the golf cart, chasing the dogs while being held by her cousins, looking for the horses, feeding the horses sugar cubes, and picking satsumas, oranges, and grapefruit. I am surprised she is not orange considering how much citrus she ate in 4 days.

I read a ton (magazines and my book - which is excellent and totally frustrating and has taken whatever small amount of pleasure I had in grocery shopping away entirely - even shopping at Whole Foods - forget it, it is not enjoyable anymore). I also managed to fit in a ten mile run to keep up with the marathon training program. The best part of the run (other than the scenery) was that I finally outran Loki. I don't think he has exerted any energy, save what it takes to eat a bowl of food, since then.

Here are some of the highlights: