Blessings galore.

The week of Thanksgiving has come and gone, more or less, and I am left with this feeling of contentedness that has me looking forward to pulling out the Christmas decorations and turning on some holiday music.

These past few days have been busy, but relaxing. Wednesday afternoon I picked Steve up at the airport when he flew in from Colorado for the weekend. We went out for dinner before heading home, something we don't get a chance to do very often, just the two of us. We visited friends for their daughter's birthday party Wednesday evening, we enjoyed a low-key dinner with Steve's family for Thanksgiving, and have pretty much chilled out, slept in, ate leftovers, watched football and movies, the guys have gone hunting, and we've enjoyed some great family time. And it snowed! It didn't stick around, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

I am not a hardcore Black Friday (or Thursday) shopper, but I did make two trips to town on Thanksgiving day - one in the morning and a spur-of-the-moment one at night - to snag a couple of items I've been wanting that were on great sales. The morning at Meijer was a piece of cake. The trip to Wal-mart in the evening was insanity, but my shopping buddy (my future-sister-in-law) and I had a blast chatting people up and joking around while we stood in line. And I have to say, maybe it's because we live in a relatively small town and people here are generally pretty tolerant, but for the most part everyone we encountered was in good spirits and very helpful. Customers and employees alike were kind and courteous, and the few grumblers were the exception. Sue and I agreed it was worth the trip and the wait to have gotten the TV's we went for, and I was happy to have also been able to knock a few other gifts off my list.

Gift shopping aside, we have so much for which to be thankful, this year and always. I can't help but reflect a little on years past and the ups and downs we've been through and feel overwhelming gratitude for where we are now.

Steve heads back to work in Colorado tomorrow afternoon. The kids head back to school Monday for a few full weeks leading up to Christmas, which is probably when we'll see Steve again. In between I plan to decorate the house, finish the Christmas shopping, enjoy the quiet time during the days, and do my best to relax. I love this time of year. I look forward to our little family of four being together again ... that'll be the best gift ever.