Happy Thanksgiving!

My life is pretty good, I have to admit. I don't have much to complain about, and those things that do irk me are relatively insignificant. I am so grateful for the many, many blessings I have now, and the ones I've had throughout my life. (Warning: This part might get a little cheesy for some of you, but it comes from my heart. So proceed with caution.)

But today, I am most grateful for my family. This year, I'm lucky and blessed enough to be with half of my family members - eight of them, to be exact. I am pretty sure I have the best parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews ever. The fact that I know we can be together forever puts a smile on my face and brings me peace and happiness. They are all such examples to me and teach me so much. Today, I even learned from one sister that to have room temperature eggs in a flash for a delicious chocolate pie, all it takes is a few seconds in the microwave. (I don't recommend doing this on a regular basis.) I love being with them, and we always have fun, even if it's just hanging out and telling stories with lots of laughing. Thank you, to all of the Mad-Family!

Wednesday's Thanks

What am I grateful for today? A random, new friend I met on the plane on my way to Detroit. We were both on our way to visit family for Thanksgiving (both my sisters, brothers-in-law, niece and nephew live there, and the parents came, too!). She also lives and works in NYC and is a transplant to the city. Normally, I would have slept a good portion of the time, but this was just one of those people I connected with. No joke, we talked the entire flight. I gave her my travel copy of The Book of Mormon. And crazily enough, we live semi-close to each other. Three cheers for new friends!

T is for Tuesday and Temple

Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month I get to work in the Manhattan Temple. It's beautiful, and I've really come to love it - more than I did before. I love the feelings of peace and happiness I feel there. I love the prayers that have been answered in quiet - and sometimes unexpected - moments. I love the people I work with. And I love seeing all the different people who come to do work.

courtesy of lds.org

There have been so many amazing moments. There was the time when a man came to do the sealing of his grandfather to his great-grandfather. Another time, a woman who walked very slowly with a walker came to do work. She had a big smile on her face the entire time. So many people make huge sacrifices to come here, to serve those who have passed on. And time after time, I feel the love they have and the love of Heavenly Father. Today, I am grateful for the temple.

Monday's Thanks

(I know I'm writing this on Tuesday, but I'm going to give my thankful note of Monday and write it as if it were still Monday).

Today I'm grateful for leftovers. Yep, that's right. My roommate Jane G. and I made a really good chicken curry rice soup yesterday, and I ate it for lunch today. I can't even tell you how nice it is to just pick it right out of the fridge and straight into my bag as I'm running out the door for work. And it's even better that I don't have to spend extra money on lunch.

Give Thanks! (Sunday)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving being this Thursday, I decided that I will post one thing everyday for which I am grateful. Just to get me in the mood.

Today's item is a good friend, good conversation and good laughs whilst taking a {1.5 hour} walk through Central Park. Having a few good "ah-ha" moments. Enjoying the BEAUTIFUL fall colors here that are in their prime (relatively a little late, but the advantages of living in NYC). Discovering the Conservatory Gardens for the first time (why didn't I go there sooner?!?!). Being able to escape reality for a bit. Loving every moment.

A Betty White Kind of Halloween

Halloween. How has it already come and gone? I do love Halloween. I always get excited to see how creative people get with their costumes. And NY is one place that people pull out all the stops. This year, I dressed up as Betty White in the Snickers commercial for Halloween. Twice! I even found velcro sneakers and did some make-up making me look all wrinkled. If you haven't seen this commercial, shame on you. But just because I want to give you a good laugh, click here to watch it.

The first time was for the work costume party. Sadly, I did not win. There were some pretty good costumes, and the judges had some tough decisions to make. I was quite impressed by how many people got into it.

The second round of BW was on Saturday - two parties. The first party was at the church. Usually this is the best church party/dance of the year. This year DID disappoint. Sad for us.

But luckily, my friends Kristin, Jessica and Ruth were having a party at their place in their courtyard. The cops came and broke up the party. Apparently their neighbors became tired of throwing water on us while we danced and chatted in the courtyard and resorted to more effective ways of shutting us down. (Just to note, we weren't being that loud.) When the cops showed up, they were asking where the alcohol was. I think they were pretty surprised that there wasn't any! We didn't let that deter us - we just moved inside and kept the party going.

All in all it was a great Halloween. Well done everyone!