*Ladies and Gentlemen, the devil is real*

Now I know that this is not the site where one typically expects to see images of the supernatural, or musings on deity and the like, but today has just been one of those days, so as it is my place to write, enjoy this if you might.

I have been married more than 9 years, and during that time, I have been brought to realize the true nature of evil. Evil wants you as miserable as he is, he constantly confronts and challenges you in ways that you previously thought unendurable. He is nasty, hateful, and when I sense his presence, I feel anger, fatigue, and helplessness. I of course refer to, the adversary, the devil, my cat Kenshin.

That bugger has been with me since roughly a month after saying "I do" and his goal in life is to make me sorry I have ever met him. Well, it has worked. This afternoon as I sat home while the cable company worked on restoring my connection, I had offered the gentleman at my home a drink, and so just as I stepped into my front room to deliver it, the devil laid me low. I had barely handed my guest the glass when I heard a tremendous whooshing noise, and upon turning round to the kitchen, I saw Kenshin, the devil incarnate, had knocked off a gallon of egg nog from where it sat closed on the counter and had created an egg nog orgy for himself and the three other youngsters who are prone to follow his bad example.

One of these days, that damn cat will be gone. Please make it sooner rather than later!!

All four kitties, gorging themselves on my sorrow

Poor Gigi has been blind since birth and has never had to take a bath in the sink before, though she has never been drenched in egg nog before either. Thank goodness my sink was essentially empty to begin with.
Sad note, she has no clue that faucet is right in front of her nose. I kid you not. Luckily for us all, my cable guy suggested I photograph the evidence of this misbehavior to share with the world before I got about the business of once again, doing my floors.

The Road Not Taken
- by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.


I started off on my adventure, ignorant to the fact that at the end of November in the Utah mountains, one would expect to see snow...

To someone else, this means something.... stay on course? Anyhow, it wasn't bad to start and the terrain looked manageable though slow going.

The trail quickly went from snow ankle deep to something more disheartening...knee deep!

Here is the exact point I turned back. I looked above me on the mountain side and saw a merry group of cross country skiers making their way across the terrain. There is no shame in turning about when one has short hiking boots and ankle socks where snowshoes and skis are the proper apparel.

My very own "Road less traveled." Rather than follow the relatively mild path I ventured out on, I decided to take the higher trail which offered more scenic views. Please note, this ended up being the path that I was knee deep for the last 30 minutes or so of my adventure though the prospect of this is precisely what precipitated my turning back in the first place.

After I realized that my snow filled shoes and surprisingly warm calves (despite being repeatedly dunked in snow) might be a reason for concern, I began a sad attempt to run a portion of the "trail" to get to warmth faster.

The most beautiful cabin in the world! A welcome sight after 2.5 hours on the ice covered mountain side
Welcome home!

* Remains of the day*

Thanksgiving still life

Spinach Salad

Sides

Haricots Verts

Coconut Pie

Peanut Butter Chocolate pie

Family Flop Time

PJ and Char watch shows as we nap

Dress up time! (Char layers skirts in her daily life too)
PJ regained her energies and showed off some cheer moves before we called it quits

* Give Thanks*

Well, this year, I took off essentially the entire week of Thanksgiving in order to give thanks to the beauty around me, my home, and my family, and do something for each of them.
This week some of my goals are to:
Assist a friend in packing up her home to move
Teach Lisa how to make miracle rolls taught to me by Martha
Organize my kitchen with my new pots and pans (Thanks special Costco in Vegas)
Make a Christmas banner for work
Send off my paperwork to begin the completion of my basement renovation
Merchandise my closet and make it appropriate for my scrap-booking
Put up the rest of my Christmas decor (Since I will be in Texas for Christmas, I want to squeeze every moment from it)
Get the pantry repaired and sorted
Sort the basement and then put away seasonal items
Do laundry
Go to twilight
Oh, and make a huge Thanksgiving dinner

On the menu this year, I am considering the following:
Turkey-20 lbs
Julia Child's mushroom stuffing
Green Beans Fresh rolls with honey butter
Spinach salad with strawberries, candied pecans, and blue cheese
Goat cheese mashed potatoes
Southern sweet potato casserole
Cornbread pudding
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Peanut butter pie
Chess Pie
Tollhouse Pie

I have decided to be more casual than I usually am at this time and do a rustic burlap themed Thanksgiving with beautiful sticks, leaves, and twine rather than crystal, as I typically use at my parties. I will post photos as I get them as well as the recipes I end up using and any modifications. Bonne chance to you all~

A few more photos that I just had to share~

The little ladies had a blast

Will loves that he finally figured out to master the funny face

This is one of my favorite shots of miss Lucy

Charlotte and Bea during the spa party

Will and Teesa love wrestling

Theresa helped teach me how to read

These are the faces of a contented pair watching a beloved movie (this is Teesa's favorite way to snuggle her blankie)

Lucy happy as ever

Here she is buried in the sand with Mommy and Poppa looking on. Teesa got a bit confused which Benac family that she is in.

Happy Poodle

Lille and Grace mastered Boogie boarding

The Alabama beach vacation brought to you through the eyes of the children

*I'm Alive! *

Ladies and gentlemen, I still do exist! I recognize that it has been close to a year since I posted. For that, I apologize. As I wrapped my last post, my trusty laptop breathed it's last, and at last I had to let it go in peace. My iPhone has worked for my general internet needs as the home computer has generally been for Brian's sole use, but as we just got back from the latest vacation to the Gulf Shores in Alabama..... I have many pictures to share and thus, as it is my day off and there is a free computer, enjoy!

Meet this years cast~

This year at the beach brought to you by Mr Bill


And the newly trained yuke playing Momma B


in attendance as well was the Morphis family...

Matt and Sabina

Catherine and Lille

Catherine and Grace

Max being loved with his parents

Catherine and Matt as the cold water strikes

Bea and Max go for a walk

next I present
the Billy Benac family. . .

Like father like son: Billy and Will both love to pull faces

Family portraits where the children act like themselves are so much more interesting. . .

Theresa loves her momma

Kelsey and Bill taking a moment for themselves

Theresa and Kelsey take a break to paint their nails. This was the first time that Teesa got to use nail polish

The next family in attendance was the Flakes. . .

Penelope loved spending time with Lille

Sarah and Adam love spending time with each other. Life is always just a little funnier with them

Charlotte morphed into the newly named "poodle"

Finally meet the John and Mamie Benac family:

The little man Rowan putting in hard labor

Miss Lucy looks thoughtful as she enjoys her birthday treasure hunt

Happy 4th birthday Lucy!

Don't worry, it was Lucy's idea~