thankful

This year, just like any other year, I have many things to be thankful for.  I got to go down to Lubbock for an entire week to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, stepdad, and stepsisters.  As the days went by, I really thought about the things that I am thankful for... it's cheesy I know, so just bare with me.

Priscilla's Top 10 Things To Give Thanks


1.  Good Food and Good Cooks
This year I helped my step dad cook some of the food items on our Thanksgiving menu.  Kevin made the stuffing, side dishes, and desserts, while his brother, Todd, smoked all of the meat.  Both gentlemen are talented cooks.  Therefore, due to the efforts of our amazing cooks, I got to stuff my face with delicious eats!

2.  Nana
I am so thankful that I got to see my Nana this past week.  She and I got to spend some time together Christmas shopping and running errands.  She also came to Thanksgiving dinner at my folks' house.  Yeah for all the Nanas out there!

Nana and I on my wedding day

3.  Love
I am been very blessed to be able to love and be loved.  Though Adam stayed in Brasky to be with his family, I felt a tremendous amount of love for him and the marriage that we have.  I also got to feel the presence of love in another person's life.  My stepsister, Jessica, got engaged to her boyfriend of 8 years, Jate.  I am so excited for the both of them and can't wait to see them build a life together.

the blushing bride

4.  Lotion
I always forget how dry Lubbock is until I am in the midst of an itchfest.  Sometimes I have wondered if I scratched so much that only my third layer of skin is left.  Thank goodness my mom had some heavy duty lotion to ease the complete dry out of my skin.  I tip my hat off to Eucerin Skin Therapy!

5.  Chew Strips
You forget how much work a puppy can be.  Sometimes I think they are worse than a bratty child.  Being home for the holidays, I got to stay home with Lulu while my folks would go to work.  Man, it was hard to get anything done.  Thank goodness for chew strips!  That was a good hour or two of obsessive entertainment for this pooch.  Best puppy babysitter ever!

6.  Breaking Headboards
This is the new title that I give to Twilight's fourth cinematic installment, Breaking Dawn.  The film earns this new title from me because in its (and the book's) storyline, Edward and Bella get married and consummate there nuptials on their honeymoon night.  Edward, being a vampire and extremely strong, gets so wrapped up in the moment that he breaks the headboard of their bed.  The film's creators thought it would be a good idea to actually have the actors reinact this moment.  I don't know what kind of reaction they were anticipating from audiences, but they got a good laugh out of me.  I went to see this movie with my friend, Heather, her sisters, and her mom, while in Lubbock.  I expected to have an awkward moment of watching a teenage sex scene with my friend's mom in attendance.  However, because I felt like I was watching 2 hours of the CW, my amusement overrode my embarrassment.

7.  Good times with Old Friends
When I was grocery shopping the day before Thanksgiving, I ran into my old pal, Jason Coggins, and his new wife Ashley at the store.  It was so good to catch up with him and visit with Ashley.  I was so excited to here about their recent wedding in September and their urban, chic life in NYC.  Yeah for running into old friends!

Me and Jason back in the day

8.  Porcelain Dolls and Crochet Poodles
This is the nickname that my friend, Whitney, and I give to Lubbock Junior League's "Holiday Happening."  Holiday Happening takes place every year around Thanksgiving and is basically a bunch of vendors renting out booths and selling clothing, accessories, and anything else you don't need.  It is a smaller scale of Kansas City's "Holiday Mart" (see my post in October).  It is actually a lot classier than the title we gave it.  This year I went with my stepsister, Kayla, and my mom.  We had a lot of fun and got some exercise walking around.

9.  Mafia Queso from Orlando's
Hmm... so good.  I can't not go on a visit to Lubbock without eating at Orlando's and getting mafia queso.  Adam calls it "gansta cheese".  Basically, it is your average chili con queso, only with Italian sausage and you can dip garlic bread or chips into it.  My stomach is growling just writing about it.

10.  Gambling on College Football
I am not much on gambling, except when it comes to college football pools.  I get such a thrill watching the games and rooting on teams that I normally wouldn't think twice about.  Like Mississippi State?  Come on!  Surprisingly enough, I am kind of good at betting on football (if it is something anyone can be good at).  This year, I am in two pools and did well in both of them the week of Thanksgiving.  I even won $35 in one of them for the week!  Woo hoo!