Because I’m Thankful

This week, I will cook turkey and pie and potatoes and about 20 other delicious things and spend a special holiday with all but one member of my immediate family (my oldest son will be in Utah). Then, my daughters and I will spend the afternoon PLANNING a massive shopping trip for Friday.

FRIDAY. Not Thursday.

I have long been a Black Friday junkie. Even an addict, if you want to call a spade a spade. And my daughters have joined me in this obsession. But this year, some stores are opening on Thursday in order to try to entice some of us crazy addicts into skipping out of our Thanksgiving dinner—time that is actually very important—for…shopping. And as much as I love it, as much as I’ve been an advocate of great deals, this is too much for me.  

Yes, I’m aware that some stores are opening in the late evening, but that still requires all store employees to work through the holiday, which is a big deal. (I’ve worked in retail—these days are the reason people quit.)

I would feel horribly ungrateful were I to prioritize material things over this very special day. And so while we may jump online for some great things, my family and I will be sticking to tradition and not leaving our house for our adventures until the clock tolls midnight. I know I’m only one person, but I don’t want to be one single person who contributes to the problem. I have too many reasons for which I am thankful to squander away the one day of the year set aside for remembering my blessings.

My readers are among those blessings. So thank you for your amazing, wonderful support.

Regardless of where or how you spend your Thanksgiving, I hope you take a minute to remember all the blessings in your life. Happy Thanksgiving! 

More Thankful Things

I figure I have a month’s worth of thankful statuses to catch up with, so I hope you don’t mind if I keep going for a bit. I did warn you that I have a long list, didn’t I? No? Well, consider yourselves warned.

It’s the small and simple stuff that makes life grand. So today I’m thankful for:

Twinkling Christmas lights, Little Giant ladders, and our Elves Gone Wild CD.

Online shopping, since Black Friday has turned into Black Thursday (which, IMO has gone out of control) and I have no desire to fight strangers over toys anymore. Also, special advance sales geared toward people who are prepared, and who can shop from the comfort of their bedrooms.

Free shipping!

Amazon—because they have everything, and usually at a discount.

Email. Seriously, I remember a time when I had to write letters to my long distance friends on paper and stick the paper in an envelope with a stamp, then wait days for my words to reach them. Now we can have real-time conversations via chat. Or for that matter, face-to-face ones with Skype,

Vacuum cleaners that pick up fake pine needles, dust, dirt, and sludge off my floor whenever someone walks in. Also, Clorox wipes, Awesome spray cleaner (yeah, that’s actually a brand), and melty wax cubes that make my house smell good.

My convertible Mustang, because even though it’s getting up there in miles, I continue to love driving it. (And it’s still cheaper than therapy.)

My followers, who give me a reason to write blogs every week, and who stick around and comment, even when I’m introspective or reminiscent. Or making silly lists, like this one.

Writer’s groups where I have made some amazing friends who have greatly enhanced my life. Also writer’s conferences and CON’s. Because, well, they’re amazing and fun, and great for my career plans. And the most amazing people attend them.

Take-out restaurants. Because, let’s face it. All too often this is the best way to assure the family gets fed.

Soft new flannel pajamas. Because that is my most productive writing outfit. (Now you know.)

And Chris Baty, who invented National Novel Writing Month, which thousands of authors now utilize in order to bulk up their levels of creativity to bigger, better heights. For the third year in a row, I hit 50,000 words. Yahoo!

So there you have them. My status updates that never made it to Facebook. I hope you’re having a beautiful, fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend. Oh, and if you’re out shopping, keep your eyes open and your fighting hands at the ready. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Thankful Kinds of Things

I’ve noticed there’s a trend on Facebook this November. Every day, certain friends of mine update their status by saying something for which they are thankful. I think that’s a really great idea, because anything that reminds us about all the many blessings in our lives, however small, makes us stronger.

Being that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I’d do something similar, because, well, I am feeling rather thankful at the moment.

My kids, who are wise beyond their years, and who have worked hard this week to prepare our house for the insurgence of people coming for Thanksgiving dinner (looking at 35+).

My husband, who works extra hard to provide our family with the things we need, and other things we just want. Like turkey and pie. And who also offered to brave Black Friday if I need him. (Don’t worry, honey, I’m taking the girls.)

Friends who stand by me and cheer me on and who would break me out of jail if ever I needed. (You know who you are!)

Stephenie Meyer for creating books that were turned into movies that my girls insisted on seeing at 12:29 on a school night last week, because movies like that aren’t nearly as fun without screaming, excited girls who are hopped up on sugar and caffeine.

The Baltimore Ravens for letting us in their stadium (last fall) to look around, and then gave us all hats and footballs and signed team pictures. We became life-long fans that day, and now you’re looking at Super Bowl possibilities. This makes us happy.

Hawaii—because it exists and gives us something to dream about.

Publishing companies who produce quality books that make us love to read and who give writers a goal for which to strive. And also, for giving me a reason to stay up all night because I just have to see what happens next.

Blue glow sticks, rock candy lollipops, and Thunder—the Australian kind. Oh, and also peanuts.

Steve Jobs for inventing…well, pretty much all things Apple. But specifically, my iPhone.

**To be continued**

What are you Thankful for this year?

Thanks. A Lot.

I have a question. When’s the last time someone did something nice for you, and how did you show your thanks?

I’m not talking about when someone—ya know—gives you a Valentine, or tells you your purple hair looks cool (although, these things should also be appreciated). No. What I mean is, has someone gone above and beyond, out of their way, bent over backward (and a zillion other clichéd phrases) to do something you may or may not have recognized as a service at the time? And did you recognize it as a service or did you pass it over as being something that person owed to you? An opportunity for them to grow (a process you yourself facilitated)?

Or did you thank them? And if you did, was it sincere or did it have a qualifier attached?

Here’s an example: “Thank you so much for canceling your weekend plans to help me move, but I wish you hadn’t handled that box so roughly—it’s your fault my vase was broken.”

Or this: “Thanks for staying behind and watching my kids while I did something fun, but I wish you hadn’t fed them cotton candy and bubble gum for dinner.”

One more: “Thank you for the considerable amount of trouble you went through to be here for me, but I wish someone else had come instead—they would have done things differently.”

In situations that don’t turn out the way we hoped, is it possible to just be grateful for the people who show up for us?

In my experience, people don’t usually do nice things so others will thank them, but maybe that’s a good reason why we should. And if I’m going to offer my thanks to someone, I hope I’m smart enough to keep any and all “buts” to myself. Because really, a thank you with a but attached, isn’t really thanks at all. Is it?

Do you agree? Disagree? Think I’m nuts? Sick of me publicly spilling my guts about everything that comes to mind? Feel free to say so in your comments.

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'all!

Yeah, I used a cowgirl word. Deal with it. Hope your Turkey Day is Delicious.

Now you NaNo'ers get back to work! The month is almost over.

Breaks, Holidays and the Big Winner.

I had plans to blog this week. As I've mentioned before, I usually write my blogs on the weekend, and schedule them to post so theoretically it shouldn't be so hard to have new posts over Thanksgiving, right?

Well. My intentions were good. My weekend is over, and I am still slammed with things to do.


SO. After today, I'm going to give myself the week off from blogging. Maybe even from writing (if all goes well). Because the truth is, while I could make a miles-long list of all the things I'm thankful for this month (followers included!), the one thing I'm very most thankful for in this whole wide universe is my family. And I'm going to spend the week with them.

 BUT. I ran a contest that ended on Friday. And I have a feeling some of you would like to know who won that signed copy of Scott Westerfeld's LEVIATHAN, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you.

Well, okay. If you insist. Hold on while I tally the scores.

*pauses everything else to go to spread sheet, tally points, then enter numbers into the random generator on the sidebar*

Ahem. I'm back.

*Pauses for dramatic effect*

Drum roll please.

Stephanie Abney! 

Clapclapclapclapcheercheercheerdancedancedance *falls over exhausted* clapclapclapcheer.

Congratulations Stephanie! I'll be emailing you this week to get all your important mailing information.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving everyone. And for those of you who are (like me) insane enough to leave your house on Black Friday, please be careful. Stay alive. Just. Do. Those shoppers are crazy.

**Stay tuned next week for another follower appreciation giveaway!

The Let's Be Friends Award

Oh my goodness. After a day that was busy in the extreme, I finally sat down to check my email. Lo and behold, my good friend Joyce DiPastena had sent me a sweet email informing me that she has just awarded me a "Let's Be Friends Award."

That made me smile. It also made my day.

So, I clicked the link and visited her blog to read more. Here's what I learned:

"Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers."

Let me first just say that I am completely flattered, and truly honored to have been given such a thoughtful gift. Thank you, Joyce. I'm so glad to have you as a friend.

Now to pass the honor on. I'm going to follow Joyce's example and give the award to my most diligent commenters:

Cindy Beck

L.T. Elliott

Connie Hall

Danyelle Ferguson

Rachelle Christensen

Christine Bryant

Ali Cross

David J. West

Thank you all, for being good friends who support me in my writing journey by actually reading what I have to say--and then leaving comments so I know you were here. There is nothing more gratifying to a writer than to have little reminders that someone is reading their words. But then, you all know that, don't you?