better late than never...

A little late, but expressing what you're grateful for shouldn't be relegated to one day of the year... I am thankful for family, friends that are family, road trips, fall weather, live music, my homes away from home, the blue light, people with a sense of humor, pitcher night, good books, podcasts, new acquaintances, a job that I don't dread, and Idaho. This doesn't even scratch the surface, but I think it hits the high points.

Thanksgiving was pretty good, all-around. It was (still is) freezing outside, but the roads never got too bad. The snow didn't really accumulate, so travel wasn't a big problem for people coming in. LOTS of games (football, board and video), family pictures and four nights of drinking. At the very least, it was good practice for hanging with the professionals this upcoming weekend.

Saturday night, I stop off at my aunt's house for dinner and a round of Scattergories, then it was to be a quick stop at Christie's birthday party. That "quick stop" spanned from 8:30 to 4:30 in the morning. Everyone at the party, with two exceptions, were in some shape or form someone I'd known since I was a kid. It had been a few weeks since I'd seen some, years for others. I had no idea I missed them, until I spent time with them Saturday night.

I ended up at the end of the table with Monica, Dominic and Jerry. I hadn't seen or talked to D since he'd moved back to town. He entertained me with stories of his paintball exploits earlier in the day and singing along with just about every song that came up. I should have switched seats with someone, because I got talked into more Jell-O shots than anyone should consume in one night. He and I finished off the last tray before leaving...his reasoning - they needed the fridge space.

Words from Peter, whom I've known since I was three years old: under no circumstances are you to marry for love, at least not the first time... He said love can wait until the final divorce settlement. The irony - he's married to the girl he started dating our sophomore year in high school and couldn't be happier.

We all had a really good time, and plan to see each other next month at Ben's show. I had no idea I'd been missing some of them until I actually sat around talking with them. We all have the same reference points, know the same people, and can fall back into our comfort zones within minutes of seeing each other...regardless of how much time has passed.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I can't wait to see some of my favorite people.