Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is a time of reflection for me. Sure it is the biggest food holiday of the year but it is more about appreciation for your life than it is about the food. This is the perfect time to focus on all the positive things in our lives. Here is what I am thankful for:

• I have the most perfect husband in the world for me. We are happier now after almost 25 years than we were at the beginning of our relationship. My favorite time each week is Friday because I know it will mean three whole days with my baby. This week is even better since I get to spend a super long weekend with my sweetie. Sometimes I think that I am so happy that life must be a dream. I love you baby! You mean more to me than I can express.  How many men would give a cat piggy back rides?  See what I mean about Dan being perfect for me?

• Having great friends is also something that I am grateful for. You know who your real friends are when times are tough and they are there for you. I hope you all know how much your love and support means to both of us. Thank you for being a part of our lives.

(My boys Massimo and Nicco) 

(Luca Belle our only girl and the undisputed alpha cat)

• We are fortunate to have the most wonderful fur children to share our lives with. We both love coming home and being greeted by the “three amigos”. Anyone who thinks cats are standoffish needs to meet my kids. They always greet us at the door to tell us that they missed us. How did we get so lucky to have three wonderful felines?

• I am thankful that I have been more open to change as I have gotten older. Too many of our friends are stuck in the rut they created earlier in life. I am grateful that I was able to listen to and try ideas that didn’t match my prior experience.

• Someone who I have never met but I am grateful for is Dr. Joel Fuhrman. His approach to health through nutrition made so much sense to me when I first read his books. Since then I have become nutrition obsessed and I have him to thank for it. Dr. Fuhrman’s influence has made a huge difference in our health and our lives. If you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend his latest book “Super Immunity”. It is a must read for anyone who wants to live the healthiest life possible.

• Dr. Michael Greger is another person to whom I am very grateful. His nutrition DVDs are research and fact based and very eye opening. It is impossible to watch his videos and not want to eat a better diet.  If you don't have a Dr. Greger's DVD please order one or all of them.  The proceeds go to a great cause (the Human Society) and the information can't be beat.  I also love that Dr. Greger started nutritionfacts.org where he shares nutrition information everyday for free. Dr. Greger is extremely giving and caring person and we all benefit from his research.

• I am also thankful for our team of medical professionals. Dan and I are very fortunate to have a talented and caring group of medical doctors on our team.

• Last but certainly not least I am thankful for everyone who reads my blog and wants to live a healthier life. You guys keep me going.

Just for Fun:

I found this cartoon a few years ago and it still makes me smile. I think it is important to be able to laugh at yourself. Can’t you just imagine many omnivores picturing all vegans doing this? I am sure we are a pain in their behinds. ;-)  But hopefully at some point being around us will make more of them think.  *fingers crossed*

Holiday Long Weekend:

Our long weekend started out with a quick trip to the marina. We got a call from Chris telling us that she had just gotten a call that the boat between us was in distress. This sailboat had broken their furler (the device the sail rolls up on) a few weeks ago during their last sail of the season. They had tied their jib up as best they could but hadn’t had it fixed yet. We had some gusty winds today and it loosened their jib. Since this can be a serious problem and none of us had the emergency number for the marina Dan and I headed downtown since the owners live in Pennsylvania and we are not far away.

It wasn’t long before we had the jib tied back up and were ready to head for home.

Before we left the marina I took the time to snap a quick picture. I never get tired of looking at the lights the lights from the high rise buildings dance on the water.

Signing Out:

We have a long weekend ahead of us. I will be making two Thanksgiving meals this year, one for my parents and one for Dan and me. While the food is cooking I hope to get more cleaning and studying knocked out as well as spend some time making sure my parents don’t need anything. The plan is to start decking the halls for Christmas after dinner. *fingers crossed*

Friday and Saturday we plan to spend a lot of time winterizing the boat and checking in on my parents since my father is still hobbling around. With a little luck we will get back to decorating in the evenings when we aren’t at the boat.

Sunday we will spend some time at the farmers’ market. Depending on how far we have gotten with the decorations there may be a little holiday shopping later in the day. Fortunately I started shopping about 2 months ago. It is nice to know that have a head start on shopping since December is going to be hectic this year.

Hopefully I will be able to find a little time in there to write some short posts for next week. I hope you have a happy and healthy holiday and that you spend a little time relaxing. Talk with you again soon.