This end of November is a Big Deal - 2014

You know how there's always those weeks that sort of are bonkers every year? Ours is in November.

The bro took me to see Margaret Cho for my Christmas present. We were SO CLOSE, but being that close made it impossible to sneak a pic of the set. It was awesome though.

Then:

My niece turned 15! How the hetch (as the baby says) did that happen??

And then one day later:

Her mom had a birthday! I won't say how old, because that's rude.

Our sister from another mister's accidental album cover.

Punkin was like eff sports.

I looked squishy.

My favorite thing is using Hipstagram on random to take action shots during parties.

And then, of course, there was Thanksgiving:

Which I mostly forgot to take pics of because I was eating.

The end of November is always a Big Deal. On Tuesday, we've got the baby's birthday--though he's turning four so he's now the kindergartener...but that doesn't flow off the tongue as well, and he doesn't mind being called baby (so long as we don't put him in a corner).

I'll probably have pics of that, too. It basically counts as this expanding Big Deal Week, now that he's old enough to ask for stuff and look forward to it.

Thankfulness

This year, I'm thankful for:

• This lovely new house, even if it's accompanied by my longest-running lack of ordinary work.
• That same lack of ordinary work that has let me put so much effort into getting my writing career off the ground, and getting the legs under my freelance writing career.
• For Hayden, Alex, Ally, Leo, Nick, Sam, Lauren, Christine, and everyone else who makes life fun.
• That my dad is still here, even being sick.
• That my mom is still here, even when they keep having to take parts out and turn her into a cyborg.
• That Alex's family just sucked me up like another cousin, without a second thought.
• That the cats are starting to get along, even if they still fight sometimes.
• That I'm finally free of a tourist town, for the most part.
• The Troublemakers, in their entirity.
• The intermittent Fall weather; it's better than no Fall weather at all!
• That I still have candied sweet potatoes and butter down there in the fridge, to eat for breakfast once I'm done here.
• For technology and all the neat things it lets me do (this next year is going to be full of side-projects, I can tell).
• For our yard, and the fact that there's enough of it for me to plant things in the spring and have a lovely garden.
• For Binka, who keeps me warm when it's cold.
• For all our wallspace, to finally hang up all our pictures.
• For unusual design and storage solutions that make this house ours, and not anyone elses.
• For the Muppet Movie I get to go see tonight.
• For the leftovers, even if I didn't get to boil down the carcass for broth this year (we'll just have to roast a chicken later).
• For the greeness and tree-ness of this place we live in.

Thank you!