19 thoughts of randomness on the 19th of november

These will be in no particular order. Just the weird stuff floating around in my brain. . .

1. I have perfected the annual Christmas letter for 2008 which I will include with a lovely photo card. It's tradition. Why change up a good thing? I always have to work really hard and do my research to figure out something new, because I don't want to just write a boring old letter. Found an idea. Stole it off the internet. Adapted it to my own stuff. Really like how it turned out.

2. Almost finished with my first digital album. In case you didn't see the comments left to me on facebook, snapfish was offering a free deal for a $30 album because it was featured on an "organize your life" episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. A free 20 page book was available, but you had to register for it by a certain date and you had to have the pictures uploaded by a certain date. And there wasn't very much time between those two dates. Until "due to the amazing popularity of the free book," they extended the deadline a whole week. Sweet. Since I'm already scrapping mom & dad's trip for them, I decided to just make myself a digital album with the same pictures. Love the simplicity.

3. I went baby shopping last night for my new niece to be, Lavender. Got her something lavender (and of course several pink things) to wear. Why are baby clothes so stinkin' cute?

4. Overslept this morning, but still left at the same time I always do.

5. My new "trendy wendy" glasses are in, but I won't be able to pick them up until next week.

6. The new contacts are working out great. However, the first time I bought the new solution she switched me over to, I about had heart failure. At Walmart, which we all know is the cheapest place in America to buy contact solution, this stuff costs over $9 a bottle. But I guess it's worth it not to feel like I have to rip my eyeballs out every day.

7. Looks like Phil & I will be spending another quiet Thanksgiving by ourselves here at home eating turkey and watching football and/or scrapbooking. So we went grocery shopping on Sunday and found out if you spend $50, you can get a turkey for $.22 a pound. I bought an over 10 lb. turkey for $2.47. Had to call mom and let her share in my joy. You can't even get a breakfast meal at McDonald's for that cheap.

8. Parent Teacher conferences are next week. I always have a dreaded anticipation about those.

9. Going Christmas shopping with a car load of hysterically funny teachers on Saturday. Woodburn Outlets. . .here we come!

10. Gearing up to decorate a table at our ladies Christmas luncheon. Digging out the china and the crystal goblets. The theme is Christmas books, so I've chosen The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. Great book. Now I'm trying to find someone who has the Willow Tree Nativity starter set that I can borrow because it will be perfect on my table. (They've changed the cover because the one I have doesn't look like this.)

11. For Christmas I want the entire Willow Tree Nativity set. Ya, right. It's only $269.99 through the current Current catalog.

12. I'm trying to figure out what to get my mom for Christmas. Dad is easy this year. (Dad, trust me. You're going to love it.)

13. In an attempt to rid our diet of some fat (and thus make our dates with Mr. & Mrs. Ellyptical more productive), we are kind of using ground turkey instead of ground beef. We haven't completely switched over, but we're close. Made tacos for the 2nd time with turkey and seriously, you can't tell a difference.

14. I love blogging. For real. And if you've read to #14 on a list of 19, then you must love blogging too.

15. Have had a plethora of parents requesting to be my friend on facebook. OK, it's only 4, but is anyone else weirded out by that? I'm choosing to not be their friends. Not because I don't like them, but because I don't want parents in my class to know about the happenings of my personal life every time I update my status.

16. We have booked a really nice condo at the coast for our 5th anniversary in June. It comes complete with its own whale pod. (I'm not kidding.)

17. We have had almost a week's worth of nice sunny weather. Tonight, it all changes. I could tell on my drive home too. I was getting blown all over the place on the bridge.

18. Today is my friend, Jody Lang's, 30th birthday. She played the trumpet at our wedding. She now teaches music in a swanky private school to the children of the famous children in Nashville (Amy Grant, Faith Hill, etc.). And I thought I dreaded conference time. Happy Birthday, Ms. Lang! Go get yourself a latte and pretend that I'm there too. That's her in the pink hat. My other friend there, Jenny, also played the trumpet in our wedding. They made my march down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntaire sound amazing!!!

Not the best lighting, but you know Starbucks, their lighting is all about the mood.

19. Ever tried French vanilla creamer with your regular old hot tea? Try it. You'll be hooked.