Happy Thanksgiving!

Spending my evening with a Friends marathon and red wine. :)

Peppermint tea on a chilly autumn day.

Pink leopard print satin pj pants, men's tube socks, and a The Who concert tshirt just makes me feel like me.

Happiness is a fall morning with a cup of coffee and College Football Game Day on ESPN.

When the weather turns crisp, you get the mornings where coffee is that much better for the steam you can see rising from the mug on the deck.

The fair is the simple pleasure of tons of food, rides, and vendors in an environment designed to celebrate people who are very good at their jobs. Whether or not you look at the vegetables, animals and crafts, the pure celebratory nature of it draws people together and reminds us that we are a community.

There is beauty in a simple summer day of getting together with friends for grilling, drinks, and decktime.

Tea... my chronic, stress-related issue reared its ugly head this weekend, and it took me a while to recall tea calms it down. Now I'm sitting here (working overnight tonight, so gearing down for an afternoon nap) calmly sipping my ceylon, planning to switch to peppermint later, and a green/peppermint blend for work tonight. Calms the insides, the mind, and the soul.

Today was supposed to be around 90 and humid. Truly NOT my Minnesota. Instead, here it is almost noon, 70 degrees with a nice, gentle thunderstorm.

Sitting with the deck door open, listening to rain fall on the deck and the grumbling of thunder, somewhere in the distance. THIS is my Minnesota.

It's been a long time coming this year, with all of April and May not too welcoming to be on the deck. So it's 2 months late, but it's finally deck season!

Someone wrote a book about my happiness theory!

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Awesome-Neil-Pasricha/dp/0425238903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304436556&sr=8-1

Sunshine is out, it's just a little chilly in the morning, and it's time to get some gas for the grill!

Yesterday, I heard the first "going-to-the-cabin-this-weekend." Yes, Spring really is here! (and I hope his cabin has heat!)

The cat deciding to spend all day with me when I'm home all day. For him, this means just being in the same room, or laying down somewhere near me. Since we're officially a 2-living-creature house, it's nice to have his company.

Even when I have no place to put my feet up because he just comandeered the ottoman.

I've gotten in the habit of hitting my bar on Saturday afternoons. Mostly because I finally feel like doing something other than sitting around my house for 2 days, and mostly because they don't demand anything of me. I can sit, drink, read a paper, and be done with it.

Had a friend up there with me today, which meant I let myself drink a little more than normal. Nice to not worry about how I'm getting home... have someone to chat with... and still be able to stare blankly at a TV screen for unlimited portions of time.

My sister called me today with a very important message. DQ's flavor of the month is Midnight Truffle.... and it's available in a new, mini size. Definitely worth having my phone ring in the middle of a public library to hear that news! :)

The chill of winter - real winter, 0 degrees and clear winter - is freezing. It freezes your nose hairs when you breathe deep, makes you cough when the air hits your lungs, and it's pure coldness cleanses everything.

Bacon! Foodies and certain men would tell you of course bacon makes everything all better, but I cooked up a few strips with my eggs and toast this morning, and yum. Whoever had the idea to cut up a pig and fry it was a genius.

I may be odd, but watching the snow come down never fails to give me that "ahh" moment.

This is rather remarkable, however, as we're somewhere around 50 inches so far this winter.

A book, a free afternoon, and a cup of coffee.