The Candyland Perspective

And that means Thanksgiving is upon us.  I love Thanksgiving.  I don't necessarily love Thanksgiving dinner though.  I don't necessarily love football watching, cleaning up an obscenely messy kitchen, or all the busyness in the grocery store.  What I do love, however, is the crispness in the air, the gorgeous colorful leaves, the devotion to gratitude... even if for just one day for some folks, and that I get the day off of work to spend time with people I love.  My love for those things certainly outweighs my unlove for the other aspects of the Thanksgiving tradition. Kevin (Beloved's youngest son) will be coming home from Central Michigan University for Thanksgiving.  He'll be home late tomorrow afternoon!  I'm excited to see how he's changed in just a few short months since he left for school.  Will he have gotten the freshman (though he's really a junior) fifteen?  Slimmed out a bit?  Gosh I hope he hasn't taken on the attitu...

{this morning's entry into my gratitude journal received from relief society on sunday} Even though the election last night didn't go the way I had hoped & prayed that it would, I am VERY grateful that Mitt Romney ran.  He has opened so many doors of opportunity when it comes to missionary work.  I am grateful for my faith in God and that I know He is mindful of His children.  I am grateful for the Book of Mormon, as its lessons & stories do truly give me better perspective for life now.  And I am grateful for my dearly beloved husband Dan.  He is the best. ♥♥♥♥♥

I voted today in the fifth general election for which I was of age to vote.  I vote in the mid-terms too.  I feel very good about being able to vote, and I take it very seriously. When I arrived to the polling place this morning, the line was a bit outside the door, and it was a chilly morning.  Dearly Beloved had already voted by the time I arrived, so he warned me what I was in for.  He arrived at 5:55 a.m. (doors opened at 6), and he left at 6:56 a.m.  I arrived at 7:15 a.m. and left at 8:40 a.m. When I had inched my way up into the school, I could see that there was a poll worker giving out sample ballots to everyone so they'd know who was on the ballot today.  I saw folks in front of me looking over the names, some intently, some as if it was just another flyer handed out to them on the street.  But mostly, none of them seemed to have ever seen these names before, had ever read about the two different Commonwealth amendments...