week of thanksgiving, day 4, THANKSGIVING DAY

On this blessed holiday when we celebrate the Pilgrims coming to America and remember to be thankful for all we have and stuff ourselves full of lots of food, I am thankful for Indians (from India), especially the ones who provided the food today with which I stuffed myself. Man, they know how to cook some yummy food. I don't really know what most of it was, but it was delicious!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

week of thanksgiving, day 3

1. I am thankful for autumn. For the beautiful leaves that turn yellow and orange and red. I grew up in Ohio where the falls colors are spectacular. And then I spent 6 autumns in Utah, where it is just not the same. Mostly because Utah is lacking the right kind of trees. And then I moved here, and I have been looking forward to fall colors all year. Unfortunately the drought has made them less vibrant that usual, but it has still been great. And I have been obsessed with taking pictures of the trees.

2. I am thankful for the wonderful relationship I have with my step-children. And also that our relationship with their mother is so good. I have heard horror stories, and I have to say that other than living far away right now, our situation is almost ideal. No court battles. No evil-speaking of the other parent. We may not be best of friends, but there is mutual respect all around.

3. I am thankful I will be seeing lots of family and friends over Christmas.

4. I am thankful for my bed. It is fantastically comfy.

5. I am thankful for my husband. He treats me like a queen. And he's really fun. And smart. And hot! And he doesn't get upset that he has yet to beat me at Skip-bo. I'm rootin for ya, honey! Next time I'm sure you'll win.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

There is a high possibility that I may not blog over the holiday. Or maybe I will. We'll see.

week of thanksgiving, day 2

1. I am thankful for my healthy body. I really need to exercise it more, but I like my body and am thankful for what it can do.

2. I am thankful that I don't have to dye my hair. Hair color is so expensive and doesn't last long enough.

3. I am also thankful that I can get away with leaving the house with wet hair. I am way too lazy to blow dry my hair when it is this long. (And in case anyone is wondering, the picture on the right was taken after I came home from the hair salon. And my hair hasn't been straight since then!)

4. I am thankful that I have always had enough to eat. And that I really enjoy food, but don't have an unhealthy relationship with it. I am grateful that I know what foods are good for me but don't deprive myself of the yummy (less than healthy) foods in life. If eating chocolate and ice cream means I'll never be a size 2, that's okay with me!

5. I am thankful for my husband's cooking skills. He is amazing. I am a very lucky girl.

week of thanksgiving, day 1

In honor of the Day of Thanks, aka Turkey Day, aka the Day of Eating-Entirely-Too-Much-Food, I am going to display some of what I'm grateful for each day here on my blog. Because it's good to be grateful. Dear old Gordon Hinckley said so.


1. I am thankful for my job. It's low key and low stress.

2. I am thankful for rejuvenating days spent mostly in bed watching movies and such with my lover. I need those every once in a while, and I got one this weekend.

3. I am thankful for movies like Amazing Grace that tell a true story of heroism. We watched this during the above-mentioned day spent mostly in bed, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Very inspiring and well-done. It tells the story of William Wilberforce, a British politician who for 20 years (1787-1807) campaigned to abolish the Slave Trade. 20 years, people! Talk about persistence!

4. I'm thankful for beautiful, inspiring music. The movie's title comes from the famous hymn, which was actually written by a former slave ship captain who became a preacher and friend of Wilberforce. That song gives me chills every time.

5. I'm thankful for my freedom. The incredible thing is that there is still slavery in the world today. An organization inspired by Wilberforce is one of several trying to raise awareness. Check it out at TheAmazingChange.com.

my parents on an adventure

My beautiful mother...

And my handsome father...

Recently spent several days backpacking through the Grand Canyon.
How cool are they?


I stole some of their pictures off shutterfly to show you.
It is so gorgeous!

I want to go on an adventure. How about you?

oh fine, i'll play too

Rachael tagged me to write 7 random things about myself. Various versions of this game have been going around, but I decided I wouldn't do one unless someone tagged me by name. So here goes...

1. I've recently decided that my dream job would be to photograph children and families a la Sheye Rosemeyer. Now I just need to acquire her talent and skills.

2. I watch What Not To Wear on TLC everyday during my lunch break. I'm addicted. I love you Stacy London and Clinton Kelly! Can I have $5000 for an all new wardrobe? Pretty please?

3. I hate cleaning. Organizing I find enjoyable on occasion, but cleaning I hate to do. And yet, I really do enjoy a clean house. Although I can tolerate a not-so-clean one longer than some, because again, I hate to clean. I'm beginning to feel like I'm missing some clean gene or something. Why can't I be one of those people who must have the kitchen clean at night or they can't go to sleep? I have actually begun to wish I had more OCD tendencies, so that I would keep my house cleaner. My husband is already a better cook than I am, at least I could do the housework more frequently.

4. In 9th grade I got an excused absence from school and was paid $50 dollars to sing the National Anthem at a state teachers' conference. My one and only paid performance. Well, actually I was paid one other time to dance something from the Nutcracker for a Knights of Columbus party. I think I was 12. So that makes two paid performances.

5. I hate getting ready for bed at night. You know brushing teeth, washing face, etc. I do it, most of the time, but I never want to. I also don't enjoy flossing, but I'm getting better about that.

6. I organize the clothes in my closet by color. Jared was so amazed by this when I first moved to NC that he took a picture (see above).

7. There is a secret part of me that wants a tattoo. But only if one of the ladies from LA Ink could do it. And only if I could get rid of it in a few years when I get sick of it. So maybe I don't really want a tattoo, but I like the idea of wanting one. Makes me feel rebellious.


Vicki, Suzy, and Danielle.... you're it!

learn some words, feed some people

This is great. At FreeRice.com you can quiz yourself on vocabulary and for every word you get right 10 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. It's fun, addicting, educational, and philanthropic. Check it out!

merry christmas to me

Cost of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard which includes Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat from Adobe.com: $1,199

Cost of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard which includes Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat from Student Stores: $206

I'm not kidding. Those numbers are real. I'm doing a happy dance right now. A very happy, happy dance. And singing sonnets.

A week ago I had no idea Jared's student status would pay off like this. You see, before my iMac died, I had Photoshop. But it has been months, and I have sorely missed it. Last week, I got online to check out prices and was pretty depressed to see how expensive Photoshop is these days. Très expensive. Then my darling husband informed me that as a student he can get it for much cheaper. And cheaper turned out to be a SIXTH of the price!!!! I pretty much have been in shock and awe for the past hour and a half. Shock... and... awe. Christmas is coming a little early this year.

Now if only I could get the $1,200 camera I want for $200, my life would be complete. :-) I can dream right?

eight months married and an autumn walk

Saturday marked eight months since we were married. That afternoon we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and went for a walk/hike at a nearby park. It was so enjoyable to be out in nature and to be able to take a few pictures of the autumn leaves. The drought here has made the leaves less vibrant than usual, but there are still a few gorgeous red trees around.

This totally made us laugh. Read the sign:

We like to hold hands.

I married a looker.

I thought this little red tree was so pretty and delicate.

Evidence of the drought:
We are walking in the creek bed here which was totally dry at this spot.

We are happy. Can you tell?

new blog address

Dear readers,

On Monday, November 12th, I will be changing my url or web address to http://redheadmusings.blogspot.com. I have decided not to use my full name on my blog anymore and do not want to have it in my url. As I've gotten more into this blogging thing, I've realized that I want to protect my privacy a little more. That's all. Better safe than sorry, right? So for those of you who link me from your blogs, please change the url in your link by then. Thanks!

much love,

Katrina