Thanks for Thanksgiving

So Happy Thanksgiving--a time for food, family, and football. Obviously, it is a time for giving thanks for everything and everyone. So to not bore you with the typical things I'm thankful for, let me give you an interesting list of thanks, especially this year. Here we go...

I'm thankful for:

• the quirky things people say to me about me. One friend said I had the handwriting of a serial killer. Another said that my brother and I were the cheapest people he knew. And a third said that she thought I was the kind of person who would juice. All compliments and I love it.
• running. Yes, yes, I know this is a typical thing but the past 2 months really made me appreciate it. Out from running with a stress fracture, I spent countless hours in the pool, doing mind numbing laps. But it will all be worth it in the end. When I ran pain-free for the first time yesterday, I was so giddy. I love running!
• aqua jogging. I know I may complain about it but I am glad I had a decent substitute for running. I'm thankful for Kirk Pool, the equipment room personnel, and the diving team for all indirectly helping my time in the pool.
• Rome and how it has changed me.
• libraries and bookstores--they just make me so happy.
• Ambler Theater. It is my favorite place to be on Wednesday afternoons.

I could go on and on but I think it is really important to be thankful for the little things in life. Family, friends, and a home are all obviously important but how often do we have the chance to be thankful for traffic allowing us to think or just the chance to say what we really feel or think. The day enables us to appreciate what we have and what we can achieve if we only change our views on the bad things. That then is the best way to celebrate life: being thankful for everything that comes your way, every day of the year.

Tree Planting

Last Saturday was my first time doing Neighbor to Neighbor, which an organization on campus that does local community service on Saturday mornings. So I decided Saturday was a good a day as any. There I was at 9 am, with 6 hours of sleep under my belt, completely underdressed. To say the least, I was very cold. But I had a great time, even if we complained a lot. So we got bagels for breakfast and then headed about 5 minutes away. Our task was to plant trees alongside the organization Tree Tenders. We planted 9 trees (but were supposed to do 10). I used the shovel a lot and let me tell you that solid rock is hard to shovel. It was fun. It was nice to see the recipients of these trees get so excited. I didn't know one small thing like a tree could do such a thing. We got back a lot later than expected, but I still enjoyed it. I joked that I was never going back to Neighbor to Neighbor because of this day but it actually made me want to do more now!

One of the trees we planted!

Happy Honors Formal!

Happy Honors Formal, folks!

Codes looking great...and me too, I guess.

La Salle Homecoming

Yesterday was Homecoming, also known as a very crazy day for students and a very nostalgic day for the alumni. I got a ticket to the homecoming tent which meant FOOD. And my dad paid for me so it was even nicer. The weather was perfect for just spending the day in the tent enjoying all the company. I saw some cross country alums who I haven't seen since January. There was also a photo booth so that was a plus. I guess one of the main points of the day was the actual homecoming game. Because we don't have a football team, we had to scramble to find another high attendance sporting event that alumni would want to attend--cross country. Nah, just kidding, we don't even get featured in the Collegian. It's the basketball team. Anyway, the game was too close for comfort and they played not good for a while but then Duren took over. So they won and all the students were happy and went to bed early without any late night parties. The end.

Medieval Times

Last Saturday, we went to Medieval Times, in New Jersey. Let me tell you--it was weird. Well, I thought it was weird. I was able to go for only $5 when tickets normally run close to $60 so that was nice. The whole thing just seem liked Disney on super steroids--super commercialized. But I still got into it. One girl who I went with said I was very violent and often yelled stuff out. Well, I guess that was true. I didn't like seeing my knight lose! And the best part was probably the crowns we got. I wore my crown all night!

I also ate half a chicken...with my hands.

Bingo: 2013 Version

Bingo this time around was different. First, you could not win twice in a round!! What the heck! And second, I went with the track. We all won so many prizes. My luck wasn't not perfect--I only won four out of the five rounds. But it was so much fun, as usual. My winnings include: Wheat Thins, chocolate pudding mix (with a $10 Applebees giftcard), pumpkin mix, and Honey Nut Cheerios lil pack. So pretty much I won everything that I picked out when we went shopping for Bingo.

The team and our winnings!

Giving Cooking A Try

So yesterday, Cody and I went to Acme because we were going to make Fall Stir Fry. The recipe is from my track grad assistant who is a big foodie and a big blogger. She's very inspirational. Anyway, Cody picked Fall Stir Fry to try. Well, first, cooking is very stressful. I was just peeling and chopping the gourds but I felt so overwhelmed. Second, there was so much squash in it. So much. Too much, but I think we might have put too much in. Third, it was still very good, even with all the squash.

The Squash Mush

Master Chef Cody

All work and no play makes Katie and Kristen dull girls.