Thanksgiving wknd

Thanksgiving weekend just ended and I feel completely rested. Part of the reason is that all weekend I was reading the biography of Martin Luther. It was for a men's group that I am a part of with the church that I attend. It was the most difficult book I have read and was very academic in nature. I did get through it and even managed to understand it, at least for the most part. The father and brother came into town as did our good friends the Brodys. Or the O’brobys as they are now affectionately known. Thanksgiving dinner was spent with Erin’s family in Salem and it was a lot of fun. Her family is wonderful and I am thankful that I get to spend the holiday with such a great group. So the holiday started off well and now Christmas is bearing down on us.

In other news my Great Grandmother health is going down hill rapidly. And as crazy as it sounds I am not sad about it. Why? Because she has lived 98 years and has lived an amazing life. I've heard countless stories and just 2 years ago she played the ukulele when I showed up to surprise her for the holidays. She is forever the entertainer (have you ever seen a 97 year old woman cook fried chicken?) and would not allow me to lift a finger during my visits. She also was able to meet Erin and see pictures of our wedding.

Christmas should be interesting this year, at least in the gift giving department. Will be trying to really cut down on spending until all of our old debts (school loans mainly) are paid off. This means a lean Christmas for the next 3 years. But if the goal is to be debt free before starting a family this is part of the cost. I do have some creative ideas though and I’m excited to see how they come out. Between Erin and myself, we should be able to creatively surprise a few folks. So when you get a box full of pencils don’t complain, just joking… maybe…</p>