thankful thursday - thanksgiving

Today, the fourth Thursday in November, is the day Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. We are taught in elementary school that the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 after their first successful corn harvest thanks to a Native American named Squanto. Governor William Bradford organized the celebratory feast to give thanks to God and to thank the Native Americans who had been so instrumental in the Pilgrim's survival that first year. It was a three day celebration that bore little resemblance food-wise to Thanksgiving in 2015 - they feasted on lobster, swan, seal and deer and there was no pumpkin pie.

The next Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1623 after a long drought threatening their crops had ended. This time Governor Bradford called for fasting and thanking God before the feast, a tradition that continued for many years. Thanksgiving celebrations were held somewhat annually from then on.

In 1789 President Washington issued the first proclamation for Thanksgiving by the national government of the United States.  Many presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations and several states instituted a Thanksgiving holiday but it wasn't until 1863, at the crux of the Civil War, that President Lincoln established a national holiday of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. He called for all Americans "to ask God to commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife" and to "heal the wounds of the nation."

Somewhere along the way Thanksgiving has morphed into a gluttonous feast followed by hours of football and preparing for the Black Friday sales (some of which begin on Thanksgiving Day) - a holiday which bears little resemblance to the first 200 or so celebrations.

As a country and as individuals we ALL have much to the thankful for... freedom to celebrate and with a heart of thanksgiving, show gratitude to God,  freedom to pray openly, freedom to gather with family regardless of their religious beliefs, freedom to attend a religious service of our choosing, freedom of fear (living in a safe country).

Sure, there are problems and strife in the world we live in. But just for one day, on Thanksgiving, let's focus on all that we have to be thankful for. I will be coming to the family Thanksgiving table with a grateful heart - thankful for being surrounded by family, for being loved, for the laughter in my life, for having enough.

Happy Thanksgiving!

thankful thursday - diners, drive-ins and dives (#19 and #20)

As you may recall, my sweet hubby is one of Guy Fieri's biggest fans. He loves watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network and incorporates as many of those places as he can into our travels. We recently visited two, one in Arizona and one in southern California.

A friend told us about a place he saw on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - a BBQ place at a car wash. That's right, you can get your car washed and have lunch or dinner at the same time. Ingenious, right? But how good would the food be? We had to check it out with our friends... and my car was filthy so we drove!

Tom's Thumb Fresh Market is located in north Scottsdale and boasts a gas station, car wash, coffee and pastry bar, wine and artisan gift market as well as a barbecue joint. After handing my car keys over to the car wash guys, we went inside to order lunch. We all ordered something different - mine was the sliced beef brisket sandwich. It was so tender and juicy it practically melted in my mouth! They have a BBQ sauce bar we helped ourselves to - definitely something for every taste bud! After lunch we split a couple of muffins from the pastry bar - also very good.

We strolled through the wine and gift market after lunch - lots of cute gift items, a few of which we couldn't walk away from. After paying for our purchases, we went outside to claim my car. They offer a variety of carwashes ranging in price from $11.99 to $34.99 for a hand wash. I chose a mid-range wash package and my car was clean from top to bottom.

It's too bad Tom's Thumb Fresh Market is so far from us - it could become habit-forming!

The second place we visited is in  southern California. We visited Mamma Cozza's on a recent Disneyland trip - it's about two miles away. It definitely looks a little dive-ish  from the outside but the inside is warm and inviting. It was obvious to us that many of the customers were locals - regulars known by name to the servers.

Our dinner included mouth-watering garlic bread, a relish tray with carrot and celery sticks and cherry peppers, soup or salad, our entree and then a small glass of anisette. The food was delicious and we went back a second night to try a different entree. I had lasagna one night and a special with half ravioli, half spaghetti.

The two DDD restaurants were as different as could be yet both were really yummy. I am thankful for a variety of eating establishments that take pride in the food they serve and in making their customers feel like family. And I am thankful that God gave us taste buds so we can enjoy different flavors and textures.

thankful thursday - veterans

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice (a temporary cease-fire) was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then called the Great War. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 officially ending WWI but to the public's eye, November 11th, 1918 was the end of the war and thus became known as Armistice Day, an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on that date beginning in 1919.

In 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the "recurring anniversary of November 11, 1918 should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations" and that the president should issue an annual proclamation calling for the observance of Armistice Day. In 1938, November 11th became a legal federal holiday dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'. At that time, more than half the states had already instituted their own legal holiday.

After World War II and the Korean War, veterans' service organizations lobbied Congress to amend the 1938 act that made Armistice Day a holiday; they wanted to call the holiday Veteran's Day to honor all veterans of the United States Armed Services. President Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, 1954 and November 11th officially became Veteran's Day.

Until 1968 when Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill making several holidays observed on Mondays. (You can read more about that bill in my Memorial Day 2014 post.) But many states disapproved and continued to observe Veteran's Day on November 11th. And the veteran's organizations didn't like changing the day to one that often had no significance and once again lobbied Congress. In 1978, President Ford signed a new law returning Veteran's Day to November 11th. Incidentally, Veteran's Day was the only holiday affected by the Uniform Holidays Act to be returned to its original date.

Yesterday we celebrated Veteran's Day with flags flying and parades. People made speeches. News teams covered many events. An official wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

But today, November 12th, it is back to business as usual. There are no more flags flying than is usual. No parades. No news articles.

I am thankful for all the veterans who have served our country so proudly and selflessly. I am thankful for their families who have also sacrificed greatly in ways nonmilitary families can't imagine. And I am thankful for them every single day. Are you?

When you see a veteran, smile and thank them for their service. They are pretty easy to spot - they have special license plates, they stand straight and salute the flag no matter where they are, they often sport caps designating which war they fought in. Sometimes they have limbs missing or are in a wheelchair.

Pray for our veterans and their families every day. And be grateful.

thankful thursday - adventurous friends

Twenty-three years ago, when our youngest daughter was in first grade, she wanted to be a Brownie. And she wanted me to be her leader just like I was the leader for her older sister. The only problem was that realistically I could not be the leader for both girls' troops.

So I did the next best thing. I told the woman in charge of placing girls in troops that I was already a leader and couldn't do another one but I wanted my daughter placed in a troop that would be active, with a leader that was organized and fun. Bribery may have been involved - something about buying her a snow cone at the Fun Run on Friday.

She placed our daughter in Mrs. M's troop. Her daughter was in the same grade as ours and they quickly became friends. Mrs. M and I became friends over time.

At first I offered to help Mrs. M at the meetings so I could see how she ran things, what they did and if she was fun. I admit it... I was checking her out. She came to meetings with a plan, she encouraged the kids as they were learning to read, she was consistent in the behavior she expected - and, I learned, she was a primary teacher by profession. Boy oh boy, was she fun! She made picking up trash on the playground so fun, no one wanted to quit. Kids hung around after the meeting was over, sometimes asking their mom to be late picking them up.

As time went on, I offered to help because Mrs. M was fun to be with and I wanted to get to know her better.  We'd meet for lunch to discuss the next meeting - and then the latest movie we had seen or book we had read. Pretty soon we were sharing stories about our lives and families.

Fast forward a couple of decades. Our daughters have grown up, are married and have professional jobs. Though one lives in California and the other in Arizona, they get together as couples when they can and maintain their friendship long distance.

Mrs. M and I, along with our husbands, are still good friends, as well. They live in California (to be near their daughter and her husband - and because the weather is great!) and we live in Arizona but we get together as often as we can.

We spent a long weekend with them in California a few weeks ago. As usual, Mr. and Mrs. M had planned fun, adventurous things for us to do as well as some time to just relax and "hang out!" Having balance in life is something I learned from them.

Several weeks before we went, Mrs. M asked if we might be interested in going to a concert at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California. The performer, Bian Liunian, is one of the world's leading performers on an ancient Chinese instrument, the erhu. It is like a two-stringed fiddle that is usually played with a bow but can also be plucked. This sounded like a fun adventure!

The erhu is on the left and has an amplifying device attached to the bottom. Bian plays over 200 instruments, including the Chinese zither on the right (although another performer played this one at the concert.

The concert was extraordinary!  Some pieces were distinctly Chinese with hauntingly beautiful melodies. Others were classical - the Bach piece he played was exquisite. And still others were as American as apple pie. His rendition of the Eagles' Hotel California was explosive! It was hard to believe he could get that much diversity in sound from just two strings. It wasn't just a fun adventure - it was a wild one!

The next day we went to Legoland right before they closed. That's right, we went right before they closed. Knowing how much I like Lego minifigures, they suggested going then because we could get into the park without paying admission. We saw a small portion of the park and visited the largest Lego Store I've ever seen. It was huge... gigantic... gargantuan... humongous... super-sized! What a fun adventure we had looking for the new Big Bang Theory set - I think I may have whooped with delight when we found it!

We also strolled through the Legoland Hotel. I know some sweethearts who would love to stay there!

Richard, Alex (the M's nephew) and Mr. & Mrs. M

Everything is made of Lego-like pieces. It's awesome!

Behind the front desk of the hotel hangs the largest display of Lego minifigures I've ever seen. The surfer dude on the bike "rides" back and forth across the board. The wheels magnify the minifigs behind them. Everything is awesome at Legoland!

One of my favorite things to do/see in California is the beach. It is relaxing and rejuvenating. Mrs. M packed up some breakfast and we headed to the beach to watch the surfers, listen to the waves and squish our toes in the sand.

We greatly enjoyed nature - the tracks in the sand, the treasures the ocean washed up, the birds and the sand. The M's are doing an unofficial study of pelicans and have determined they most often fly in formations with an uneven number of birds. We corroborated their research.

We had a wonderful time with our adventurous friends - eating, laughing, drinking wine, talking, eating, talking, laughing,... I love that we can maintain our friendship despite the distance and that when we see each other, we pick right up where we left off. 

I am thankful for friends that love adventure and laughing. And I am thankful that God orchestrated our friendship long ago when our daughter was put in Mrs. M's Brownie troop and then He wove our experiences as friends together into a beautiful tapestry. I don't believe friendships are the result of chance meetings; they are ordained appointments.

thankful thursday - teaching an old dog new tricks

My friend, Dawn, invited me to go to Las Vegas with her for a few days. I was hesitant because I really DO NOT like Las Vegas... it's loud and smoky and people are rude and it's a town of excess. She was confident she could change my mind. I thought she had her work cut out for her. But I agreed to go.

I learned six things from Dawn:

1. Go outside! Walk up and down the Strip in the morning. - it's less crowded and, in our case, cooler then. We walked from our first hotel, Circus Circus, at the north end of the Strip all the way to The Cosmopolitan on our first day. We saw interesting graffiti, an area fenced off for construction with beautifully painted signs depicting what was coming, a statue commemorating Siegfried and Roy along with a star in the sidewalk, noticed the futuristic-looking buildings on the back side of the Strip while we were waiting for a tram and we talked with construction workers, tourists and a police officer. It was like being in any other city with large buildings!

 2. Experience the Resorts - they are much more than just casinos. We walked through every resort we passed by. I usually avoid the inside of the resorts because I don't like the uber-loud, smoky (although that was better than I remembered thanks to newer filtration systems) casinos. I didn't realize there are LOTS of things to see inside. 

At the Bellagio, I would have missed gorgeous hanging umbrellas (upper right) and several extraordinary Chihuly pieces, the largest one hanging from the ceiling in the lobby (lower left). The Conservatory, an inside park, has a glass ceiling that lets in natural light. They decorate it seasonally - the fall decor was beautiful. It's open 24/7 and people stroll through it all the time.  It was a quiet place to relax and enjoy the whimsical displays.

Somewhere in the Bellagio (I'm pretty sure the resort spans at least 3 time zones!) is the world's largest chocolate fountain - it's just over 26 feet tall and circulates two tons of white, medium and dark chocolate. Ahhhhmazing!! And in the same store is the life-sized chocolate skeleton - it took two people about 70 hours to make it using a little over 143 pounds of white and dark chocolate. Immmmpressive!!

The Venetian and her sister-resort, Palazzo, are equally spectacular. We watched gondolas filled with people glide through the underground canals while gondoliers serenaded them. One guy sounded just like Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Incidentally, Frank Sinatra was one of Las Vegas' pioneer entertainers performing there frequently throughout the 1950's and 1960's. We walked through some very high-end stores and sampled expensive perfumes. The courtyard that connects the two is decorated seasonally and is very peaceful, especially the waterfall. We chatted with an Hispanic women who works in housekeeping  - she told us she likes to take her break near the waterfall because it's restful and quiet - or at least that's what I think she said since her English was about as good as our Spanish. The living statue (top left) was fun to watch - he sometimes startled people by moving!   

 3.  Improvise when plans change. We had booked a Food Tour that fizzled and the guide never showed up. Fortunately the booking company was great and refunded our money quickly. Since we had some "extra" time, we sat in the Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan and had their signature drink, a Pink Cosmo. It was my first - and pretty tasty!

4.  Do something new. Dawn has been to Las Vegas several times as have I and neither of us had been to the Neon Museum just past downtown. The visitor's center is housed in the old  La Concha Motel lobby while the "Boneyard" with over 150 neon signs (seven are restored) from the Strip is outside. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and explained the history behind the old neon signs as well as the history of Las Vegas. I highly recommend both the museum and the tour.

5.  Spend a little time outside in nature - it will rejuvenate you! I had no idea there was a nature trail on the grounds of the Flamingo.  As we strolled along the trail we stopped to watch the fish and turtles in the pond, marvel at the beautiful flowers and hummingbirds and, of course, see the real, live flamingos! It was quiet and green with birds chirping - very easy to forget the big city on the other side of the building.  

 6.  See the lights of the Strip and the Bellagio Fountains at night - it never gets old! The neon lights of the Strip come to life after dark. What looked like an ordinary tall building by daylight is transformed into a shimmering, glowing piece of architecture at night. And the fountains at the Bellagio at night are every bit as fun as World of Color at Disneyland! The choreography of music and "water dancing" is fabulous! They run approximately every half hour during the day and every 15 minutes at night. Like many people, we stuck around and watched more than once. In between the shows we observed street performers and people in costumes - something for everyone!

At the end of our trip, I had to admit that I had a great time and found a lot to appreciate about Las Vegas. As we got ready to leave the other "City That Never Sleeps," Dawn and I talked about things we would like to see and do on our next trip there!

I am thankful for friends like Dawn who are willing to share their love of a place or for a thing with me. And that God gave me a teachable spirit. The two fit together like a hand in a glove.

thankful thursday - a first-world problem

Here is my first-world problem: I have had four brand new washing machines in the last seven years.

The first three were shiny, electronically-controlled models with lots of bells and whistles. They weren't top of the line models but they were "energy efficient" (using little water),  flashed numbers to count down to the end of the cycle, magically rebalanced when a load went out of balance and "sang" a sweet melody when the load was done.

So what went wrong?

The first one, a front-loader, lasted five years before the retailer we purchased it from finally bought it back under their "Lemon Warranty." (I'm glad we purchased the extended warranty!) It leaked fluid from the bottom and made greasy spots on the clothes that then required rewashing. It was replaced with a different highly-rated top-loader that lasted four days. It spun the clothes at 2 revolutions per second so clothes were more than just drippy wet. The retailer picked it up and allowed us to choose a different machine. The third washing machine was a top-loader (original highly-rated brand) that lasted 24 months before also being bought back under the "Lemon Warranty." It went out of balance ALL THE TIME. Even when doing a very small load of delicates. The machine would try to "rebalance" itself by adding water and agitating, sometimes for hours. I would have to pull the soaking wet clothes from the washer and carefully redistribute them. The final straw was when it went out of balance doing a "tub clean" with only water, no clothes.

We researched washing machines each time we replaced one. Sadly, although they were highly rated when we bought them, Consumer Reports later said they had problems. After choosing three lemons, I think I finally hit the jackpot with the fourth one.

I decided that the electronically-controlled machines had too many problems and looked for a mechanically-controlled machine that gave me more control. You know, the old-fashioned kind where you select the load size, the water temperature and then turn the dial to start it. It doesn't flash numbers at me. Or sing a song to tell me when the load is done. It has a full-size agitator, takes half the time to wash clothes and I can select how much water it uses.

It's only been two days but I am in love!

Yeah, I had a "Laundry Party!"

I am thankful for many things. As I was doing laundry with my new machine the past two days, I thought about people in third-world countries that hand-carry polluted river water to wash their few clothes with or scrub them on a rock on the river bank. I thought about homeless people right here in America who wash out their clothes in public restrooms. I am thankful for clean water any time I want it. And for the laundry room in my house. And for clothes to wash. And for my new washing machine (and the reputable retailer that fixes or replaces their product).

thankful thursday - highway humor

We have logged A LOT of miles driving around the country in general and the state of Arizona in particular. One of our favorite things to do while driving is to look for unusual things.

It might be a billboard or sign. Sometimes it's a building. We've seen some pretty unusual looking people dressed in all kinds of costumes. Occasionally we see interesting "vehicle decor," especially around holidays.

Having driven this stretch of road a gazillion times, I thought we had seen ALL the unusual sights on I-10 between Phoenix and southern California.

I was mistaken.

We got off the freeway to grab some lunch and when we were getting back on, pulled up behind this truck in the lane to the on-ramp. I couldn't believe what I thought I saw from my view directly behind the truck so I convinced Richard to go around him. Sure enough... he was hauling a TOY ATV!!!

We laughed so hard! All the tension and frustration from driving all morning, inconsiderate drivers and road construction melted away. 

I am thankful for things that make a tedious task more fun, for the gift of laughter and for a big rig driver who was man enough to haul a child's toy on his big rig, no matter how ridiculous it looked.