Thanksgiving and Such

To begin this blog, let's take a quick poll...So, who has FELT an earthquake since last Tuesday? Anyone?....Anyone?....HA! I didn't think so. This just proves my last blog's point. I realize they have measured some earthquakes, but I haven't felt a single one since my quake-causing husband has returned home. I'm just saying...Everyone knows, I can't resist any opportunity I'm granted to showcase my right-ness.

So, Thanksgiving? It comes every November, but somehow it doesn't seem possible to be that time of year again. I don't know if it was my wedding or maybe the immense stress this semester's schoolwork has placed on me, but this one totally snuck up on me. One thing that will be new this year is the designation of which side of the family we spend which holiday with. This year, we are going to be with his family for Thanksgiving, while my side won Christmas. It is going to be strange to be away from my side of the family for one of the holidays, but I am optimistic (Shocked? It occaisionally happens) about the start of this new tradition of holiday-swapping between families. I'm super pumped about cooking/baking and most likely burning/ruining some treats to take with us to Thanksgiving! I have always loved the idea of cooking and baking, but, the majority of time, I end up screwing something up - not super bad, but enough to make my cooking mediocre, at best. For instance, I just choked down the chili I made because I added WAAAYYY too much chili seasoning. It only makes sense to half the seasoning when you half everything else in the recipe, huh? Ooopppsss....However, the extreme spice of it really cleared out the sinuses. Another thing I am looking forward to is the Christmas gift exchange we will be having at Thanksgiving since we won't see them during Christmas. Hope his side of the family buys into that ol' theory of "giving" is better than "receiving," as I have yet to complete shopping for their gifts.

Shake it Like a Salt Shaker, Polaroid Picture, etc.

I know, I know…everyone is about as tired of HEARING about the earthquakes as we are HAVING the darn things. However, I doubt anyone has heard the real reason we are being abundantly and overly blessed with the quakes. I have my own theory and all the “fault” (I know, I know… people are also tired of hearing quake-associated puns) should be placed upon one person, and one person solely: my husband. He has the innate, uncontrollable and inexplicable ability to cause and attract trouble. I love him dearly, but hear me out. Remember our freak snowstorm/blizzard/snowpocalypse? Guess who left the state and, most likely, caused an unnatural shift in the polar caps or something? Yep, my husband did. He was gone for two weeks and left me here – alone – to shovel my way out. By the time he came back, there was hardly any snow left. Guess who has also been gone for the last week during our record-setting freak earthquake outbreak? Uh huh, the hubs. I was, once again, alone when the Friday night “pre-shock” hit. Did I just have a weird dream? Perhaps some crazy drunk drove right through my house? Or MAYBE, I am going banana sandwich (this was, at the time, my first thought). I turned to my Twitter page (I love social media) to see if anyone else had the trippy experience, which was a much more appropriate second plan after my initial reaction to run through the streets in sheer terror. Luckily, others had posted about the quake, which meant, for the time being, I was still, at least, mildly sane. But, I have good news. Rest assured he is on his way home now, so this should restore the natural balance of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Wonder what will happen next time he decides to leave me? Tsunami, asteroid impact (we got close), volcanic eruption, perpetual darkness, the return of dinosaurs…

When I told him about my theory he laughed, but he also posited his own interpretation. He believes that my high-strung and turbulent emotions in response to his absence have been the catalyst to all of our problems. Tu shay…

You really want to be scared? Read if you dare.

I have suffered from a blogger block this week. I had, until this moment, no idea what to please my nine readers with. I considered telling you about my husband I's trip to Hallo-Marine (at the Jenks aquarium), but there really wasn't much to tell. To sum it up, you really need to have a kid to go to these things. I am thinking of looking into borrowing one for certain kid-geared events (Halloween and Easter). It would keep quizzical, judgemental glances from being directed our way. You know these people are wondering whether A. We misunderstood what the event was, or B. We are those creepy "Hey kid, want a ride?" people. Aside from the uncomfortable looks, my husband managed to smooth talk his way into a purse-ful (my purse, of course) of chocolate treats and I got to see some fish. Overall, win-win I suppose

What I really want to "scare" you with is some Halloween candy fun facts. I have a "love-hate" relationships with the folks at Eat This, Not That! on Twitter. They provide me with quality information and quite shocking nutritional/caloric information about meals at popular dining establishments. I love them because they help the waistline, but detest them entirely for ruining my complete enjoyment of certain meals because I am paranoid about how many thousand calories I am consuming. They recently tweeted some super scary facts about that delicious Halloween candy that is so tempting. Enjoy....

Three Reese's Peanut Butter Cups = More sugar than a glazed donut
Nine Twizzlers = Wendy's Double Stack burger
Butterfinger "Fun Size" = 100 calories
3 "Mini" Twix = 150 calories

From the Cooking Light website:

Assorted Hershey's Minis (1 mini) = 42 calories (Personally, I feel compelled to sample one of each)
Mounds Snack Size Bar = 80 calories
Kit Kat Snack Size = 70 calories
Reese's Pieces Snack Size = 67 calories

Now, who had AT LEAST one of each last night? =) Scary, right?

Oh, well...the holiday season is upon us. Throw on your expandable waist, stretchy pants and oversized sweaters! Thanksgiving here we come!