Ah, the requisite thankfulness list. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it! :) (And my spinach mushroom lasagna and zucchini bread!)

I'm thankful for...

1. My planner, without which I would be completely lost
2. The Bible, without which I would be completely lost
   
3. The super soft robe from Christy that keeps me warm and toasty in the winter
4. Southwest Airlines, DING! deals, and dry-roasted peanuts
5. My husband's excellent culinary skills
6. Jimmy John's #1
7. Victoria's Secret free panties coupons
8. Google
9. Ketchup
10. Our teens, who keep us young and give us purpose
11. Tony's baby Canon Digital Rebel XTi
12. My baby Taylor guitar
13. A best friend who understands me
    
14. A mom who cares enough to nag me
15. A dad whose patience has no rival
    
16. A sister and brother-in-law that we love spending time with
    
17. My beloved Doc Marten shoes, which have lasted me 12 years so far
18. A church that is family
19. The Asian sesame chicken salad at St. Louis Bread Co. (a.k.a. Panera, for you non-St. Louisans)
20. Snow
21. The University of Michigan
22. A job that... well, isn't so bad. :) I can't complain!
23. A house that I love and can't wait to come home to
24. A husband whom I love and can't wait to come home to
25. A Savior who gave his life for little ol' me

The father of lies
Coming to steal
Kill and destroy
All my hopes of being good enough
I hear him saying cursed are the ones
Who can't abide
He's right
Alleluia

He's right
The devil is preaching
The song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvation
Embracing accusation

Could the father of lies
Be telling the truth
Of God to me tonight?
If the penalty of sin is death
Then death is mine
I hear him saying cursed are the ones
Who can't abide
He's right
Alleluia

Oh, the devil's singing over me
An age-old song
That I am cursed and gone astray
Singing the first verse so conveniently
He's forgotten the refrain
Jesus saves!

Hands down, this is my favorite song of all time, by Shane and Shane. The lyrics and music paint such a real picture of our sinfulness and depravity. In telling us this, Satan's right -- and the song keeps repeating this over and over again, building up and building up... Until, at the very end, we are reminded of the small part that Satan forgot, 2 simple words that are the sole source of all of humanity's hope for redemption and salvation:

Jesus saves.

Christy and Aaron came to visit us this past weekend from Peoria, and we had a wonderful time with them! :) It was a relaxing weekend filled with hot pot, bubble tea, and euchre -- ah, reminds me of home. :) They are really just the perfect match for each other. I love how they're so easygoing and relaxed, and they make people feel loved and included in their relationship. It reminds me of the analogy that marriage is not two people standing still, gazing into each others' eyes while the world around them fades away -- but rather, it's two people walking side by side, facing the world together.

I dunno how he did it, but Aaron could even inform his new wife in a loving way that she just ate poop. During hot pot, Christy started eating the shrimp, and Aaron gently informed her, "Aw, you just sucked up the poop sack, honey." Equally amazingly, Christy just calmly responded with something about nutrition. If it were me, I probably would've exclaimed "DUUUUUDE, you just ATE POO! Naaaasty! Go brush your teeth." -- or something equally dramatic and/or abrasive. We have much to learn from these newlyweds. :P

"... I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

-Ephesians 4:1-2

Not that Tony and I are completely devoid of any romance or newlywed-bliss in our marriage. :P I do still like to use terms of endearment all the time, unless 1) we're in public, or 2) he's in trouble. I don't have any particular single pet name for him -- I try to use whatever catches my fancy for that day. These are some of my favorites:

• Beluga
• Bruschetta
• Billy (sometimes "Billy Goat")
• Buttercup
• Mailman
• Gubernatorial (I know, it's not even a noun. "Guber" or "Gubs" for short.)
• Noni (he hates this -- calling him this one carries a risk of bodily harm)
• Antoine

OK, I better stop before I reveal all of our secrets and Noni gets mad.

Every Sunday is family day for us. It's a tradition I'd like to keep around. After spending more than half the day at church for service, Sunday school, lunch, meetings, guitar lessons, etc., we always head over to Tony's mom's house to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with the fam, including Tony's 3 little cousins, Mina (9), Minda (6), and Marvin (3). It's always fun to find things to do with them. Since they're "restaurant kids," their parents don't have a lot of time to spend with them, so Tony and I try to teach them as much as we can and give them normal childhood experiences like going to the park, church, swimming, apple-picking, pumpkin carving, birthday cakes, and more.

This past Sunday, I brought all my beads with me and taught the girls how to make jewelry. Mina absolutely loved it, and she made pair after pair of earrings to give away -- "and this one's for my mom, this one's for my grandma, this one's for my aunt, this one's for my friend..." and so on. Out of 8 pairs, she only made 1 for herself at the very end. Her little sister Minda, on the other hand, made a necklace for herself, a bracelet for herself, and a ring for herself. I said, "Minda, why don't you make one for one of your friends, or for your mom?" to which she responded "but I want these for myself!" She actually wanted to make 10 rings for herself, all exactly the same, so she could wear one on each finger. I was only able to finally convince her to make one more ring to give to a friend because I told her there was no point in having two of the same rings.

I'm a big believer of the birth order connection -- that your personality has a lot to do with the order into which you were born in your family (eldest, middle, youngest, only child). Not that it defines who you are, just that there's a connection. Whenever I meet someone, I try to guess what they are. :) Minda has been the youngest for half her life, so she has a lot of "youngest" tendencies... needs attention, somewhat self-centered, not as sensible, not as academically-inclined (sounds a lot like someone I know, hehe). She is also very tender-hearted and compassionate -- for example, when Tony was taking a nap on the couch, she went to pull a blanket over him so he wouldn't be cold. She is very sweet when she wants to be. Mina is the oldest of 3 -- nurturing, more level-headed, less crazy, a leader, slightly bossy, and cares for her younger siblings (sounds like someone else I know). Marvin... I can't tell yet. :) He is just plain the cutest baby ever, and I never want him to grow up.

Yay for no lines! I made it there and back to work in half an hour! I love living near work so I can go during off-peak hours. Don't forget to get your free ice-cream, coffee, and doughnut for voting! :)

Happy Novemberween! I thought winter had arrived, but it seems to have been chased away by sunshine and mid-70s weather. Halloween was a blast with the kids. Here are a few pictures from our excursions!

And of course, my requisite political commentary of the day:

I must say, I do admire McCain for standing up for Obama when his own supporters make wildly false claims about his opponent. When his supporters called Obama an Arab and expressed their fears for America if Obama became President, McCain came to Obama's defense, calling him a "decent family man" and assuring them that there's no reason to fear if Obama were to become President. Enduring persecution for the sake of your "enemy" takes a lot of courage.