Happy Thanksgiving---Bring on the Christmas!

So, I know I'm averaging about 2 weeks in between posts. The past two weeks have been exceptionally tough. At work, I answer to a volunteer Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board is an irrational individual, and after I asked him a simple question, he went after me in attempts to terminate my employment. I, of course, didn't sit back quietly and let that happen. Anyway, the special Board meeting was held last Monday and to all of you who said a little prayer for me, for my family, and for CRC --- thank you. I will receive a letter of reprimand from the Board of Directors sometime this week but I am still employed as the leader of a fantastic institution. And, the Chairman still gets to be Chairman, so any additional prayers would be VERY welcome as we know God controls our destiny not any man!

In the midst of all of that, my dad had to have a small outpatient procedure on Tuesday morning. Let's say Dad is um. . . rather entertaining and difficult to convince when on the good drugs. He's doing ok now and hopefully this procedure let him eat and enjoy turkey a little more than last year.

So, on with the Thanksgiving! Of course, recovering from Monday is still going on today, but I had to suck it up and get ready to host Thanksgiving. Not a problem, as my friends at Super Suppers helped with the majority of our meal. I know that may be cheating, but I'll take all the help I can get. Bill and Teresa arrived on Wednesday afternoon and Regina came in on Thursday. I've never cooked a turkey before but it was successful. Thanks to http://www.foodnetwork.com/! Anyway, my turkey made it to 155 degrees and my oven STOPPED WORKING! The goal was 161 degrees. Let's just say, it is amazing what you can do with a propane grill and a toaster oven! It actually turned out well. Guess I'll be getting an oven for Christmas.

Bill and Teresa left on Thursday afternoon to help Bill accommodate for his back. Regina stayed the evening and cuddled up on the couch with Tatum to watch "It's Thanksgiving Charlie Brown."

Friday, we received very sad news that Troy's Uncle Wade passed away unexpectedly. His funeral is on Tuesday this week and we will make a quick trip to Woodward to attend.

To try to get ready for the holidays, we set off on Saturday to decorate. Troy is the Christmas light master. In homage to the SOONERS, he changed all the lights to crimson and cream. And no, they don't sell them like that here so he had to change out every other bulb. It's amazing what that man will do for OU. End result. . . best lights in the neighborhood.

My job was to get the Christmas tree up and we had success!

Hopefully, the next week or two will be quieter and more manageable. I just keep breathing in and out. One of my most favorite quotes is

"Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On"

Jimmy Buffet

May you all have a calm, quiet week --- we'll try to do the same!

Girls Weekend

I know it has been a couple of weeks but a crazy couple of weeks nonetheless. We all suffered from pink eye and Troy is still trying to recover.

Troy went hunting with the guys from the company this weekend so Tatum and I have had each other all to ourseleves. We were really busy yesterday. We had a baby shower to go to and Tatum got a haircut. She looks like such a little girl! We had dinner together, Tatum's choice. When I asked her what we should eat she said "chips and cheese". Interpretation: Mexican food. So we had dinner out and have watched Cinderella many, many times this weekend. Here are a couple more pics. We are off and running again for another crazy week!

CHEESE!

Trick Or Treat

Halloween was lots of fun! Our Tinkerbell was a star. In the pics above, Tatum is not being her stubborn self, but rather, she likes the part in Peter Pan where Tinkerbell is mad at Wendy. She crosses her arms and shakes her head. So, Tatum is being Tinkerbell. . . this time!

We only had one trauma on Halloween night. Tatum blew a shoe! She was excited about the candy! After the first few houses where she said "Please" instead of "Trick or Treat", she got it down. At one point, she was asked if she was a fairy princess. She said, "I not fairy princess! I TINKERBELL!". I politely apologized and added one more bullet to my resume of "Parent with a Strong Willed Child". I'm sure it will be many pages long before we make it through the toddler years!

As far as the rest of the week went, we were SUPER busy. I survived the 60th Celebration for CRC on Thursday night. It was great. The best part were the presenters. Patrick Henry Hughes and his father, Patrick John Hughes were here. In case you don't know this young man, check out the videos on You Tube. Make sure to watch the one from ESPN. They were nominated for a sports Emmy for this piece!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Patrick+Henry+Hughes

Anyway, I had the opportunity to pick these two up from the airport, entertain them for the afternoon, be their chauffeur, and return them to the airport at 5 the next morning. Just to add a little more excitement to the stress of the day, Tatum came down with Pink Eye on Thursday morning. Thank goodness Troy was finished shipping cows and could meet me at the house with Tatum. We didn't have to take her to the doctor; they just called in some eye drops for her. She is much better. I guess when she gets sick, she goes all out. Maybe we can make it through this week without going to the doctor (I'm knocking on wood right now!).