That Warm Holiday Feeling

I have invited the holiday spirit into my life. I just started turkey stock, which will simmer for several hours filling the house with the wonderful smells that go along with it. There is nothing better for cooking than homemade turkey or chicken stock. The flavor is so much richer than the cartons of stock I purchase for use throughout the year. When we return from Minnesota in January, I'll find some delightful dish for the stock.

Roger and I had a romantic date last night. We started by reading at Dawn's while Tomcat talked to us incessantly. We had a nice dinner at No Frill Bar and Grill in Ghent. It was yummy and the atmosphere is so energizing. After we sat down, the house lights dimmed continuing the aura of romance. And then...we went to MacArthur Mall. Actually, it was pretty nice. Not too crowded. We used a gift card at Williams and Sonoma and spent a couple hours just browsing. We headed up to the third floor for a movie. We watched Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. It was a lot of fun. There were some clever trailers as well. We ended up at home. It was a perfect date!

Roger has been collecting data for his dissertation. I have been revising and writing exams. We were supposed to head to Jamestown with Jack and Jennie, but poor Jack got sick Thanksgiving night and was out of commission yesterday. Even if he was feeling better today, he needs some recovery time. We'll find a time to hang out again soon. We'll be decorating our house for Christmas before the weekend is done. It will be nice to have some twinkle lights and the stockings out. Nothing feels more like Christmas than the movie A Christmas Story, so we'll probably watch that before Monday as well.

The Christmas cards are mailed. Our plans for Christmas presents are in motion. We just have to survive this week and we'll have smooth sailing until we leave for Minnesota two weeks from today. Whew, the time is sure going fast. Won't be long until we are with family in the Midwest.