Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of good food, family, and all the good things in life. Mine certainly was! Ken and I took the day off from cleaning and painting the boat and just enjoyed being at home together. I cleaned a little and did laundry, he went to the grocery store for me and then we just had a quiet day of Wii, knitting Christmas presents, watching horse races, and cricket on the tube. In the afternoon, I made my first attempt at a pumpkin pudding. I used Mom's classic recipe for persimmon pudding and substituted some cooked pumpkin puree I'd made earlier in the year and frozen.

Since it was going to be just the two of us for dinner, I made a free-range chicken roast with roasted potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, and onion, brussel sprouts and rolls. And yes, Debbie, GRAVY! Which I had to admit was pretty awesome! I'm getting much better at making gravies. Ken had picked up a nice Australian Chardonnay which went beautifully with the meal.

Mom, I'm so glad I brought home all those old aprons from your house! They've been washed and hung to dry and now I wear one everytime I'm in the kitchen. It's silly, but just makes me feel like I'm really ready to get to work. Ken loves them too. He laughs every time I put one on, but it's a nice laugh. In honor of Thanksgiving, I donned the turkey apron over my old skirt and tank top. Have I mentioned it's hotter than hell here? And not even really into the summer yet? YIKES! Thank God for Air Conditioners.

We sat down and had a lovely meal. Ken thought the Thanksgiving tradition came from the Puritans being grateful for landing in a place free from persecution. My belief has always been more that it stems from the first harvest and giving thanks for the success of that. Either way, we both have a lot to be thankful for. Especially each other and the sacrifices we've both made to be together. It hasn't been easy, and I'm sure it won't get any easier, but it has been so worth it. I also gave a silent Thanksgiving prayer for my amazing family that loves me enough to support my decision to leave them.


Dad and Mom, Stephen and Shawn, Trent and Nina and kids, I miss you all so much. But I was with you in spirit yesterday and hope you all had some dressing and sweet potatoes for me! Stori and Jamey, enjoy those new babies and give all four of my kids a big Thanksgiving hug and kiss for me. Grandma Helen, I miss you and love you. Hope you are feeling better!

By the way, the pumpkin pudding was really good! A little dollop of thickened cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon made it as pretty as a picture and yummy too!

Home again

It's a very hot and sunny day again here in Brisbane. And I thought it was warm in Indiana in November! Right now it's almost 85F, but feels much hotter than that. We finally broke down and turned the air con back on. What a difference that makes! I hate to rely on it, but this isn't even the summer yet! I'll be melting by Christmas, but I can't wait.

My visit back home to Indiana was a lovely time. It was so nice to see everyone again. I can't believe I've only been away for eight months, but then I realized, that's the longest I've ever been away from the family! We are so lucky to have such wonderful family! Although, I guess luck has less to do with it than the pure love and determination of our grandparents and parents! My only regret is that Stori was in Africa the entire time I was in Indiana. I miss my sister of the heart so much. But we know that we're each living the life we need and love. Those new babies will need all the love and attention she and Jamey can give them, but I know it'll be fabulous. They are such good parents, I marvel at how wonderful Livia and Parker are.

As great as going back to my Indiana home was, nothing can compare with how wonderful it was to be home with Ken. I never imagined how much I could miss someone. The good news is that it was mutual! We've quickly settled back into our routines. It has been a busy few days though. Friday we sailed the boat up to the marina in Manly. We left home before 7 and had 2 hours on a bus down to Coochiemudlo. Then down I went to check the propeller before we took off for the supposed four hour sail. Two hours later we're still just off Coochie because both the tide and the wind were fighting against us. It turned into a beautiful day, but the sun and the wind were both strong. They don't make a sunscreen strong enough to keep that off you completely!

The waves got a bit scary here and there. I knew with Ken I was safe, but it was a bit like being on a roller coaster. The work involved in sailing is incredible! Who knew it would be so hard? I am still sore 2 days later in places I didn't even know existed! There were a few really scary moments when I seriously prayed that I would be the one to fall in, because I knew Ken would be able to get me...the alternative I wasn't so sure about. But we finally made it into the marina and headed home. At 7:30 Friday evening, we were home.

Burned, sore, and exhausted, we showered and made cheeseburgers. Then we ate and fell into bed. I don't even remember going to bed, it just happened! We're still both sore and tired, but going back to the boat every day this week to do the real work. Cleaning and painting and readying it for sale. We'll be tired puppies, but it'll be worth it when we get a good price on it! I hate the idea of selling it, but it is the best option right now.

Ken is very sunburned (what a redneck!), and even a bit sick from it. But we've been putting yogurt and cool peppermint tea on it and that has helped dramatically. He says the yogurt was the best. We'll do it again later today. It's off to Bunnings for supplies for the work ahead, and then an easy dinner of delivery pizza.