Thankful

Yep, gonna join the fray with all of the posts about being thankful--but I always think about where I was the year before--a reflection (Xing Fu says I'm just a sentimental sap--OK, guilty as charged!).  Last year's Thanksgiving was a brief one for me--I was recovering from hernia surgery.  I had had outpatient the day before & I was very hopped up on painkillers--my sis kindly picked me up & drove to my folks' but I didn't last too long--I really don't remember too much of last year except I was very happy that my sister was in town--this year not so lucky because she was home in Chicago, but it may have been the first year in a while that there wasn't something wrong with me.  

Enter this year--I am very grateful, thankful to the universe, Karma, what-have-you.  I have my wonderful BFFs (wine tasting ritual is still strong), my incredible son (working hard to get into a private school), my family--all the usual stuff.  But beyond that, I have found someone special that I want to share my life with and we're moving toward a year & it is just better & better.

Last weekend certainly reminded me of being thankful--the sailing season is essentially over & that in & of itself is depressing--but Xing Fu & I had an opportunity to race--the last of the fall series at Pirate's Cove--the last for the year--SIGH.  But even with the lighter winds(unusual for fall), it was just beautiful!  And I will miss it--Xing Fu & I will probably obsessively talk about sailing all winter to try to fill the void--but what else can we do?  Frostbite???  Ack!!  COLD!!  Then again, if we get desperate enough...

This Thanksgiving was certainly different--this year Xing Fu joined our family's ritual(is this a good thing?).   We had a wonderful meal at my uncle & aunt's house(his chestnut & oyster stuffing is to die for) & great conversation--nice to be together but I was still missing my sister.

Yesterday, we decided to try geocaching for the first time.  I tried to convince my son to come with us--but typical teenager that he is...
Xing Fu & I had been talking about it for a while.  I had downloaded an app to my phone & we set out to the closest one which was at the Quarry.  There are actually two there--the first one we were able to locate quite easily (found a euro & replaced it with a little kitty figurine, & then wrote on the log paper--"Thanksgiving 2010")--the second...not so easy.  First of all, it was a micro-cache & therefore could be about the size of a dime believe it or not & according to my compass GPS (accurate to 9 feet), we were right on top of it--we were very stubborn & therefore left very cold but empty-handed.  Xing Fu asked if this was our replacement activity for when we couldn't sail.  I don't think traipsing around in 2 feet of snow looking for treasures is much of a replacement activity but perhaps we'll try one per weekend, weather permitting.  

 We did have fun & Xing Fu thanked me for my creativity--coming up with another activity that we'd enjoy doing together.  We have a running joke--since we've been seeing one another, we have yet to have the standard "date night"--dinner & a movie--the challenge is to make it to a year before we admit defeat & cave.  We're damn close....

Thankful!