Thanksgiving Day At The Zoo, 2013

Tyler in front of a friendly deer. If it only knew!  (He wears an orange hat for a reason!)

Joshua at the northern woods trail. 

I'm thankful the zoo is open 365 days a year!  Here are a few pics I took. It was cold but worth it!  It kind of felt like they opened the doors just for us. There were about ten other families there, I think. We got to spend a long time with Hodari and Zuri (the giraffes) and the volunteer who was so knowledgable!  We made two visits to the reptile house and the maquaque's. We were able to enjoy a snack and drink in the cafe, too. The otter was so friendly and the moose was in a very playful mood!

Justin and Joshua warming up!

Thanksgiving 2013

We celebrated thanksgiving a day early to accommodate work schedules. Another great family dinner even though Sky had to go to bed at 5 pm and miss out. He works a minus on days tomorrow and has to wake up at midnight. Hopefully, we weren't too loud and he got some sleep. Robbie made it around 8:15. Here are some pics...

The Menu...

My yummy, yummy turkey!  I shove chunks of butter under the skin. I use browning sauce and a butter mix to baste it. 

 

The Spread...

My dressing turned out amazing!  Cornbread, biscuits, stuffing mix, eggs, chicken broth, a stick of butter, sage, pepper, salt, onions, celery, and garlic - how the heck could it be anything other than yummy!?

Hungry family!  They are ready to fill their plates!

My turn in the pic. Tyler!  You naughty boy!  

All in all, we had a great thanksgiving with MiMaw and Gordie and Robbie, me and the boys!  

I hope all of you enjoy your thanksgiving, too!!

Nick Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree

So on Facebook I like a page called Literature Is My Utopia.  They share so many quotes, many I share.  I love quotes because I learn about people I've never heard of before.  And, yes, when I come across a quote that 'speaks to me' I do look up the author to learn more about the person that spoke so directly to me.  So, I came across this one by Nick Hornby from his work titled The Polysyllabic Spree:

"All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. . . But with each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not."

I looked up The Polysyllabic Spree and the just of it is keeping a log of what books one purchases in a month, month to month, whether they get read or not.  But, there's more to it and I can only assume such things as what drew him to purchase the books and even some passages.  I think that is a wonderful concept and I think I'd like to start something similar for my own enjoyment.

At any rate, based on the quote above, I've mentally scanned my library and  have decided that I am an open-minded, adventure-seeking, romantic, with a deep love for humanity!  I'm totally awesome!  :)

On The Way To Dance...

...Joshua said, "Two things - one, when I have kids I want to name them Layla (the most beautiful name in the world), Alex, and Elizabeth."  And, "I want to marry a Russion because they don't spank their kids. They just have time-outs."

LOL!  This kid cracks me up!  Ok, but to clarify, he and Russian friend Katrina have been in class together since 4k.  I think he likes her.

Funny kid! 

Mila and Pebbles

Girls Night Out!

I love GNO!!  Who doesn't?  Here is me, another Stacy, Tammy, Lisa, Sara, and Carrie - it was Carrie's and Lisa's birthday.  This is Sheboygan at Harry's Prohibition Bistro - LOVE their pizza!!! 



This was at a restaurant in Bellevue, I think (DePere), called Bleu.  There's Sara, Amy, Tammy, Rebecca, me, and Jennifer.  LOVE the atmosphere!  Doors for ceiling tiles, medieval style lighting, with a mix of sleek modern - very cool!  This was fun because of all the fun things we did after dinner - LOL!  (I'm not telling!)

Unfortunately, I don't have a pic from Plae Bistro.  They've got THE BEST penne pasta and huge scallops!  I'm sure we'll be back and I'll make sure to take a pic to post. 

Friends are the best! :)

Celebrating my 38th Birthday

Mama, Gordie, and Robbie took me out to Olive Garden for my birthday. We had a really nice time (great food, might I recommend the Smoke Mozzarella Chicken?  Mmmmm!). They gave me some nice presents, too!

Me and Robbie

Mama and Gordie

Halloween 2013

Tyler at the end of the driveway waiting to pass out treats. In the end, no visitors. Our neighborhood is not overrun with kids plus with everyone having really long driveways and lots of trees and land we never get many anyway. But this night was crappy - it absolutely poured!

My evil court jester. The rain wasn't stopping him!  I stayed warm and dry in the vehicle. 

Tyler dressed up to volunteer for the zoo boo. 

Justin's zoo boo costume.