My world....and welcome to it!

The first thought I had when I awoke this morning was, "I love my life!!!" I am so lucky!! I got out of bed and came downstairs to my Christmas tree all lit up and my husband holding my coffee out to me. First he waited til I was settled on my couch and covered with my blankie. Then he handed me my coffee.
Well, just tasting coffee first thing in the morning puts me in a good mood. I love coffee. If someone said to me, "You can only choose one drink to have the rest of your life besides water." It would have to be coffee. Love the stuff.
Then I went upstairs and got in the shower. Another thing I love!!! Shower gels!!! Oh my GAWD!!! They are great! And those big net ball things you wash with. How cool are those?
Then big fluffy towels to dry with!!! Oy! I'm halfway to heaven now...
Then getting dressed for work...in SCRUBS!!! Scrubs are like wearing PAJAMAS to work. No kiddin'. There is nothing more comfortable in the world. So I am thinking how lucky I am to be able to wear cute scrubs ( not just any old plain scrubs ) to go to work in.
OK, am I making everyone sick right now? Doesn't matter....I'm going on....Then I put my "face" on... Bree gave me a lighted make up mirror that she didn't like and I just love it! It is so nice for applying make up. Thank you, Bree. LOVE the make up mirror.
I then come back downstairs and here I am at my computer (which I love because we have FIOS now) So! I am really happy and thankful and grateful and all those wonderful things. I love my life and I am so glad that I have been blessed. I will tip my face to the sunshine today and say Thank You, God, for making me "me." I love it.
Hugs to kisses to all!!!!

What's on the bookshelf

I'm reading the first in the trilogy ...Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. After that I have Almost Moon by Alice Sebold to read. Then The Abduction by Mark Gimenez. That one was recommended to me by Kathryn. What is everyone else reading? Please send me ideas about any good books you've read.
Keep reading and have an amazing day!!!!!

"The Office"

Oh my GAWD!!! Bree and John have been talking about The Office for years. I keep saying to them, "I know, I know..I need to watch it, blah, blah." Then Michael comes home with all 3 seasons on DVD. One day I decide I think I'll watch it from Episode One and see whassup with this show.
Oh my GAWD! I am in love. I'm hooked. I can't wait to come home from work and run to the TV set to watch another episode. I'm halfway through Season 2. I love the characters. Love hating Dwight. One minute I think Michael Scott is just such an asshole and the next minute I am falling in love with him all over again. These characters and this show are fabulous!!
Thank you Bree and John, for turning me on to this show! And thank you, Michael, for bringing the DVD's home!!!
I love The Office and have added it to my list of fave TV shows.

Cathy

The day after Thanksgiving, Archie and I went over to Joann & Steve's house to see Cathy and her husband, Chuck. Cathy and I have been friends since high school and she has lived in Colorado for 20+ years. Cathy and I were inseparable from the time we met in high school until I moved away in 1976 to live with Archie in North Carolina. Cathy is the funniest person I have ever met!!! We used to laugh so hard we would pee our pants!!! Cathy is the first person I ever went camping with. Neither one of us had ever camped before and the first time we camped we went to Estes Park, Colorado. It was the most amazing, fabulous trip!!! We had a little orange pup tent, our cooler filled with Coors beer, and we were set!!! We met so many wonderful people and had so much fun. We still tell the stories of our camping trips. Estes Park was the first of many of our camping trips. After awhile, Cathy and I never even bothered to put up the tent. We just laid our sleeping bags out and slept under the stars.

Cathy and I always talked about our hopes and our dreams and what we wanted out of life. Cathy said the very first time she saw the Rocky Mountains, "I'm going to live out here." And she did. She has lived in Colorado longer than she lived in Fort Wayne. She loves it out there.

She is heading for a new adventure possibly...her husband, Chuck, has been offered a job in Seattle. He has to decide if he is going to take the job in 2 days!!! So Cathy may be moving to Seattle!!!!

Cathy sent me a card years and years ago that I have never thrown away. It has been one my mantras and I have cross-stitched this beautiful poem that was on the card for my Mom. I would like to share it with you now. It sums up my life and all that I feel....

If I could hold a flower

And watch its petals fade

If I could touch the well worn earth on which my children played

If I could hold one moment of the times you've made me smile

Then I can take the bad times

For you've made them all worthwhile

A Thanksgiving to always remember....November 2007

This Thanksgiving was perfect. Every Thanksgiving is absolutely fabulous, but this year seemed like the best one ever!!! I worked until noon the day before Thanksgiving. Got home and cleaned up a few things and baked a couple of pies. The air was filled with anticipation of Bree and John's arrival from Chicago and the fun I knew all of us would have.

Bree and John arrived around 9 or 10 p.m. They came through the door with their backpacks and games and squeels from Bree and lots of hugs and kisses. We were thrilled to see them!!!

I had made macaroni and cheese and barbequed beef sandwiches. Bree was glowing. She looks fantastic....and John as handsome as ever. Gabe Downs, Bree's friend from high school, came over about 20 minutes after Bree and John arrived. It was wonderful to see Gabe. He lives in Iowa now going to school for his PhD. It felt good to hug his neck. He is a great person.

I stayed up about an hour after Gabe got there. It was great laying in bed listening to their laughter. It filled my heart with a warm, content feeling. I woke up about 2 or so to the sound of Michael's voice followed by laughter. The next day Bree told me Gabe didn't leave til 4:00 am!!!!

Thanksgiving Day dawned beautiful and cold. The kids were all sleeping. Archie put the turkey in about 9 and we just relaxed and puttered in the kitchen until it was time to wake everyone up for Thanksgiving dinner. Archie went to pick Mom up. Michael had a cold and wasn't feeling up to par plus he had to work at 4:00. I felt bad that he wasn't feeling well.

We sat down to eat at 1:30 or so. The meal was delicious. Archie does a wonderful job on the turkey. We had a nice meal and good conversation. It was so lovely to have my family all together. After dinner we took pictures and talked. John watched some football on TV, Archie took a nap, Michael went to work. Bree and I went on a nice walk and we even did some running/jogging. Poor Bree was holding back for me!!! She didn't want me to have a heart attack trying to run too much. I'm not as "in shape" as I should be!!!

We came home from our walk and pulled out the desserts and coffee and dug in. Then Bree, John, Mom and I played Taboo. I think Mom really enjoyed it. She is good at Taboo!!!

Then Archie took Mom home and Bree and I got in our jammies. When Archie came home the 4 of us watched Ratatouille!!! Archie and I loved it!!! What an adorable movie!!!!

Needless to say, I, Kelli Anne Bristow, stayed up til 1:00 a.m. which is HIGHLY UNUSUAL for me! Shows what good company I was in and how much fun I was having!!! Bree and John hooked me up to a myspace page and that was fun getting stuff put on that. Bree and I talked til I finally said I had to go to bed. We never run out of things to talk about. She is so fun and interesting to talk to and she is such a good listener. She and I are like two bugs in a rug. We can just look at each other and start laughing.

The next day, Friday, I thank the good Lord, I had taken off from work. Bree and John got up about 10:30. We talked over coffee and tea and then they left about 12:30. I hated to see them go...but I will see them again in 2 weeks. I am heading back to Chicago for a weekend to help Bree with some organizing and re-doing her shelves and cupboards.

It was FANTASTIC. A fabulous, spectacular, Thanksgiving Holiday 2007.

I don't like FORWARDS! And thats that!!!

Ok, is there anyone out there that likes getting a bunch of FORWARDS in their mail? I hate it!!! I log onto my computer and am soooo thrilled to see I have 14 emails!!!! Then I find out that 12 of them are STUPID FORWARDS!!!! No, no, no!!! I don't like forwards! My friend, Karin, always sends me these. She said she doesn't even open them, just sends them to everyone on her buddy list. I tried to give her a hint that I don't like them and I never open them...but she is still sending them. My brother, who is semi-retired, is starting to send them too.
First of all...maybe I'm a humorless person...but I don't have the patience to read the jokes and most of the time I don't think they are that funny.
Second of all...I don't like the political ones. OR the religious ones. OR the "you are my special girlfriend ones." I want my special girlfriends to really write me!!! Not send me a forward that someone else sent them!!!
All this girl wants is a real live email. If you can't send me a real note, then please don't send me your forwards!!!! AND CHAIN LETTERS!!! euww....I thought that was over in the '60's.
So polish off your keyboards and DELETE all those dumb forwards you get and DON'T SEND THEM TO ME!!!

November 15, 2007

29 years ago today I had a beautiful baby girl. My firstborn, Bree Danielle Bristow. Bree weighed 7 pounds 13 oz. She arrived in this world in Fort Wayne, Indiana on a rainy, sleety, cold day, and the minute I saw her --- the very second I saw her --- I fell in love and my life was changed forever.
The nurse laid her next to me and she looked right at me. She wasn't crying or anything. I kissed her forehead and it felt like velvet to my lips. She was the most precious thing I had ever seen!!! What a miracle!!!
From that moment on Bree filled my life and the lives of those in our family with love, laughter, awe, wonder, and any other fantastic adjective I could use!!! This tiny miracle baby grew into the woman who I now call my best friend forever. This day is for you, Bree. I love you so much and I thank the good Lord every day for blessing my life with you. You truly are the sunshine of my life. Thank you, Bree.
Have a wonderful birthday and always know how much your Mom adores you.