Thanksgiving and Change

It's hard to believe another Thanksgiving is here and gone. It was a relatively low-key Thanksgiving with my immediate family and one of my aunts, her husband and my two cousins. My aunt and uncle hosted this year and did a wonderful job cooking the turkey and the traditional side dishes to go along.

Cheers! (That's not my beer. Ha!)

I love corn souffle! I wasn't very hungry when it was finally time to eat. Not sure why. I wished I was hungry for more!

While Thanksgiving dinner was being prepared, my parents attempted to get a "Kaliher Kid" annual Christmas card picture. It's never easy. It never has been. I don't understand why. So, I have to post one of the outtakes.

We ended up taking a break and did some more later, and actually got some good shots. We'll see if they end up being used or not. While we were outside taking pictures, Jack found a spot to watch the action from. I love this dog although he has the personality of a wet mop!

This is my dad and Jilly. It's really precious, in my opinion, how protective my dad is of these two dogs. We were outside taking pictures near a lake and he was so distracted making sure the dogs weren't jumping into the lake.

The first night we were in Orlando, Korinne and I made our regular trip to Jeremiah's Italian ice. My sister will keep nagging giving friendly reminders about going every time we're in Orlando. So, we go. And everything is perfect in her world at that moment. It really is good, I must admit! I wish we had one where I live!

We played one of my favorite games both nights we were there. It's called Tripoley. So much fun! I won the first night and my mom won the second night!

(That's not my beer again! Haha.)

I always request my uncle's popcorn when we visit and he never hesitates to make it. It's SO good!

I can't help but focus on change when the holidays are here. It seems that I focus on two kinds of change, change that I desire, and change that has made things forever different. This is the 6th year of holidays without my grandparents. Obviously, that's the main reason for change. When they were alive and well, Thanksgiving and Christmas were big holidays spent at their house. They have been gone for some time now but the sting of their absence is felt every year, every holiday. I am SO thankful for having a family to celebrate the holidays with but it's just not the same as when all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents were there. I know "it is what it is" but I still long for it to be the way it was!

So, with the change that has made things forever different, brings the desire for a different kind of change. I can't help but be excited for the future and what it holds. A future that involves finding an amazing guy to marry and eventually start a family with. A future that involves having a family to call my own. A future that includes children who will cause certain traditions to be restored. A future where my parents are the grandparents who are the "glue" of the family, like my own grandparents were. I can't wait. I'm ready. {God, are you reading this?? :)}

I must say though, that I am THANKFUL for these years, as awkward as they can sometimes be. I may not be currently dating, or be married, or be pregnant, or have children..........BUT I have great friends to travel and see the world with, a job I can fully focus on, and complete independence and freedom! In 2011, I've been to CT and NYC for a long weekend get-away, Colorado to go skiing, Cozumel and The Grand Cayman Islands on a cruise, Alabama to see a longtime friend, North Carolina to see the fall season, and am going back in three weeks to ski again and see the Biltmore Estate. I definitely live a blessed life and am SO thankful.

What I Learned About Black Friday

What I Learned About Black Friday

1. Children do not belong out at Black Friday, especially around the midnight hours that were very popular this year. Parents will only get frustrated with their kids in the midst of the heavy crowds, and it's way past the child's bedtime anyhow. So, just leave the kids with a babysitter or a Thanksgiving holiday guest at your house. The kid should be asleep anyway, so it's easy babysitting. ;)

2. The suitcases you see people with are most likely NOT a purchase they've made. The suitcase will act as a portable storage system for your many purchases as you continue throughout your Black Friday shopping extravaganza.

3. You will see people wearing pajamas as they shop. I mean, you are technically shopping in the middle of the night, but you are in public, so could you just keep on your Thanksgiving Day outfit? Thanks.

4. As much as I'm thankful that they went with me, go Black Friday shopping with more than just two guys. My brother and cousin are typical male shoppers. No browsing and no interest in my stores (I totally understand this, I wasn't interested in their stores either) which made it difficult for this girl who would like to consult with a friend on whether or not my purchase is worthy. (I don't say this to be ungrateful because I really am glad I wasn't alone, I'm just saying, it would have been helpful to have a friend of my gender with me!)

5. Black Friday is NOT the time to... try on clothes, see what looks good, find a new outfit, try on a new style, figure out a completely new wardrobe, browse for the "perfect" gift for someone, decide which friend would like which necklace, etc. Black Friday, in my opinion, is a time to KNOW what you're going for, GET it, and MOVE on to the next place. It's just too crowded, chaotic and overwhelming to really think about anything that, well, requires thinking.

6. People really do wait in really long lines. It's true. I saw it firsthand. Glad it wasn't me.

7. It's exhilarating and part of the experience to be amongst the crowds and chaos. For example, I went to Target today around 11:00 in the morning and it wasn't nearly as exciting as it was when I was out at the malls between midnight and 2 a.m.

8. Do not wear uncomfortable shoes while in an environment (such as Black Friday) that requires you to walk swiftly from far distances since your car is parked a mile away from where you're shopping anyway. (Translated: Do not wear boots with a heel.) What was I thinking?

9. I would participate in Black Friday again, but I would do a few things differently. I don't think I would go Black Friday shopping in Orlando. Soooo many tourists are in Orlando as it is and on Black Friday, it's no different. I also wouldn't go to the mall- unless there was a specific store I wanted something from. I think next year, I'll go to places like Target, Kohl's, Bealls, etc....the malls were just too overwhelming!!

....and that concludes my list of what I learned during my first Black Friday shopping experience! If you participted in Black Friday, I hope you found everything you wanted and more! :)

Black Friday Frenzy

This is the first year, in my 25 years, that I've participated in Black Friday. However, I'm sure my Black Friday looked different than most people's Black Friday. Because aren't you supposed to drop tons of cash and wait in lines and come home with bags upon bags of the items that you saved so much money on?


This is my one and only Black Friday purchase. I spent a total of $25 on the khaki pants inside of this shopping bag. This was the extent of my Black Friday shopping.

Here's the thing. No one in my family has ever been big into Black Friday. I didn't grow up with it as one of our traditions. My mom, especially, hates shopping. I enjoy shopping, but I don't enjoy crowds. But for the past few years, I've REALLY been wanting to experience what Black Friday is all about. For the past couple of years, my family goes to Orlando to my aunt and uncle's house for Thanksgiving. So since I'm in an area I'm unfamiliar with, I don't want to Black Friday shop by myself.

THIS year though, my brother and cousin wanted to participate. I think it made it easier on all of us knowing that so many places were opening at midnight. I'm not a huge fan of waking up early. So, we had a plan to go to an outlet mall and a regular mall when they opened at midnight. We left around 10:45. We began shopping right around midnight. Left the outlet mall after an hour and headed to the Florida Mall. We were there for about an hour and then left and WE. WERE. DONE.! I got back to my aunt and uncle's house around 2:30 a.m.

So, are you curious to know the thoughts bouncing around my head about "What I Learned About Black Friday?" Check back soon!

{I know I've neglected this blog lately. There just hasn't been time. I recently tried blogging from my iPhone but the pictures were all out of order and that doesn't sit well with my Type A personality. I'm trying to figure that out and once I do, hopefully blogging will be more regular and exciting for both author and readers!} :)