I hope everyone had a good holiday. Unlike most years, Rachel and I actually dressed up and went out to celebrate. It is the first time since our wedding since she has worn a dress! She looked wonderful in it. She will probably post the pictures we took on her site.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! Still being unemployed, it is difficult to be thankful. However, I understand that times are tough for everyone. I am optimistic that I will be employed again shortly after the beginning of the year.

Today is Thanksgiving, but it does not quite feel like it. Rachel and I went to lunch with her mom and aunt. That is about all we did today. I think it is time for a nap.

Things have been fairly quiet for the past few weeks. I have been settling in at work (which I absolutely love BTW). I do not quite like getting up as early as I do. But, I am getting used to it. I am even starting to exercise again as my schedule is becoming more predictable.

This weekend, Rachel and I went to Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery to place some flowers on her dad's grave. Since we might not make it out around Thanksgiving, we (she) picked out flowers that would be appropriate through the fall.

The drive was quiet, but the weather was not. We had high winds, rain, and even some hail. Fortunately, the weather cleared up as we arrived at the cemetery and did not start raining until we started to leave. I think that we timed the trip well.

Tagline for today: "This isn't all true." - Steven Wright

This week was quiet. I recently replaced the faucets in the bathroom. The downstairs bathroom faucet was a pain. I ended up having to remove the sink just to disconnect the water lines. After spending a few hours cleaning off the old plumber's putty, removing the old faucet and drain, putting on new putty, and installing the new faucet and drain, I was exhausted. I wish I were finished. But, the new drainpipe had a small crack that continued to leak. Fortunately, a plumber friend came by with a better drainpipe. The upstairs faucet went a lot quicker.

I hope that everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Rachel and I slept in most of the day. Around noon, we decided to get up and do something. We met Rachel's mom, brother, and grandmother at local restaurant. I had their special Thanksgiving buffet dinner. It included turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, macaroni salad, ham, garlic sausage, turkey soup, green salad, and pumpkin cake. The food was extremely filling. I probably will end up skipping dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.

My wife and I were planning to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving, but our schedules didn't allow for it. So, for Christmas Eve we're going to cook a turkey. Actually, we already cooked the turkey last night. Considering that this is the first turkey that my wife and I have every bought, prepared, cooked and carved (short of the turkey that comes in TV dinners) I think we did an excellent job. I was happy that we didn't under or over-cook the turkey. I was expecting the turkey to be on the dry side, but I was pleasantly surprised at how juicy it actually turned out.

Well, today was the first day that I had to shovel snow. About half of the driveway had about an inch or two of power. The remainder of the stuff (what I'm shoveling in the picture) is mostly slush. Hopefully now the tire tracks won't turn to ice. It should also be a lot easier getting to and from the garage now. Besides, after all of the food I consumed over the Thanksgiving holiday, I probably need some additional exercise.

My wife and I spent the afternoon at my father-in-law's parents' house for Thanksgiving. I spent some time helping to rewire their television setup. Afterwards, we had a nice and very filling dinner. Of course, I had to indulge in some pumpkin pie as well. On the down side, I'll probably have to exercise a bit more than usual for the next few days. On the up side, I probably won't need to eat for the next few days.

Tagline for today: "After they make Styrofoam, what do they ship it in?" - Steven Wright