Omaha gets a Trader Joe's

Today I am thankful for something completely frivilous - I am thankful that a Trader Joe's opened in Omaha!  I have had the chance to shop at Trader Joe's when visitng various different cities and have found some items that I really love, but we have not had one in Omaha until this past Friday.

Matt and I were heading home from downtown yesterday and took the opportunity to stop by and check out the new store.  It was busy, which is great, but there was tons of staff on hand and after we made our way through the store with a few key purchases, we got through the line in about 5 minutes.

I picked up some of the awesome cinnamon grahams that I had tried previously and they have not disappointed so far.  I noted tonight on the website that they have some peppermint coffee for sale that I missed when we were there - so I will be heading back soon! :)

Sam I Am

Today I am thankful for my cousin Sam!   

I would not say that Sam and I were particularly close growing up, but we have grown closer as adulthood has set in.  In the last few years I have been able to visit him at least twice a year in Corvallis, OR when I am there for work and we have grown much closer during these visits.  I always look forward to them.
Sam is an incredibly talented researcher/scholar/teacher and recently finished his Ph.D.  I always look to him for advice because he is very practical, knowledgable and really puts thought into his advice, which I can appreciate. 

He is also very generous, cares about his family and friends, and is a fantastic cook!  I am really lucky to not only have Sam as a cousin, but to call him a friend as well!

Love you, Sam and Happy Birthday!!!

Today I am thankful for a lazy Saturday with my husband.  We had only one item on the agenda for today and that was an insurance physical first thing this morning - lots of fun, huh?  The rest of the day had a clean slate so we both headed to the gym, grabbed some lunch, watched a couple of college football games and then headed out to run some errands.  It was one of those days where you get to the end of the day and realize that you spent almost all day in the presence of your spouse.  Given that we both work full-time, this is pretty much the exact opposite of what we experience during the week.  So, weekend days with little to nothing on the schedule are really precious to us.  Luckily, we have very little on the schedule for tomorrow as well.

Go Jays!

Today I am thankful that we have season tickets to the Creighton Bluejays basketball games.  Our lives tend to get a bit boring in the winter and the Jays games provide us with periodic entertainment.  A big thanks to Creighton for the buy one, get one tickets for employees so we can enjoy the games without going broke!

Thankful for Peppermint Mochas!

Today I am thankful that it is Peppermint Mocha season again!  Peppermint Mochas just might be my very favorite beverage (besides water, which I love!), but due to the need to control both my budget and my waistline I limit myself to only enjoying them when it is actually "Peppermint Mocha Season" at my favorite coffee joints.  Whilst many people are going ga-ga over Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I am merely waiting for the next seasonal speciality to debut for the year! 

I admit to indulging in several already this year and have quite enjoyed each and everyone one of them.  I typically request "half the flavoring" when I indulge in a sugary drink and with the peppermint mochas this seems to be the perfect amount of pepperminty goodness! 

I love being able to sip on one of these while Christmas shopping, while wrapping lovingly selected gifts, while spending time with loved ones, or during my annual watching of It's a Wonderful Life!  I'm reminded to just slow down and enjoy something for myself every once in awhile!

Unexpected Fun Family Dinners

Today I am thankful for unexpected family dinners.  Matt and I made plans earlier this week to make something today that could simmer on the stove or bake in the oven for awhile while we prepared for trick or treaters and decided today to go with baked potato soup.  I stole a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs - Playing House Blog - and it did not disappoint!  For a "light" recipe it was incredibly rich and filling.   My mom and sister joined us after we realized they would both be sitting at home alone on Halloween.  They both said that they never would have guessed the recipe was the "light" version until we told them.  We made it even more "light" than the recipe called for as we purchase 1% milk. 

Sarah brought bread, hummus, cheese and crackers and we had soup and salad - a great Halloween night dinner.  And it was a great opportunity for some fun family time - all arranged after noon today.

An Unexpected Lunch Date

Today I am incredibly thankful for an unexpected lunch date with a very good friend.  Returning to work this week has been very helpful on the "getting stuff done" front, but stressful in that it is hard to adjust back to a routine and it is still travel season so our office still feesl empty.  So, finding out today that a friend of mine was going to be on campus and available for lunch was a welcomed break.  I hope she felt the same way I did about finding out that we could meet for lunch - especially since she didn't think I was in Omaha this week. 

It was great to catch up, share some moments of our day, and enjoy a break from work for awhile.  I don't consider myself to be someone who has a great number of good friends, but I am an introvert by nature so that isn't hugely surprising.  However, the friends I do have mean a great deal to me and I always appreciate the opportunity to reconnect.