Thanksgiving Thursday

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

• Scott who took another week of split days off so we could all go to an event on Saturday. I'm pretty sure he just really wants to see this movie and we were the added bonus ;)

• Aaron who has asked to go to Chicago every single day this week. The requirements to go to Chicago, if you ask him, are his Buzz shoes, his pack pack (backpack) and the blue airplane. If it were only that easy!

• Jill and the outfit combination's she comes up with when she's playing dress up. Oh, and she says Peter Pan with a British accent, it's amazing.
  

• Family you can call no matter what and who will take your kids for an hour so you and your husband can go eat ice cream in peace.

• A sister who sends the kiddos treats (which have now been dubbed Tay Tay Treats) when she sends you the awesome raffle prize you won.

• A chance to see Cars 2 on Saturday. I'm pretty sure Aaron is going to lose his mind...Scott too for that matter.

• Starbucks coffee being on sale last week and having a coupon to stack with the sale. Sooooo good!

• Jenn only smashing the hood of her car and that it wasn't anything more serious.
  

• That our dog was not in the backyard the same time the cottonmouth was.
  

• That we weren't in the backyard the same time the cottonmouth was.
  

What are you thankful for this week?

How a Cottonmouth Snake makes life, um, special

Scott and I often joke that we have a mixed marriage. He's from Mississippi and I'm from Chicago Heights. He grew up playing in the woods, hunting, fishing and all things Southern. I grew up not doing those things, like at all. The only thing I remember coming out of the woods were raccoons, deer and more deer. So when I moved to Florida, which by the way I do not consider the South, I consider it an annex of the North, I was not prepared for the "critters".

The geckos were my first Florida critter experience. I did not handle them well, especially the albino ones with the beady red eyes, they creep me out. I'm better with them, as long as they are not the albino ones, those still creep me out.

Next was the black racer snakes. Remember that story? *gag* I saw one walking into EPCOT a few months back and practically scaled Scott. I do not do snakes. At Brookfield Zoo I skip the reptile house, that's how much I do not like snakes.

Fast forward to two nights ago. It's like 9:30 at night and someone is pounding on our door, it's our neighbors daughter telling us there is a cottonmouth snake between the houses and not to let the dog out. Me being the Yankee that I am had no idea what she was talking about and Scott informed me it's a poisonous snake. Well giddy up.... Lake County's finest came out and took care of the snake.

So last night we get home and here's our neighbors daughter again telling us ANOTHER cottonmouth just came out of our backyard. Here's where our inherent North/South difference fits in. I grab the kids and go inside and try to figure out how to seal up every possible entrance and google if in fact snakes came get in through your pipes. North. My husband opens the garage, grabs a shovel and walks off with the neighbors to "kill 'em a snake". South.

I know our North/South differences will always lead to funny stories like this. And I know this story will be one of those that we will share at family get togethers for many years to come. Ridiculous things like this are what makes each family unique and special, and boy do we have a lot of these special moments!