Giving Thanks in Connecticut

 This Thanksgiving was the "off year" at the Bryant house.  Cade, Jake, and Shanel all had plans to go to their in-laws to celebrate the big day.  Although we usually get together for pie Thanksgiving evening, I opted to head East to give thanks.  I have a great friend Sara who has been living in Connecticut while her husband is doing his podiatry residency, and since they weren't coming home for the holidays I invited myself over for the week.  I flew into New York Thanksgiving morning and while I was there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Live.  In person.  I'm not exactly into parades, and I never watch it on TV Thanksgiving morning, but I love participating in exciting things, and this was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!  I hauled my carry on luggage all the way to 72nd and Central Park West and immediately ran into a sea of people.  I don't know exactly what I was expecting but I might have thought that since I was just one person I'd be able to squeeze myself in to get a better view.  Wrong.  It was crazy!  But super exciting.  I saw Jimmy Fallon, Flo Rida, and even the Power Rangers.  I only stayed for the first hour because I had to make my way to Connecticut for the feast.  I offered to pick up a Sbarro pizza as my contribution to the meal, but it wasn't needed because there was SO MUCH DELICIOUS FOOD.  Seriously, my taste buds almost couldn't keep up with the experience. 

I was in the middle of a huge crowd.  This was the crowd behind me and there was a group about the same size in front of me.  Needless to say I didn't make it to the street to get a better view.

Everyone was given a balloon once they made it to the parade route, and a couple of people decided to see how high they could get the balloons to go.  Eventually the two lines tangled together and then were set free to fly into the blue sky.

Kermit the Frog.  It was a beautiful day and I didn't need any of the layers of clothes I took to keep warm, but the glare of the sun was pretty strong.

This is Mickey Mouse who passed by as I was on my way back to the subway.  I was pretty far back at this point but the view was still pretty good and the sun wasn't nearly as bad.  Also, the crowd of people was dispersed enough that it was almost a more comfortable viewing place. 

After the parade I made my way to Connecticut.  It was so fun to see Sara, Ryan, and their adorable kids Isaac, Maddie, and Davis.  Sara has been such a good friend over the years and I'm so glad that we've been able to keep in touch.  Plus, it was good for her kids to get some quality time with me because if something ever happens to Sara and Ryan, I told her I was taking her kids.  I know it's not really fair to their families, but her kids are just too cute!  

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Sara and I drove to Newport, Rhode Island for some sight seeing.  We toured through 3 mansions in Newport, The Elms, Marble House, and The Breakers.  The houses were AMAZING, a bit over the top, but so fun to walk through and experience a bit of history.  It was definitely a "Downton" moment (even though the houses weren't nearly as large as the Abbey), so when we got back to Connecticut Sara and I had to watch an episode.  No photography was allowed except for at one of the Christmas trees at the Breakers.  All of the mansions were decked out for Christmas, and although they were only summer homes for the original owners, they were decorated as they would have been had Christmas been celebrated there (so said the Preservation Society).  After the tours we drove around the coast and I could totally imagine myself in a tennis skirt with a sweater around my shoulders, sailing (because that's what posh people in Newport do).  It was FREEZING or else we would have walked the Cliff Walk where you can also get a great view of the coast. 

Sara at the Christmas Tree at The Breakers.  That poinsettia bouquet was fresh and smelled amazing.

My turn by the Tree.  We were given headsets to guide us through all of the mansions.

When I was in elementary school I did my state report on Rhode Island.  I couldn't remember many of the facts from the report, and I never really thought I would even visit the state, but it was beautiful and I'm so glad that we made the trip.  And it totally reinforced my desire to go sailing at some point in my life (hopefully not too far in the future).

Even though I didn't stay in Utah for Thanksgiving, I had plenty to give thanks for.  I have a great job, an amazing family, and fabulous friends.  My cup runneth over!  I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving and are excited to prepare for the most important holiday of all...........Christmas!

Be Prepared

Quite a few years ago I had an experience that really affected me (or is it effect?  I can never remember.....).

I was in the bathroom doing my hair, minding my own business, when WHAM!!!....my hairdryer burned out.  It was a Sunday.  I was running late for church.  Worst. Timing. Ever.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm pretty OCD about my hair.  It's a gift and a curse, and really, it runs so deep that even I don't understand it.  So you can imagine my frustration when I was standing there with a broken hairdryer and half-dried, frizzy hair with no solution in sight.  I couldn't scrunch it to make it curly because half of it was already straight.  I couldn't use my flat iron to try to dry/straighten it because it was too wet.  I couldn't just let it air dry because it wasn't Halloween and believe me, that is a scary sight.  There was no other hairdryer in the house that I could borrow and because I was running late, I couldn't go turn to friends or family for support.  I felt helpless.

I'm sure everything turned out just fine because I'm still alive today but the rest of that day is just a blur. I'm not sure if it was so traumatic I blocked it from my memory but I literally can't remember what happened next.

I do understand how shallow this sounds.

But this shallow experience has taught me a very important lesson.  Be prepared.

Fast forward a few years and I'm using a new hairdryer.  It starts acting a bit funny and I have to control my breathing to prevent myself from having a panic attack.  Tender mercy, I was able to dry my hair just fine.  But later that day I went straight to Costco to get a new hairdryer.  I just couldn't let it happen again and if the hairdryer decided to go out on me, I would have a backup.  No more hair nightmares!

Fast forward another few years and I'm still using the same hairdryer.  I still have the backup in the cupboard, just in case, but I haven't had to use it.  Even if my normal dryer starts to act up, I don't freak out.  I don't have an anxiety attack.  I don't have to figure out an exit strategy because I already have one.  I'm as calm as a summer's morning.

I still haven't decided if my good fortune of using the same hairdryer for this many years (which is unprecedented for me) is really the result of just that, luck, or if it's Karma rewarding me for my preparation of the worst.  Regardless of the reason, I have extreme peace of mind.

So I guess that is my message today.  Not about hair, but about being prepared for all situations in life.  We all get thrown curve balls every once in a while but when that happens, it's comforting to know that we did all that we could have done in regards to preparation.  And I do believe that we are rewarded and blessed when we do take the time to be prepared.

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."

I have a 72 hour kit in my closet that I haven't looked at or updated in years.  I put an alarm on my phone to remind me every Saturday to update it until it gets done.  It's been a month and I still haven't gotten around to it.  So the Apocalypse may very well come and I will be caught unawares.

But at least I'll have a hairdryer.

Let them eat cake!

Two weeks ago marked the beginning of the birthday frenzy in the Bryant family.  Within 3 weeks we celebrate 6 birthdays and since we are all (minus Becky Jo) birthday divas, it's been a big party!  It's kind of a blessing because it helps alleviate some of the anticipation and excitement for Christmas (don't even get me started on the maniacs we all become in December)!  The schedule can get a bit complicated but here's how it played out this year:  

Cade's birthday celebrated 2 weeks early, Cade's actual birthday (which most of us have forgotten about because of aforementioned celebrations), Halloween, my birthday (not to be overshadowed by Halloween), Brooklyn's birthday, Landon's birthday, celebration of my, Becky Jo's, Brooklyn's, and Landon's birthdays (and yes, we sang 4 times, to us each individually), Becky Jo's actual birthday, and we will close the birthday season with Logan's actual birthday and celebration.

Pretty crazy, huh?

We love it.  

Why?  Because what should really be birthDAY usually turns into birthWEEK or birthMONTH.  And who wouldn't love that?

I turned 33 this year and I feel pretty good about it.  Several people joked about me being younger (21, 23, 25) but I was a bit confused as to why.  I've been telling people I'm 33 for a few months now so I was glad to finally catch up to myself!  I don't know what the year will bring but I sure enjoyed celebrating!  I felt especially loved and appreciated and spoiled. 

I'm not very good about remembering to take pictures but here's a shot with my little buddies while hanging out at Jake and Becky Jo's watching the CMA awards.  It was a great ending to a great day!