Things I'm Loving: November 2011

My cousin, Jake, is in massage therapy school so I had him work on my shoulders this morning.  Verdict?  Even if I never work out again, I've got to get back to stretching.  That's the one thing I really appreciated about gymnastics and swimming--it was a way to stay limber.  Jake was impressive, though.  He stretched me and massaged until my head at least stopped hurting.  I'm grateful.

And if you were wondering, he's single and a catch.  Jake will be using massage therapy to pay his way through grad school.  AND, he plays the guitar and sings.  Oh, and he's good at all those things.  Plus, he's one of my favorite people--he's funny and loyal and, above all things, cute.  Sometime in the next month, I'll be promoting Jake's buddy, Blake, who is also a catch, but I thought it necessary to say something nice about Jake here.

But I'm mostly writing this post to tell you about a few things I'm currently loving.  I think it might be a nice turn from the serious nature of the last few posts (though, I have all of a sudden gained a fairly large following from my hometown area over those last few blogs), and I don't think it hurts to smile over things from time to time, either.

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This is Fossil's Vintage Re-Issue Large Satchel.  I love it for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I'm a big fan of any bag that holds its structure without the owner filling it to the brim.  Secondly, this is a classy looking bag.  It would go well with jeans or dress pants, and would travel to a wedding or McDonald's.  Plus, I actually really like the color.  Reminds me of a comfy pair of jeans.

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Not long ago, I told you guys that I was looking at a new winter coat.  This is what I bought, and I'm really pleased with it.  First of all, it's lined with thinsulate, so it's definitely going to be warm.  I also really love the color.  Maybe Stacey and Clinton are right--red is a neutral.

Now for something revolutionary.

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This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Nook Tablet.  I never thought I would join the ranks of those who no longer hold actual books, but I'm starting to see a benefit. 

One major benefit is the fact that books for ereaders are cheaper than buying a regular book.  Since I'm in grad school, that's a HUGE benefit.  Plus, if I finish a book, and there's another in the series, I can buy it and start reading right away instead of waiting until I can find the next book in the series.  Also, since I read a lot (like, a lot.  I haven't updated that book tracker thingy in quite some time), I think this may be a more economical way of getting books.  Will it keep from from ever buying a book again?  I don't know.  I don't totally see that happening, but we'll see, I guess.  (Oh, and you should also know that this version of the Nook allows readers to borrow ebooks from their local libraries.  Pretty cool, right?)

And, last, but not least, these people:

That's me on the end.  The other two guys are my brothers.  In the last few weeks, I've just been reminded how much I appreciate my family.  Not just these two, but their significant others (SILSheena and Nutmeg), my parents, Gloria & Jason, Jake and Blake (because I'm pretty sure Blake may be part of the family now?).  I realize not everyone has been blessed with a supportive family, but I have and I don't take enough time to tell you how great they are.

This Thanksgiving, enjoy the people who surround you.  Love them.  Appreciate them.  And thank God He's given you others.