Aaron and Vienna

Fio's Austin offspring were not at Brother Bill's birthday/Thanksgiving celebration, and here's the reason why: THEY WERE ATTENDING NEPHEW AARON'S WEDDING IN HONG KONG! The bride is the lovely Vienna Wong.  Fio and Husband met Vienna's parents and sister at Christmas a couple of years ago, as you may remember.

Aaron is the last man standing of the cousins, the last to get married, and Fio wishes all the best for him and Vienna.

Family and Friends

Fiorella is thankful.

She's thankful that Austin Son celebrated his first wedding anniversary earlier this week and that Minnesota son has twenty years racked up with his sweet bride.  She's thankful that Daughter has a new job and better prospects.  She's thankful for Brother Bill and the wonderful sister-in-law he brought into the family.  She's thankful for her relatives up east and for Cousin Mimi and her husband's recent visit.  She's thankful for Nephew Barney and his wife, Great-nephew Aaron and his fiancee, Great-nephew Barrett and his wife.

And she's thankful for friends.  Those who live in this country and those who live overseas, those she's known a long time and those she's just met, those who like her book and those who wish she'd stuck to poetry.

And she's especially thankful for those who read her blog.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Holidays

Fiorella has decorated her front door with paper pumpkins and posterboard bats. And several more bats are flying on her front room windows.  And a pair of pumpkins and a bevy of bats are taped to her patio doors.  And soon she and Husband will come home from HEB with two real live pumpkins for her to carve into jack-o'-lanterns..

If Fiorella seems to be more into Halloween this year, it's because Friend Jeanell's characters in WHERE THE HEART LEADS will also be celebrating the holiday.  The story continues through to New Year's, so Rafe and Moira will get to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas too.

Nice of them to accommodate Friend Jeanell's plot.

Gratitude

On this day of all days, Fiorella is grateful.

She's grateful for Husband's support of her writing career, for Younger Son's construction work in the yard, for Older Son's repair work inside, for Daughter's joy in her new job and upcoming wedding.

She's grateful for Friend Paula hosting Daughter's shower, for Friend Sharon's humor and understanding, for Friend Joan's proofing of her THREE novels, for Friend Marion's sympathy and support, for Friend Suzy's communications from across the sea.

She's grateful for Austin RWA, especially Friends Katie, Janece, April K, and Gary.

She's grateful for the healing bestowed upon her friends and family this year and for the medical procedure that will repair her degenerate hip. She grateful for love and humor and strength and hope, for possibilities and opportunities.

She's grateful for life. Amen

The High Road

Despite having been VP candidate on Al Gore's losing ticket--or maybe because of it-- Joe Lieberman declared himself an Independent Democrat and cozied up to the party that did win. Cozied up so close that reportedly he was McCain's first choice for VP.

The Republican "core" insisted on Palin, but, nevertheless, Lieberman, wily and smiley, was a featured speaker at the nominating convention in Minnesota.

So it was no surprise that the new Democratic majority wanted to dump him from his chairmanship of the powerful Senate Homeland Security committee. What was a surprise was that President-elect Obama decided he should stay.

What a contrast to the Bush administration's firing of federal prosecutors who didn't toe the party line.

Obama took the political high road. If that isn't change in Washington, I don't know what is. Another thing to be thankful for this weekend.

Thanks

I am thankful for cold weather because our forest clears out and its beautiful bare bones show.

I am thankful for cold weather because we get to have a fire in the fireplace.

I am thankful for cold weather because then I can snuggle up next to my honey at night without sweating like a pig.

I am thankful for cold weather because it invigorates my soul.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!