Add in the snow and it was an eventful night

It's never a dull shift when you work the night before a holiday.

What else can top Kenny Rogers, former Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler, an armed robbery, a hunter who shot himself in the foot and groin and opening night at a holiday light display?

And to think, The Coach told me "not to work too hard."

Yeah, that didn't happen.

I was always told to say please and thank you

Tomorrow's the day most turkeys fear: Thanksgiving.

Although I like most holidays, Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. I get to enjoy turkey and mashed potatoes while surrounded by my family. And this year? Add in some Green Bay Packers. It makes for a good day.

I admit though, I'm not a fan of the entire Thanksgiving fest. Cranberries? I'll pass. Yams? Yuck. If I have to I'll eat some green beans, but my vegetable of choice is corn. The mashed potatoes and gravy is yummy as is the turkey (but I'll take some white meat, thanks). For desert, you can kept your pumpkin pies. I'll take a slice of the chocolate.

I know, it sounds like I'm an incredibly picky eater. And in some cases, I am. But I've gotten better. Besides, I never promised I was an equal opportunity eater.

But the holiday isn't just about the food or the football or even being surrounded by family. It's about taking time to realize what you're thankful for. And I am thankful for a lot of things.

Here's just a few:

• I'm thankful that I finally am living in a city close to my family.
• I'm thankful for having a job that I enjoy.
• I'm thankful I have a loving family who support me in whatever I choose to do, even if it's a crazy idea like running 13.1 miles.
• I'm thankful for my friends, both the new ones I've made over the past year and the ones I've known forever.
• I'm thankful for my upcoming four-day weekend.
• I'm thankful for my health.
• I'm thankful for warm woolen mittens.
• I'm thankful winter weather has made its appearance. Don't hurt me, but I loved the snowflakes that fell from the sky today and the chilly weather. It's perfect weather for curling up under a blanket with a book and settling in for a lazy day.

I've been keeping a secret

I didn't want to jinx it, so I've kept it kind of mum.

But I think it's safe to fess up.

I've met a boy.

I'll give you a moment or two to compose yourselves, faithful readers, because this is big news.

* waits *

OK. I'll continue now.

So yeah, the girl who went through a self-imposed two year dating hiatus met a boy. Actually, it was a blind date set up by a co-worker. Which is impressive for me. Because me? I don't usually do blind dates.

It was about a month ago that I first chatted with the boy. From now on, we'll call him The Coach, which is appropriate since he's an assistant high school coach. Anyway, our first date was dinner. And we got along fabulously. Let's just say we sat down for dinner at 8 and before we knew it the clock said it was 11:45 p.m. and it felt like it had been five minutes.

There have been more dates since, including one Sunday afternoon when we toured Lambeau Field and watched football, rooting for the players on our fantasy football teams.

Like I said, The Coach and I get along fabulously. We have a lot in common and there doesn't ever seem to be those awkward silences that can exist during that "getting to know you stage." He's a pretty sweet guy too, even sending flowers to me at work when I was pulling a weekend shift two weeks ago. And there's no need to worry about if I'd be taller than him if I chose to wear a pair of heels since he towers over me at 6 feet, 5 inches.

And tonight? He's making me dinner!

So cross your fingers for me faithful readers. Because I think I like The Coach and I hope he sticks around for a while.

Happy birthday to my blog

It's been a year since I started this blog. I've rambled about nothing for 365 days. But because it's my blog's birthday today, let's take a look at some monthly highlights from the 322 posts I've come up with during the last year.

November 2006: My first blog post. I had been living in the City on the Water for a few weeks and all I wanted was to order a pizza. But I had no phone book.

December 2006: A month filled with holiday related posts. First there were the twinkling Christmas lights that decided not to twinkle, and what about AskMoses.com, or the day I helped bake over 600 cutout Christmas cookies?

January 2007: With birthdays come visits to the friendly folks at the DMV. Apparently they trust my ability to drive.

February 2007: I caught the running bug. Again.

March 2007: Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to conduct a phone interview and take notes while your finger is gushing blood.

April 2007: When my smoke detector wasn't being a pain in the butt, I found myself running. Including my first 5K since middle school.

May 2007: Need I say more than the Great Neck Slicing of 2007?

June 2007: I got that crazy idea in my head to run a half marathon.

July 2007: The Raptors came to town. And they were loud, and fast and so cool.

August 2007: There was an adventure to Alpine Valley, battles waged with crickets and some crazy fool trusted me with a gun.

September 2007: Remember that half marathon? I finished it. Oh, I also got to go back to Camp Randall.

October 2007: I went ghost hunting.

November 2007: Always make sure the tire store gives you your flat tire back.

Thanks for stopping by during my blog's first year. I hope the next year's adventures are just as blog-able.

I think it's time to pack it away

I love my fleece. Both of them. The red one and the black one.

They're comfortable and toasty warm. But at the same time, not so warm that I end up sweating buckets if I decide to wear one of them on a super sunny day when temperatures are hovering in the upper 50s.

But yesterday? It was getting a bit chilly. And the fact that the wind was blowing around 30 miles an hour? That made it that much colder. So last night while I was laying in bed, reading a book, the howling and growling wind played a huge role in my decision.

It was time to put the fleece away and pull out the work-appropriate winter jacket.

So this morning it was the charcoal gray pea coat that I threw on instead of the red fleece I would have preferred. But I think it's the right decision, especially since the weatherman is telling me the mercury in the thermometer might reach 40 degrees this weekend, if I'm lucky.

Tonight the fleece will get hung up in the hall closet, where they'll stay until spring or the mid-winter heat wave, whatever one comes first.

Choices

I thought about getting reacquainted with the YMCA tonight.

But it was cold, the wind was blowing and that makes for the perfect night to come home, throw on the sweats and curl up underneath a blanket with a good book.

Which is exactly what I'm going to do. Now it's just deciding if I want to read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" for my book club or crack open "New Moon," the second book in the vampire series that I loved. Decisions, decisions.

Watch out for flying cable boxes

Seriously? They're telling me I won't be able to watch UW and Minnesota this weekend?

I realize Minnesota is winless in the Big Ten. But come on, it's the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.

For a refresher:
Number of Badger games Badgergirl was unable to watch this season because they were only being aired on the The Big Ten Network? 5
Number of games the Badgers played this season? 11

And folks, it's going to get worse once the basketball season starts, where something like 18 of the games are being shown on the network my cable provider refuses to carry.

Something must be done. Because Badgergirl? She's not so happy.

Note to the cable box. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Because you might get thrown out the window.

Most parades were for veterans today. Here? We're celebrating the holidays

I went to a "holiday" parade today.

And yes, you're reading your calendar correctly. It's only Nov. 10. But regardless of what the date on the calendar says, the City on the Water decided to have their holiday parade today. Completely with Santa Claus and Christmas carols.

I have a few problems with this.

Did I mention it's only Nov. 10? Seriously. Kids were running around neighborhoods less than 2 weeks ago, dressed up as pirates and princesses. And what about the holiday where we stuff ourselves with turkey and celebrate pilgrims and Indians? In my mind, we start celebrating Christmas after we do the whole turkey thing.

Even if we forget the date on the calendar, I still had problems with today's holiday parade. For starters, it was at 10. In the morning. When it was light out. And to me, holiday parades are supposed to be when it's dark out. Maybe it's because I grew up in Appleton. Where they hold their Christmas parade (yes, they call it a Christmas parade, not a holiday parade) is held the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week and it's at night. Part of the tradition? The Christmas lights along College Avenue are lit for the first time when the parade begins. It's not only a signal to begin the parade festivities, but also to start celebrating the holiday season.

Plus, since Appleton's is later in the month, there's an actual chance of snow. And nothing is better than a Christmas parade marching down the street with a light snow falling.

But Santa Claus and the Christmas carols were out in full force today in the streets of downtown here in the City on the Water. And I was there. But I'll be waiting eagerly for the "real" Christmas parade in just over a week.