Quarantined for Thanksgiving

Basically as soon as I finished my last post (about gratefulness despite a rough November) I put myself to bed with some NyQuil cough because I couldn't stop coughing and thought it would help. 4 hours later I found myself in my parents' living room using my little sister's emergency albuterol supply. I was in pain and desperate to make it stop and simultaneously avoid going to the ER.

I got home, coughed on and off for another two hours and finally fell asleep. I slept in a little and then Kyle took me to the doctor where I was promptly sent to get a chest xray, whooping cough lab test and prescriptions. He also informed me that I wasn't able to go back to work or be near my family until my antibiotic was all gone (5 days later). So, this Thanksgiving is going to be a little weird, and a lot sad. 

Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't want to get anyone sick, and I'm not exactly myself on this prescription cough medicine.... but I really don't want to miss out on my family Thanksgivings. 

I'm also missing my only craft fair of the year, which my dad and Kyle have very sweetly offered to run for me... :) 

So once again, through the struggle that is this November, I am so grateful for those around me, cheesy TV, mashed potatoes and prescription medicine.

Kyle and I have spent the last two days napping, watching Boy Meets World and Gilmore Girls, cuddling with Duchess and rearranging our apartment. 

I am grateful for the time that we have just to spend together, no obligations or worries. No last minute rushing or headaches.

Grateful that we have so many fun little thrifted pieces of furniture and decor to keep us occupied with our (still) new apartment. (seriously, the thrifing has been prime recently! Hoping to post about it soon!)

Grateful for the time to upload 20+ Goodwill and Salvation Army thrifted Christmas albums into my itunes for the holiday season (yes seriously, July is the best time to buy Christmas albums $2 each!! Ranging from early 2000's pop compilations to new Michael Buble Xmas!)

Grateful that we already bought stuff to make pie to take to our family celebrations, so that there is a pumpkin pie baking in the oven as I type this... :) 

Grateful that we are essentially done with our Christmas shopping and already picked up wrapping paper... so that gives us another project to work on in all this spare time. :) 

Grateful that so many parts of my family are taking care of me in their own ways. From Kyle checking on me constantly and being my quarantine companion to my dad offering to run my craft fair booth, my mom giving me emergency albuterol, my grandma calling from Arizona to check in on me, a relative on Kyle's side that I've never even met wishing me well through facebook and my in-laws / parents postponing/rescheduling/rearranging Thanksgiving plans so that we can all be together on "Day 6" - the day my antibiotic is up! You guys are amazing, I love you so much!

So I am wishing you all a wonderful and health-filled Thanksgiving. I hope that you are able to focus on gratitude as much as I've been able to. I guess it's funny that the year that I don't even get to participate in Thanksgiving (on the day at least) is the one where I've been thinking about gratitude the most. :) 

Thanks for Reading & Happy Thanksgiving!

Alexandra

November

A normal November for me is filled with lots of cold air and gray skies while Coldplay's 'Rush of Blood to the Head' is playing in the background. Dreaming of holiday and family time in the coming weeks. Taking more than my fair share of cranberries at every holiday gathering. It's a magical time of year.

This November has been a little different. Our temperatures have been in flux between too warm for a coat and hovering right at freezing, I've had very little Coldplay playing. I'm making lists for the upcoming holidays because we've been so busy I feel like I'm already behind. I am now in the middle of my second cold for the month. I'll tell you, being a substitute teacher (especially at a preschool) is probably not the best job for someone so prone to getting sick as me. 

But, in this time of being sick and busy, I'm finding myself focusing a lot on gratitude. I'm so grateful to have a job that I have to call in sick to. I'm grateful to have a kitten that eventually stops attacking things in the room and cuddles with me while I rest. Grateful that daytime TV consists of hours of Boy Meets World and cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. Grateful for instant hot chocolate, real fruit pop sickles, chicken soup and cough drops, which are currently my 4 food groups. Grateful for my wonderful husband who keeps me stocked with my aforementioned foodstuffs, nyquil, humidifier, cuddles, slippers, real food, love and countless other things I need and want. :) 

I am also grateful for what it feels like to be well again and knowing that it should be coming soon. Grateful for the upcoming holidays and the pies I get to make to share with my loved ones. Grateful for family traditions both old and new. And those cranberries... 

So apologies for the lack of posts, but at least some semi-seasonal ones will hopefully be on their way before the month is out.

Hope you are all having a lovely November!

Alexandra