The Brown Family

Happy Thanksgiving

This is the first year EVER that we haven't traveled for our Thanksgiving Day feast. Yesterday I was quite excited, knowing I would be responsible for providing Jim and I with our very first Thanksgiving Day dinner. I even braved the crowds at Fred Meyer yesterday to get my last minute shopping done...along with every other person in the city of Kirland! It was a mad house. But I got what I needed and headed home.

Yesterday - I was excited. Today - I have mixed feelings. It's nice being able to relax with no pressure to get food prepared, be showered and dressed and out the door by a certain time. It's nice having no kids because I have been able to get a lot of things done (like all the Christmas presents wrapped and the office rearranged). It's been nice being able to watch what I want to watch on T.V. and listen to the music that I want to listen to. BUT - I have realized that I have been alone at home ALL day and it's kind of lonely. Jim is on call and has been gone since 8:00 am and just called to tell me he has at least another four hours worth of work to do. So - I haven't even thought of starting dinner. I miss being with my family - I've contemplated driving down there to be with them. I'm still contemplating this idea.

For now - let me tell you about the event that took place on Thanksgiving Eve. Kayla got two Blueberry Dwarf hamsters for her Birthday in July. We have been keeping them in the girls' bathroom because they kind of stink after a couple days of cleaning out their cage and because they are NOISY when they run in their wheel. Anyway - I went into the bathroom yesterday evening and noticed the hamsters up at the top of their cage, one hamster completely still and lying on her back. I picked her up, she was still breathing very rapidly, but was unable to hold up her head or walk. It was like she was paralyzed. I had no idea what possibly could have happened to her. So - I turned to my trusty Google search engine and discovered that female dwarf hamsters are extremely susceptible to strokes!!! They mostly happen in older hamsters, but can strike younger hamsters and the symptoms were identical to those I found in my Google search. Apparently many hamsters fully recover, but they require immediate care. I had no idea how long our hamster had been like that, so all I could do is make her comfortable and hope for the best. I had to hand feed her water through a medicine syringe and cut a tiny blanket out of one of Kayla's old shirts to keep her warm.


I kept her under a lamp in Kayla's room all night to make sure she stayed warm, but woke up this morning and discovered she didn't make it. We are going to bury her in the flower bed outside our front door when Kayla gets back from her dad's Sunday evening. I'm still deciding if we want to replace her right away. We'll see.

On a lighter note - I'm going to end this post with my Thankful 25 List (my own modified version of the Thankful 100 List that has been going around).

I Am Thankful For (In No Particular Order)...

1. My family (both extended and immediate).

2. Jim and everything he does to support me.

3. Our girls and the entertainment they bring us.

4. A healthy and happy family.

5. Close friends.

6. Electricity and Technology.

7. My Vacuum cleaner and feather dusters.

8. Family pets.

9. Fleece blankets and flannel sheets.

10. That Jim works so hard to support our family so that I can go to school.

11. That gas prices have gone down (even if only temporarily).

12. Survivor Nights (though they don't happen nearly often enough this season).

13. Flowers and trees and the colors they provide in this world.

14. Holidays.

15. Diet Dr. Pepper.

16. Water bottles and water.

17. School and the job opportunities that will open up once I'm done.

18. Hot showers.

19. Washers and Dryers.

20. The sun and the rain.

21. Cameras and the memories they capture.

22. My parents and everything they have done for me and for all that they continue to do.

23. Weddings.

24. Those who have fought for our country and those fighting right now so that I am able to live the life I am living.

25. My freedom.