Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something you're looking forward to on your November calendar?

Whoo.  Well, "Thanksgiving" covers a lot of ground on my calendar, because we're travelling to visit my family for Thanksgiving.  I am looking forward to seeing my sister and her family again, and I'm looking forward to the kids' first trip on an airplane (and I'm grateful Sunshine has been medically cleared for air travel!), and I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends, and I'm looking forward to the photo session with my sister and her family and our faaaavorite photographer while we're there.

If you're talking about something other than that weekend, I'm looking forward to my son's first day at baseball clinics.

2.  If I gave you a thank you card right now who would you send it to and why?

Fascinating question.  I had to think about this one for a while, but I think I'd send it to my mother-in-law.  I'd explain why, but this blog is supposed to keep me focused on the positive things, and it's hard to explain how much she's had my back while keeping the bitterness out of it.

3. Of the breads listed, which one's your favorite...bagel, cinnamon, sourdough, garlic, banana, biscuit, pita, Naan, or plain old fashioned white bread?

garlic bread!  I love garlic bread.  (I miss garlic bread.)  There's a store here that sells a loaf of French bread with chunks of roasted garlic baked into it, and despite realizing that gluten and I don't get along, that bread is sorely tempting.

4. What's something you have in abundance? Is that a good thing?

LEAVES.  Oh my goodness.  One oak tree in our back yard, and it's a mess.  I guess I don't mind raking leaves, I just hate having to bag them and drag them to the front yard.

5. November 5th is National Love Your Red Hair Day. Are there any redheads in your family? Who's your favorite redhead?

My grandfather was a redhead back in his younger years.  So were both my uncles (on opposite sides of the family).  Grandpa died when I was 11, but my uncles are both still with us, and they're awesome.  Favorite (non-family) redhead crown has to go to my friend E, who is awesome and hilarious.

6.  The travel website Busbud recently calculated the most Instagrammed spot in every state. Go here to see what made the list where you live. Are you happy with your state's #1? If not what do you think should be the most photographed spot in your state? Have you snapped a photo there? If you live outside the USA answer as it relates to your state, city or province.

Ours is the Pittsburgh Zoo.  I've only been there once, and I'm not sure if I took a picture there or not.  (Probably?)  I have to admit to being surprised that it's there, because there's also Hershey, and Philadelphia, and Valley Forge, and Jumonville, and a whole truckload of other amazing things to see right here in Pittsburgh.  (The clipper fleet?  PNC Park?  The Point?  Mount Washington?  Even without the rest of the state, how did the zoo win the battle in Pittsburgh?)

7. I'm going to try to have something related to gratitude in this spot each week during the month of November. Here's this week's question-

What's something you've learned about yourself this year that you're grateful for?

I have learned that I don't actually give up, even when I want to or when I say I'm going to.  I would much rather just keep going forward.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am overjoyed that my hometown baseball team won the World Series!  The photos of the victory rally look overwhelming, and rumor has it that the number of attendees is almost double that of the actual population of the city herself, but in a crowd of 800,000 people, if nobody gets hurt and only three of them get arrested, I'm proud to watch how they celebrate by being a community rather than drunken rioting.