Celebrate This Week! 12.05.15

It's always good to end the week on a positive note.  Sometimes we concentrate on the negatives.  We have a choice.  Choose positive.  Choose to celebrate.  I will be joining Ruth Ayres and her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week.  Check out all the other celebrations HERE


I've had a little unintended blogging break.  It happens this time of year.  Life gets very busy.  But in a good way.  Time to celebrate!

NCTE
Late November is becoming my favorite time of the year.  NCTE is such a wonderful conference to look forward to every year.  I look forward to:
1.  The Learning
I learn new things, I learn snippets, I think more, I reevaluate.  
All good.
2.  The People
It's a coming together of friends that I don't get to see, friends I only talk with or tweet with.  Friends that replenish my love and passion for what I do.  Friends that started out as tweeps, who became an integral part of who I am.
3.  The Books
You don't leave NCTE empty handed.  Publishers are very generous.  I try to look for those books that I already know I want to read for a specific purpose or those that will fit my readers at school.  I'm very grateful to have left with books that I am happy to read and then talk about with many others.

Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving.  It holds so many traditions for me.  A Turkey Trot in the morning with friends.  Thanksgiving with my family.  Amazing food.  Time to talk and catch up.  Relaxed.  No expectations.

Christmas season
It's here.  I try to be as organized as possible, but it still always leaves me feeling a bit hurried and crazed.  
We started Christmas shopping on Black Friday.  Well, not really, we were out Thanksgiving night.  It's been a tradition for the past few years.  Our daughter has a sleepover at my parents house.  A win for her.  My husband and I have time to go out and shop.  We try and get as much done as possible.  My husband is a night owl - he can stay up and get it done.  I shuffle along, with my eyes half closed, and probably end up buying more than I should because I'm too tired to think.  We sleep in a bit on Friday and then my husband goes back out and gets a few things done.  I stay home and wrap and wrap and wrap.  
The rest of the weekend was spent decorating.  Both trees were put up.  I love taking out each decoration.  And now that it's done, I can sit back and watch TV or read my book or write these blog posts in front of the Christmas tree.  Beautiful.

Thanks for celebrating with me.