Furnace

3. In a freezing cold house over a kitchen counter, leaning up against a running dishwasher for hot, steamy comfort. It almost felt as good as taking a shower.
2. In a busy work morning over cream of wheat, chatting with the furnace repair man.
1. In an unexpected moment over a pile of delivery records and laundry, receiving some very good news from a man who was able to fix rather than replace.

Hours

1. Nine hours of beauty sleep.
2. Two hours of hairstyling.
3. Six hours of party time.

Rules

All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned From Hockey:

1. Listen
2. Participate
3. Have fun!

TP

1. toilet paper
2. toothpaste
3. tampons

Honeyville

1. to be imparted valuable perspectives from Crystal Hot Spring's original community,
2. to hear Preslee and Max, talking about seeing each other again at Christmas,
3. to spend an afternoon in a world-renowned mineral pool, followed by a 90-minute nap.

December 1 is Friday.

Bros-Giving

1. Gift: Spending time with Max.
2. Morgen Fraternity: ‘Bros-giving’ tomorrow
3. Fruit: Large, ripe, green, sweet, juicy pear.

Best In The West

Turns Fifty!

1. Overheard. 

‘I love your cake!’ 
‘Thanks! Scott and Wes made it for me.’ 
‘It is so pretty!’ 
‘I know. It is my lucky day!’

2. Read.

‘Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute.’ British novelist G.B. Stearn

3. Said.

‘I'm going to the gym tomorrow!’ 
‘Me too!’ 
‘When?’ 
‘I don't know – but I will!’
‘How exciting!’
‘I know!’
‘Completely!'

So Obsessively Grateful

Happy American Thanksgiving!

1. Playing Animal Sounds with my nephew after dinner. ‘Be a cow!’ [Say moo.] What else? ‘I know! Let's be superheroes!’ [Get down, put up your fist, lift chin high.] ‘Let's be echoes!’ [Repeat what ever I say. Only don't be the last one to say it.]

2. Visiting with my sister Monet in the early evening. Aria singing right into the night, where my heart and head got some much-needed tender loving maintenance.
 

3. Biking with my friend Alisa eastward at sunrise, facing a new moon and a warm wind. Biked right into Markus on B Street, where we got some much-needed Linner.

Windy

One free poster. ‘Chicago, the Most Windy City in the World’

Two new jobs for Morgen and Preslee. It was high time, indeed – before I baked something!

Three (or four) tax accounting grades from willing A students (for his mid-term).

Respite

1. Respite: staying up late, but work being cancelled.
2. Vehicle: Max finally made it home in his.
3. Insta-ticket: got his first ticket for speeding ($200).

Opportunity

‘The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word crisis. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity.’

Extra

It's an official Me Day! 

1. I sleep all day because I worked all night.

2. I call LA because I can.

3. I spend an afternoon in a 103 degree yoga studio and shower, followed by a 103-minute chat with a friend.  

Fans

1. My boss doesn't mind that I clock in early.
2. My son doesn't mind dinner with his teammates.
3. His teammates don't mind taking a photo with Ugly God. They take turns smiling him. ‘My turn!’ ‘No, my turn!’ Markus says, ‘Mom, he was really cool about us recognizing him at the hotel.’

Tips

1. Perfect parallel parking, courtesy of yours truly.
2. Lots of Phoenix tips, courtesy of the Marko man.
3. Help brainstorming sexy personalities, males, 40-60 years old, courtesy of my colleagues. This was a real challenge. Not because we don't have sexy celebrities, but because our celebrity knowledge isn't that strong. We universally agreed that Jack LaLanne was the perfect American sex symbol, alas, he is no longer with us.

Season

3. Terrific t-shirt performance of A Man and his dog.

2. Luncheon (lunch + Grand America) for Morgen honoring him for the scholarship he won.

1. Incredible feedback from coaches and teammates.

‘Things growing are not ripe until their season.’

Relax

1. At Yoga, I had to be a Fish - and I was feeling it.
2. At work, I had to retrieve a crash-cart  fast - and I did it. 
3. At home, I had to unwind already - and I succeeded.

Thanks to: 
1. relaxation, 
2. motivation, and 
3. half a dose of diphenhydramine.

Northwest

1. Compassion. Serving dinner at the homeless shelter was over quickly. [I am grateful.]

2. Compliment? I thought I recognized someone on the way to my car. I looked at him funny, then shook my head and explained that he looked familiar. He said, ‘I wish I was.’ [I am flattered.]

3a. Conversation. Snapchat with my niece McKenna, who invited me to her wedding next spring. [I am delighted.]

3b. Conversation. Dinner chat with my family. Shoutout to Aria: Good luck with your application to Northwestern! [I am proud.]

And not to be unappreciated on this most mid-November of days:

4. Currency. Unlike some at work, my pay was deposited into my bank account. [I am relieved.]

Hot Yoga

I like Yoga, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot be:

1. a forearm balancer, 
2. an on my head stander, or 
3. a crouching eagle. 

I guess I don't have an inner dog whisperer.

Movie: Victoria and Abdul

QuoteQueen Victoria: Everyone I love has died and I just go on and on. What is the point? Abdul Karim: Service, Your Majesty. We are here for a greater purpose. 

Veteran's Day

{Kenyon, Karsen, Markus}

‘What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?’ Gandhi

‘Only the dead have seen the end of war.’ Plato

‘One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one.’ Agatha Christie

Poppins

1. Generosity: the guy for painting shared his talents.

2. Patience: the girl let me have her Mary Poppins of Prints moment as she brought me her very own from her office.

3. Highlight: the same girl doing my decorating gave me a positively brilliant idea. She is a creative, gorgeous super-babe of the universe.

Description of the man I'm dating:‘He is a statue wrapped in a painting in a frame made of muscles.’ 

Defense

1. Renegades (ahead until third-period) from solid defense.
2. Manicure, grey on request, while waiting.
3. Leftover sweatshirts, hunted down...

Mouth watering, 1:00 am CST, going to hunt down pizza.

76

1. Mom
2. Little America
3. 76 (!)

Bonus: Chicago extra day...

1. Re-Call: After falling asleep to a meditation playlist (one track was titled ‘developing a loving kindness’), vivid dreams and self-awareness.

2. Wake-up Call: Kane and Markus, two friends, meet as colleagues and call me together to take a photo from the locker room.

3. Call of the Wild: Hot-diggity-dog! Partying with Blackhawks and these girls, including a photo shoot with all thems all.

Assistance

1. Assistant captain with the assist: window of opportunity access at the net.

2. Motion and commotion: breezy hiking through the mild city, with memories of last summer's squeaky-clean chlorine streetscape.

3. Sky Scape: surprise complimentary photos.

Foodies

Here is my idea of a meal that has it all:

1. Panera Bread flat grilled chicken kale salad,
2. Righteous Red Grapes, and
3. Fresh Roll and lemon water.

I have this strategy. I always ask for extra lemon in my (small) water. I drink the whole thing while I'm waiting for my chicken to be grilled. Then I take the bread and the apple away. This makes me feel groovy and fantastic! It's why I hang around with this kid. He sometimes outshines everything else in my day.