Please excuse the mess.

We just got back from a week-long trip two hours south to visit our families. We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving week, despite the fact that Richard's hometown flooded Tuesday night and many houses and businesses around town were damaged. We had the best time visiting with our families and friends. We ate so much good food (specifically Grandmother's cranberry sauce, Aunt Rin's sweet potato casserole, and, of course, my dad's deep-fried turkey). And, as you can tell, we did way too much shopping. (I'm not even sure how all of this fit in our car on the drive home!) 

I'm glad to be home, and I'm even more excited about the fact that I only have two weeks left of this semester. But I came home sick and am very worried about how I'm going to manage to accomplish all the things I have to accomplish this week when all I want to do is snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and a box of tissue.

How was your Thanksgiving? 

Is it really only Monday? It must be at least Thursday, right?

Today I am:

*thankful for hot tea with lemon and honey, Nyquil/Dayquil, Robitussin, Vick's Vapor Rub Patches (have you seen those? brilliant!), warm blankets. It's my third time being sick in a month, and I've got a serious smoker's cough (and I don't smoke).
*thankful for my love. This has been one bad month, and I'm not certain that I would still be sane without his love, support, and kind words.
*thankful that my love doesn't make fun of me for saying funny things in my sleep.
*thankful for soup, sweet tea (always), Wendy's Frosties, Momma's Mexican cornbread.
*thankful for the new Taylor Swift cd. Yes, I'm one of those people.
*thankful for the movie Elf. Sophomore year, I watched it every single day for about a month. While getting ready for school in the morning, after school, late at night, middle of the night...- oh yeah!
*thankful for my family. All of them. Momma, David, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. They are hilarious, supportive, honest, wise, caring, selfless, beautiful, and I love them very much.
*thankful for health insurance and Obamacare (on my parents' insurance until I'm 26? Thank you, sir).
*thankful for answered prayers. Nothing is more important or more amazing than that.

I'm sick.

Burning-up-with-fever-excrutiating-sore-throat-stuffy-head-runny-nose-lay-in-bed-all-day sick. I've passed the last two days in bed and on the couch which has forced me to spend a great deal of time thinking about all the things I'd rather be doing:

1. Riding my new bike (it's similar to this one)
2. Eating a skinny chicken+rice+black bean+sauteed onion & pepper+salsa+chipotle sour cream burrito from Flying Burrito Co.

3. Shoe shopping for short booties and tall slouchy boots (since my old ones have practically deteriorated)

4. Baking cupcakes

5. Antique store/flea market shopping for furniture

Today I did four out of the five, and honestly I don't feel even the tiniest bit better.

But I did score some great slouchy boots, booties, and a dress. And last night I made some delicious French vanilla cupcakes. No one ate them, of course, because who wants to eat sick girl cupcakes?

But maybe that was my plan all along.

Excuse the poor icing job. They look really sad.