Thanksgiving Anniversary

Well Thanksgiving is over.... can you believe it.... and Christmas is officially here. We had a nice dinner at my Mom's house yesterday... just Adrian, Steffie, myself, my Mom and her boyfriend Winston. It was a small dinner but very yummy.... and we had a nice visit afterwards just talking and watching Steffie play.

Yesterday was also our 11th wedding anniversary. We were married on Thanksgiving day of 1998. We met online on Thanksgiving night of 1997 in the AOL Stevie Nicks chat room. It was a very magickal time that is very hard to explain... it was just one of those times when the universe works it's own magick to bring certain people together and brings about changes that were never forseen... or planned.... they just happen because they are meant to happen... the timing was right... and everything fell into place exactly as it was suposed to. Many wonderful people came into my life at that time... and it was a time I will never forget and never cease to see the magick in. Adrian lived 1800 miles away in Massachusetts... I of course lived in Georgia... I was in an abusive marriage of 12+ years.... and on the brink of divorce. I felt trapped with no way out until the magick started... things started happening that opened my prison door.... and showed me a way to free myself... and in the midst of the magick and my way to freedom Adrian just happened along as well. For the first time in years I felt hope and actually dared to believe in a better life for myself and my kids. So over the course of that year I divorced and moved to Massachusetts and got my own apartment and a job and started to make a new life. It was pretty scary and not exactly easy... but things did seem to fall right into place beautifully. We were married the following Thanksgiving night in a nice lil restaurant banquet room in front of a fireplace. We never had a honeymoon... and I had hoped that on our 10th anniversary we could do that for ourselves... but we still couldn't.... oh well... there's always the 20th right?! I don't even have any pics of my absolutely exquisite wedding gown or Adrian looking all handsome in his top hat and tails... the camera chose that day to tear up and no one else seems to have taken any either.... but OMG he did look handsome :)... the image is burned into my mind.

So occasionally our anniversary does fall right on Thanksgiving day... the other years we argue over when exactly our anniversary is... I say it is on Thanksgiving because we deliberately picked Thanksgiving for our wedding day... he says it on the 26th... whether it is Thanksgiving or not. I guess we are both right :)

So to my dear husband... Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Anniversary! And I do expect a honeymoon on our 20th!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

When Do You Deck The Halls?

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet? When do you usually start?

I used to have my own lil tradition of decorating... on Thanksgiving night I would always put up my tree and the rest of the decorating would follow. I decorated every room in the house.... including the bathroom and the outside as well. Then I would spend New Years Day taking it all down and packing it up.... leaving the house looking naked.

Then for some reason as the years passed I started getting in a festive mood really early.... as soon as my Halloween decorations came down the first week of November I started decorating for Christmas..... maybe because I had 3 lil ones and I wanted to stretch out the festivities for them as long as possible.... maybe because I just loved the way the house looked with all of the lights and red and green and jolly hohoho.

I don't know exactly when it changed... but in the last several years it's been hard for me to get in the mood. Our house burned in January of 2000 and I lost all of my decorations that I had amassed over many years.... it's still kinda sad to me... those decorations held a lot of Holiday memories.... but that's not why it's hard either. I have built up quite a new collection... nothing like what I had before.... but enough to decorate nicely. The bathroom doesn't get decorated anymore.... but maybe someday... and I don't have any outside decorations anymore either... but the living room and kitchen... where we spend most of out time have plenty. This year feels really hard... it just doesn't seem like it should be time yet for the Holidays to be upon us.... I'm not sure why. But I'm forcing myself to do this... I finally got all of the Halloween boxes put away... and we pulled out the Christmas boxes.... we've started getting the furniture moved around so the tree can go in the window. I'm hoping that when I get the house decorated it will start to feel more like Christmas is near. Steffie is excited.... and wanted to put the tree up today... but I'm trying to put it off a few more days.... I'm just not quite ready yet... but I'm pushing myself to do it. It will probably be up in the next few days.

Now let's just hope the lights on the tree work!

Have you started yet? Do you have any decorating traditions? Does it feel like the Holiday season to you?

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Have You Started Your Holiday Shopping Yet???

Can you believe it's only 50 days until Christmas? I'm stunned.... it seems like it should be way further away to me. Doesn't it just come faster every year? I like to get a head start on my shopping when I can... there are not many more paychecks coming before the big day is here and since I ... again... have no money put back for my shopping... I'll have to spread it out a lil each paycheck between now and Christmas. So if you are in the same situation... or you just want to get a head start on things then please take a look at my web site.... you'll find something there for everyone on your list... from the kids to the furbabies... the man or woman in your life.... even decor to spruce up your home for the holidays..... and even those people who are so hard to buy for because they have everything they want already. So go ahead... click the banner above.... and take a lil peek. If you're not ready to shop just yet please come back when you are ready.... I appreciate any and all visitors. You can even simplify your shopping by making a Wish List with the Gift Registry.... and have your family members create one too so you will know what they want and where to find it.... and they will know exactly what to get for you as well :)

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~