I Am Celebrating Thanksgiving and July 4th Simultaneously This Year

Ok. So I know I can come across sometimes as stabby & crabby. And if I'm not twitching* about one thing, I'm twitteranting** about another and usually there are ALL CAPS involved because "OMG YOU PEOPLE ARE KILLING ME!!!" is usually what's running through my head and forgive the flipping language because again, when my internal monologue is running (actually,in my case my internal monologue is usually sprinting), she (my internal monologue that is) seems to be running through a cess pool, down by the docks, with a lot of old, crusty, salty sailors and that's how they talk and I guess my internal monologue is totally impressionable because she totally picks up on their language. Although recently she (my internal monologue that is) discovered the word "flipping" and thinks it make a fine substitute for the harder version and while the goal is ultimately to lose the "flippings" altogether, right now flipping feels like our version of Nicorette on the path to quitting cursing.

Anyways, while occasionally I can be sappy and sentimental, I don't think I do it often enough and even though we are heading into July 4th a.k.a. Independence Day and NOT Thanksgiving, I am going to end the week with a list of things I am currently grateful for. (See - here's where my inner monologue wants to write "Bite me" to all of you who are making a nasty crack about me getting my holidays mixed up and I am gently trying to tell my inner monologue that our readers aren't like that and she doesn't need to be so defensive all the time.***)

This list is in no particular order and I am sure it's not complete but know that I am utterly grateful for all of these things, for one reason or another.

* Really good customer service: It seems like I've been on the phone with customer service departments of varying ilks ALOT recently and OMG, wouldn't you know it, they've all been AWESOME. Even when I have been on the verge of a near meltdown (apologies to Bradley at Charter - Michael showed up 1 minutes after I hung up the phone after I completely freaked out on you) - they have held my hand and talked me off the ledge and we've come to peaceful and successful resolutions on all issues. Hard to believe - right?

* I've been in home improvement mode and so recently I've been a frequent visitor to our local Lowes. I can't say enough good things about this store and about the staff in particular. Felix in the Paint Department was especially helpful (No - I didn't know that all trim should be semi-gloss) and don't even get me started on Wylie & friends in the Key and Lock section. I heart those dudes so much, I'm getting misty-eyed just writing about them.

* My knee seems to be on the mend (she writes while knocking on wood). It's slowly but surely scabbing over (although it still gets oozy during the day if I move around too much) and knock on wood again (and again), it appears to not be infected which is a huge relief because when you have a giant, gaping wound and live on a farm, infection feels inevitable. In fact, my knee seems to be doing so much better that I might even go for a run this weekend because I haven't exercised in over a week and either my head might explode or my ass is going to take over the rest of my body but either way, I need to do something about it. In fact, I am so happy about my knee I won't even mention the pesky rash on my wrist which I've had for over a month (maybe 2), which may or may not be poison ivy, and which won't go away. Oh - and which randomly started bleeding yesterday. Nope. Won't mention that at all because this a HAPPY post!

* After a never ending stream of automotive issues which left me frazzled, stressed, and HOT (I don't think I even mentioned having to go back to Wallace to have a wheel bearing replaced), my car seems to be surviving. Again, I am knocking on wood, throwing salt over my left shoulder and doing whatever else I can not to tempt the fates. And I mean really - I'm not being all braggy about this. I am simply expressing GRATITUDE. So please fates, don't take that the wrong way and punish me.

* So this might seem lame in comparison, but I finally found a new source for my special toilet paper (The Charmain Plus - with lotion, cuz I have a sensitive tushi). It seems that the local grocery stores and Wal-Mart are in rotation on who carries it at any given time and I finally rediscovered it at the Food Lion up the road. The Food Lion incidentally which I hate but I guess I can't hate them anymore since they have the goods.

* So seriously, since I wrote about my insane levels of road rage (and many of y'all wrote back that you were exactly the same way and hence I wasn't crazy), I have been Calm Caitlin behind the wheel. Seriously. I think one or two expletives may have escaped on occasion, but it appears that ranting writing about the subject in a clear and level-headed fashion has helped me conquer the issue. And I am grateful that I am slightly less stressed and slightly more sane about the whole thing.

* My friends are angels on Earth and I can not even begin to express the depth of my gratitude for a number of people who in various ways, shapes and forms have been there for me in ways that are unexpected and utterly overwhelming. I know that friendship is not tit for tat - and that I don't owe anybody anything. But I am extremely conscious of how much has been given to me in the last few months, and I intend to pay it forward.

So Happy Thanksgiving AND Happy Independence Day folks (see - I'm giving you TWO reasons to celebrate - how awesome am I?)! Enjoy the long weekend and I'll see you Sunday with My Week In Tweets.

* My genius new word combining Twitter + Bitch. Brilliant - right?
** Twitter + rant since I typically foist all of my excess, negative energy out into the Twitterverse.
***BTW, at this point you must be wondering if I have a split personality. I don't. I assure you. Not that there's anything wrong with that...