Is it over yet?

Today is Election Day. I’ll admit, I’m not voting this election. It’s not that I don’t care or that I don’t think my vote matters. I got married May 07, and when I changed my name on my driver’s license, I filled out the back of the form, where it asks you if you want the DMV to update your voter registration…but they didn’t do it. By the time I realized it hadn’t been done, I just didn’t get around to re-registering. I’m aware that by not voting, I’ve taken away my right to complain about the outcome of the election, and I’m okay with that. I don’t typically pay enough attention to what’s going on with the government to know whether or not I need to complain anyway.

Last night my husband and I went to the hospital to visit his grandma. She has some cracks in her back, so she has to get them fixed. She seemed to be in high spirits, and was quite amusing. She talked the whole time we were there – an hour – and I think we got about 30 words in between the 2 of us! She kept distracting herself in the middle of her stories and not quite finishing them. Oh, the joys of grandparents!

Today is the start of a beautiful season. I went into my beloved Starbucks this morning, only to be pleasantly surprised by the use of Christmas cups. They started earlier than normal this year, but I can deal with it. Normally, the boxes full of Christmas cups arrive, and they stack them up against the windows and I’m given a few days to look at the boxes, knowing what’s inside, and waiting excitedly for the cups to be unleashed on a holiday-happy Starbucks; a Starbucks full of Christmas decorations, Christmas music, holiday drinks and holiday pastries. Normally, I switch my drink to a grande peppermint white mocha as soon as they unleash the Christmas cups. Today, however, I was so surprised by the cups, and, not having had my normal lead time to prepare for the drink change, I had to order my “rest of the winter” drink – a grande caramel white mocha. While it tastes happier being sipped from a wonderful red Christmas cup, it’s just not the same as my peppermint white mocha. Tomorrow PWM…tomorrow we shall reunite and depart not until the white cups return. This really is the most wonderful time of the year :)

Speaking of winter…it’s time to start making soups and stews and chili and pulling out that slow cooker. Which means it’s time to hit AllRecipes and look for some yummy-sounding recipes to try out :) This, unfortunately, requires some planning ahead in regards to going to the grocery store. It’s my goal to get better at that. Perhaps I should sit down each Saturday morning and plan out my menu for the week and make the corresponding grocery list. I’ll bet that lasts all of…1 week before I get tired of it, though :)