Closer to Turkey Day (and oysters, yummy!)

I hope ya'll are all in good spirits, getting ready for the holidays and such. We are very excited to be visiting with family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Although we will not be with John's family this year (Christmas, though), they will definitely be in our thoughts as we give thanks. We are very thankful for the Rochefort clan and all they've done for us (and they raised a pretty cool son too). Also, John's Dad will especially be in our thoughts and prayers, as he will be having hip replacement surgery tomorrow (Tuesday). He'll be in a rehab facility for about a week afterward. So please keep him in your prayers as you sit down with your families on Thanksgiving, and we will also keep all of you in ours. We'll keep you updated on the latest news with him.

My Mom and Dad will be visiting all my folks down here in the Tampa area. I don't really know what kind of dinner, if any, we'll be doing on Thursday...since John and "brother" Phil have to work...but I think Friday night we'll be over at Uncle Moe and Aunt Missy's house grilling up some oysters and having a seafood feast. Thanks Mom and Dad in advance for bringing the fresh oysters from Apalachicola....but don't think we love you just because of that, haha! I think the whole crew will be there except Phil (who'll get his oysters on Saturday): me, John, Mom, Dad, Jennifer, Dom, Moe, Miss, Uncle Bruce and Aunt Sissy all the way from Rocky Top Tennessee, cousin Tobi, her hubby Adam, and their kids Amery and Tully, and maybe cousins Jeff and Wade, and of course, Mamaw and Papaw! Whew.

Then on Saturday Jenn and Phil are hosting a turkey dinner. Phil loves his new smoker, so I'm sure smoked turkey will be oh so good. I'm going to bring a couple of side dishes, already looking for recipes cause ya know I can't cook without them! So we'll be eating all day, then watching the Big Game. We'll see who wins this year...if it gets too bad with all my Gator crazed family, I might have to go find a FSU gathering somewhere and join them...

Peace and love to you during this holiday! We have so much to be thankful for: wonderful friends and family, and that's all one really needs.

Happy Monday

Hello again!
Hope everyone is doing well on this chilly morning, and had a great weekend.
John and I were able to hang out with both friends and family. We had a few friends over to our house Friday night for game night. We had a fun time playing Cranium and Trivial Pursuit! The girls (only 3 mind you) beat the guys (4) in Cranium...and in Trivial Pursuit, John, Chris, Dave, and Mike won against me, Brooke, Suz, and Paul. But man, do us girls have telepathy when it comes to guessing drawing, charades, humming songs, etc. in Cranium! Woo-hoo!
Then Saturday we headed over to the "west side" of Tampa Bay, to lovely Safety Harbor to watch football at Jenn and Phil's house. The Gators beat South Carolina...forgot the score...but it was Steve Spurrier's biggest loss ever! Poor Steve (didn't see him throw the visor, did you?). But you just can't stop the Gators and Tim Tebow, Superman himself, this year!
Unfortunately, FSU lost against Boston College...I'm disappointed in how they've been playing this year, but also with their conduct! Some players got in a fight with some fraternity guys at the student union on campus! Geez guys, don't you know how much you're hurting your team??
We had a great time, playing and cuddling with little Dominick, eating J and P's yummy grilled chicken, playing with their dog, Dude, who LOVES John (LOL!), celebrating the UF victory, and laughing into the night at J's stories and John's "and that's why I went to Florida State" (making fun of other college's commercials b/c he thinks UF's commercials are the best, and also making fun of people who at first attend UF, then eventually end up graduating from FSU!)...and at Andy Samburg and Justin Timberlake on SNL!

Jennifer, Phillip, and 'Nick traveled to Miami yesterday to stay for a few days. While there, 'Nick will be tested by a specialist doctor for his eye condition. Please keep them in your prayers, as some of the testing might not be too fun for 'Nick, or his parents! And also that they will get great information to help him in his daily life. He's such a happy and sweet little boy (ah! not a baby anymore, where does the time go??).... WE LOVE YOU GUYS!
A.

Mid November already???

Hello! Well, it's been pretty busy around here, and I know you are too! Hope all is well with everyone. We've done a few things since Halloween (other than work of course). We watched the Florida v. Georgia football game at Gator's with Jenn, Phil, and some friends: Tom, Stephanie, Travis, John, and Erik. Gator's is fun because it's on John's Pass near the beach, so it's on the water, and you can see the beach from the upper decks. And there's great food, and huge widescreen TVs to watch the games (and there was a fishing tournament going on too). We all ate and talked, and Dominick clapped every time there was a touchdown! The Gators won, Yay! and good times had by all.

And of course, on November 4, well, everyone knows what happened then. Let me just say: I wish I would have taken pictures of us that night! And: Congratulations Mr. President.

Last Saturday my friend Brooke and I went to a baby shower for a girlfriend whose husband works with our hubbies. It was at a tea room, very lovely and relaxing. That day, I watched FSU beat Clemson:Woo-Hoo! This Saturday we play Boston College-Go Noles!! And later that night we watched the Gators smash the Vanderbilt Commodores 42-14! Well, I still say even though FSU has lost two games, and UF has only lost one so far: sorry John and Gator fans (I'm surrounded by them down here!!) FSU's going to kick Gator butt on November 29!

Somewhere between all this, my doctor finally "diagnosed" me: I have bum ribs. So, he's "adjusted" me twice now...basically cracked my upper back to throw things back into place. I don't know how often I'll have to do this, but at least I don't have to take meds and haven't gotten a cortizone injection yet. I don't know how healthy it is in the long term to be cracked but we'll see! He says that sitting at a computer all day, slouching over can do that to you. Go Figure! For now, I'm working on my posture, and John calls me "Crazy Ribs Andrea". haha!

Oh, and also I went darker on my hair color at my last hair salon appointment....some may not think it's a big deal. But when you're bottle blonde for sooo long, it's kind of a scary experience. However I wanted a bit of a change, and that's what I got. I like it so far...trying to get back to my roots, hehe. What do ya'll think?






On a more somber note: Tuesday was Veteran's Day. Many people weren't off work, but being a state employee I was. So I thought, O.K., what can I do on my day off to try to enjoy it? I asked my friend Carly, and her son Austin, if she wanted to go to Busch Gardens with me, and we had a good time walking around looking at the animals.

It was a much needed care-free day. Sometimes we need that, to get away from all the gloom and doom people and news, and just from the realities of the world.

Earlier that morning, as I was getting ready, I watched some of the ceremony at Arlington. V.P. Cheney laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns...and of course, for anyone who knows me well, the tears flowed. Even if you're not a sensitive person like myself, you'd probably tear up a little too. If not, well...then...you have no heart! just kidding.

Anyway, as I was tearing up, I thought about all the veterans I know, and all of the ones in our families who have fought for our country's freedoms in the past. How in the world will they ever know how much Americans appreciate them for their service? Just saying thank you is sometimes enough! But if you feel the need to go further, you can just say: "I'll never understand what you have gone through, but I am here for you. I will listen to you, if you need to talk, or if I need advice from you, because I now that you've experienced something that I never will in my lifetime. I appreciate all that you've done to try to protect our country's rights, freedoms, and democracy. I respect you as a person and also your hard work, dedication, discipline, and courage. Your part in this fight has not been in vain. I feel honored to have you as a friend, or a member of my family. Please let me know what I can do for you, if you ever need anything."

Veterans and troops need our support, our respect. If you feel it in your heart, you may volunteer or donate to a cause that does just that. They have sacrificed so much for us, we can sacrifice a little of our time to say thank you. And I personally want to thank all of those who have done that for John and I, for your own friends and family members who have served. No matter what your stance is on this "war on terrorism," please continue to pray for our veterans that they are treated well when they return from service or battle, and pray for our troops who are in harm's way at this very second. We have friends in both Iraq and Afghanistan right now. And I'm sure you know someone who is also. Please pray for God to give them courage and strength to go on each day, and to give them wisdom to find the true terrorists who threaten our freedom.

We must stand together as Americans to say that we won't give up, we'll stand for them because they have stood for us. They have sacrificed so much: their time away from their loved ones; their lifelong dreams, careers, education goals; the familiarity of their hometowns; their innocence, pureness, naivety; and in some cases, their physical or mental abilities; and of course sadly, their own battle brothers and sisters. Some may say, well, it's voluntary, and they know what they're signing up for. Yes, it is voluntary, and that's why it is such a sacrifice and is so honorable. However, most do not know what they are getting into...do not know what terrible things they will see and do. That is the truth. And I feel for these recruiters here on the USF campus. I pray for them also...what a terrible job. And don't get me wrong, I do not hate the military. The Army has helped us tremendously in countless ways...and we have gained soo many lifelong friendships along the way. We will always be grateful. But I just want people to see....that life is so short to be negative, to argue, to be down on oneself...especially when you think of these men and women. We must support them because they do what most of us say "oh my gosh I couldn't possibly" do. So THANK YOU!

O.K.! Well that's enough blogging for today! Can you tell I didn't have much to do at work today?

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!

A.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Here's some pics for ya from a Halloween party we went to. John went as "The Dude" from "The Big Lebowski," and I went as Amy Winehouse, the trashy British singer. Enjoy!