Thoughtful Thursday: Holiday for Foodies

Last week, one of my editors asked me to post a Thanksgiving-related article on my American Nomad travel blog. So, after a little thought, I decided to offer a few last-minute suggestions for Thanksgiving weekend getaways – from exploring the theme parks of Southern California to experiencing the shops and attractions of the Windy City. While traveling during the holiday season can be loads of fun, though, I must admit that holiday food is the biggest attraction for me – and for my hubby. It's no wonder then that I find myself excited about today's plan: In lieu of venturing somewhere exotic, Dan and I are headed across Lake Pontchartrain to my dad's house, where there will be plenty of yummy vittles, from the traditional turkey to my hubby's not-so-traditional pumpkin bread pudding. How thankful I feel to be a well-fed American – especially since not everyone in the world (or even in my own country) can claim as such.

So, how are you spending the holiday?

Of course, no matter what your plans are, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Whimsical Wednesday: Kitty Lovers

Wednesday's post is usually reserved for chatting about hobbies and interests, and though I feel a little strange about classifying kitty love as an interest, I have to admit that Ruby's been on my mind a lot lately. It probably has something to do with the fact that I've recently written about hiking and traveling with pets on my American Nomad blog – not to mention the fact that, as a stay-at-home freelancer, I'm constantly around my beloved kitty. If she's not trying to crawl across my keyboard, ripping up a cardboard box only a few feet away, chasing random insects and milk jug rings, or suddenly springing upon me with plaintive meows and relentless nibbles, she's snagging my attention just by sweetly napping in one of several favorite spots closeby. Even at night, she rarely leaves my side. So, it's easy to see why I love her so much – even when she drives me batty, I can't help but be grateful that Dan brought her home nearly three years ago.

It also doesn't hurt that, as I've expressed before, she's fun to watch and easy to travel with. In fact, Dan and I have been lucky enough to love two kitties during our time together – a sweetie named Pawws and our current fireball, Ruby – and both have given us more joy and peace than we'd thought possible, especially since, prior to being kitty parents, neither of us had had many positive experiences with cats. Though both of us have always loved dogs, I must confess that, when it comes to kitties, our tunes have changed a bit over the years. Now, we find it impossible to resist petting the feral kitties that prowl the streets of the French Quarter or sniffling every time we see a heart-tugging commercial courtesy of the ASPCA or Humane Society. Of course, even before becoming kitty lovers, each of us considered animal abusers one of the lowest forms of humanity, but now, as self-proclaimed kitty lovers, we find such heinous behavior even harder to tolerate.

So, what about you? Do you consider yourself a pet lover? If so, what furry critters are currently in your life?

Thoughtful Thursday: Empty Brain Syndrome

There's so much to think about today. Last night's Republican debate. Sexual abuse allegations at Penn State. Memory-preserving health tips. The fact that so many bad restaurants lure unsuspecting patrons through Groupon. And so on and so forth.

Oddly enough, though, my brain feels sort of empty this morning. Perhaps it's the lack of sleep or the stress over my latest writing project or the inevitable condition of brain overload, but whatever the reason, I simply don't feel like thinking today. Although it's not going to happen – 'cause, unfortunately, I have lots of work to do – I would love to just spend the day meditating, lying on a hammock, floating in a pool, or watching a marathon of silly movies.

Do you ever have days like that?