Turkeys Are Not Thankful For Thanksgiving

It seems like 2015 has just flown by - like others have expressed I cannot believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Thanksgiving use to be the kickoff of the holiday season; now it seems like a speed bump as we rush into a flurry of gift buying, parties and seasonal events. I truly miss the days when my large extended family would get together to break bread, catch up and give thanks.

This year we will have a few empty places at our table. As we all move around it becomes harder to gather everyone for this one special meal. My daughter will spend her Thanksgiving overseas with her Navy family. She will be with us in spirit as we will be with her in spirit. We will be grateful to her and all service members protecting this great nation.

I challenge you to not let this day pass without spending time with people you love, admire, rely on. Family is not always defined by shared DNA. Eat, talk, play a game - it doesn't matter what you do just enjoy each other. Please don't buy into the retail driven frenzy of gift giving. The greatest gift we can give is our time, time is something we will run out of - not gadgets, electronics, etc. Make a memory, take a few pictures and don't forget to have them printed and send them to each other, share the moments.

So You Think You Know Your City

Recently we moved to the Columbus area. We have several people we know that have lived in this area for a long time - all of them sing praises for Columbus. Although the eye rolling starts when they talk about the amount of traffic, faces brighten when the very fact you can hop on I270 and get just about anywhere in the area in 20 minutes. Being in the state capital creates an energy you often do not experience anywhere else in the state.

Although we had spent lots of time in the area, when we decided to call it home we hungered to learn where the natives go. We have set out to learn about our new home. As we discovered neighborhood restaurants, checked out boutiques, dug through the internet for events we have found an engaged, vibrant community. It seems like every corner holds a secret treasure. Many of the people we know that have lived here for a long time have forgotten about many of these events and places.

Years ago, when we lived in the Cleveland area,  we had a German student stay with us for part of a summer. We set a goal to really show her around, we wanted to share our American life with her. As we started to research places to go we found a whole new Northeast Ohio we had forgotten existed. It opened our eyes and heart to all the wonderful neighborhoods, market places, museums, events and boutiques we had all but forgotten.

So if you think you know your city do yourself a favor look at it through the eyes of a stranger and make it new all over again. Enjoy a day at the Columbus Zoo, check out German Village and Schiller Park, take a walk through Short North- stop in Revue and experience the amazing items consigned and waiting to be loved by new owners. Take a walking tour from the Columbus Landmark Society and learn a few tidbits of history about Columbus - they may surprise you. Drop by the remodeled Columbus Museum of Art - check out the Topiary Garden in Olde Towne East. Spend a day getting to know an old friend, you might be surprised at how much Columbus has to offer.

A great source of information on events in Columbus is www.columbusunderground.com/,

Happy Exploring!!!