Three Things...Gratitude Thread

[PollyannaMom]

Today's Topic (Thu, 9/19) - 3 Fun/Silly Traditions you're grateful for

...think of things at home, at work, in your kids' school, things your town does...whatever

 

[slo]

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day

#1 - Free Cone Day at DQ - DH, DD21 and I used to drive to EVERY DQ in relatively close proximity of our house to get that free cone. The last time we did this, we went to 11 and we felt like we were going to throw up when we were done. We’d laugh and jam out to music - so many great memories with this. We don’t do this anymore because DD21 is away at school.

#2 - Yearly Looking at Christmas decorations - DD21 and I go out every year to look at peoples Christmas decorations. We choose a different subdivision or area every year and look at them after going out to dinner. We look forward to this every year.

#3 - Getting Starbucks on Thanksgiving Morning - I started this many years ago after Starbucks opened in our town. My girls were little and getting Starbucks was a big deal. Even though DD21 gets Starbucks all the time now, she still enjoys this tradition every Thanksgiving morning. It’s the only day of the year that I get Starbucks, and I always get a pumpkin spice Frappuccino.

 

[leebee]

When my daughter and nieces were little, we'd always stay offsite at my sister's condo when going to WDW. We started a thing... When we pretty close to the WDW sign that stretches across the road entryway to Disney property, we'd start talking about our terrible vacation in boring, boring Florida, SOOOOO boring. However, as we'd go under the sign, we'd all chant, "But now, we're in DISNEY WORLD!!!" and screaming would ensue. Well, we still do that, even though DD will be 31 on Monday. Heck, I still do that, even when I'm traveling solo!

We have "family words" from when DD and my nieces were little. Some make some sort of sense... comfty clothes, millesine instead of limosine, hangaburgers instead of hamburgers, for example. Others? Doodah means yogurt, knockknee means popcorn, pocosole is popsicle. Just stuff that carried thru the years from when the kids were truly kids.

Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey. DD and I get a pint of this on the first night of every vacation, and sit in bed to eat it. If we have a freezer in the room, that's good, but sometimes I have to get creative to make it happen, but we ALWAYS have that Chunks-of-Monks. Also, mint Oreos. We only buy mint oreos when we are on vacation!

I don't think it's silly, and finding the right ornament is not always fun for me, but every Christmas eve I give DD an ornament that portrays something major that happened over the year. Some years it's easy, some not so easy, but it's our tradition. It's from me, to her, so it represents something from her life- like I wouldn't give her a "our family" kind of ornament, as that's not specific to her.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Watching old movies and quoting them or just quoting them when talking to people can be very entertaining!!

Animal antics - the funny things your pets do - my dog like to play ball by himself if I won’t do it - it’s very funny - he throws the ball himself then waits a few seconds then attacks it - very funny how he does it !!

Singing along to songs at work - we are a very small office and very casual no customers- we often play music and sing along or perform it’s very funny ( we are not very good ) but we do have fun !!!

Filling our big cups full of ice water and sitting at our desk shaking them because one of the men said it was so stupid women do this - so we started doing it only two women and four men so we are outnumbered- we have a hard time not laughing when we do it !!! Funny little prank I’m grateful I have someone to prank with !!!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good morning, friends

Leebee, dad and I have slowly started a Christmas ornament tradition similar to yours. God willing, when I'm fully recovered we will be able to continue/rekindle it.

Dad and I have come to enjoy doing together at meals a color (not a fan of the black and white option) Hidden picture meant for kids. Simple and fun enjoyed together, similar to nicknames we have for each other at times.

God willing we will enjoy a new Disneyland memory next May that may inspire a tradition.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Waffle House - We have a driving tradition where we call out Waffle Houses. We don't usually maintain a count, but it's a game to see who can spot it first and call it. There are some rules...like it can't be just the location sign or one of those highway signs listing food at the next exit. You must see the physical building. You are also eligible to call the same Waffle House on a return or subsequent trip. The funny part...we don't like eating at Waffle House!

LEON - DD15 was in pre-K ...so right around the time she was starting to get the hang of reading. We like to drive around in December to look at Christmas lights and several people in our neighborhood had the same block style decorations that spelled out NOEL. They were stacked vertically instead of horizontally, so there was no left to right orientation like in a book to guide you which way the letters went. After seeing a few, DD asked us why so many people had "LEON" on their lawns because she'd never heard about him in any Christmas stories. Now, any time we see anything with the name Leon or any decorations with Noel, we have to bring up "LEON." I had a Noel decoration for the lawn to also celebrate this funniness at home, but it broke last year. So, I think I need a new "LEON" this year.

20/20 Vision Y'all! - We first took the girls to Yellowstone over the summer of 2018. Animal spotting was a big part of that trip. I was often the driver, so I was relying on everyone else to be on the lookout for wildlife. I forget what DD15 saw (she was 8 at the time) but it was something off in the distance that was harder to spot. After getting some praise for her find, she punctuated it by saying "20/20 Vision Y'all!" It became her catchphrase any time she spotted something, it was carried over to subsequent national parks trips, as well as just driving around at home. We've all kind of latched onto it. It's a good laugh when anyone yells it out. It's also a good dig if said sarcastically when someone spots something, but it just turns out to be a boulder or a log.

 

[bluecastle]

Silly things
My DH and I have a drinking game (can be water or jiuice, not necessarily alcohol) while watching Bones. Every time someone says “I’ll call Booth” we take a sip. We also do this during our annual watching of House on Haunted Hill whenever the doctor says “hysteeeeria”

We had a Christmas tradition growing up where we gave our miniature dachshund a package of rawhide and watch him open the package all by himself!


We usually drive to WDW and will always call out our first palm tree sighting.

 

[SpaceMan5]

Watching Christmas Vacation during the holidays and saying the lines right along with the actors. Drives DW crazy.

Not sure how it started but if I am home when DD25 and DD22 leave for work I will always say "Have a good day, Luv u, drive safe"

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good to see you posting, SpaceMan. Sweet Dreams to all with a hug.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Great movie to do that to !!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Inspired by..


Today's Topic (Fri, 9/20) - 3 places to eat that you're grateful for (everything counts - restaurants, favorite picnic spots, your grandma's holiday table...)

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Dad and I are so blessed to come together every day with God at our very own kitchen table.

Dad and I, God willing next May, will enjoy meals at our Disneyland area hotel table and at the park itself.

I would enjoy a future picnic at a table. Dad and I would like to vist Descanso gardens or go to Catalina. I would enjoy bringing lunch (I prefer bringing my own food to dining out) to either.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Marriage is a 90% / 10% situation.
Sometimes ya get 90% of your way, sometimes maybe only 10%.
Seems I'm always getting the 10% deal,,, or less.

I was volunteering in constructing a homeless camp many decades ago for the local Archdiocese.
I was trenching and running water lines and hot water systems to various food stations.

Tiny Mother Teresia visited and asked me "where my help was? Big project for one person."
I said I have "4 guys off all dealing with divorces."

Mother Teresa response was "Marriage is a beautiful thing that takes work and some people so easily throw it away."

I've always held that thought.
Very grateful for my marriage even though I went from half the walk in closet was mine to barely a spot at the end of the hanger rack that I can hang one shirt.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

McDonald’s- although I don’t think it’s as good as it used to be around me but I still enjoy it upon occasion

Local sandwich shop I so enjoy getting every once in a while

Walt Disney World - I can’t even begin to list all the places I enjoy at WDW but it’s a highlight of my trip going back to old favorites and trying new ones - I enjoy snacks and fast food to sit down restaurants

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

McDonald’s- although I don’t think it’s as good as it used to be around me but I still enjoy it upon occasion

Local sandwich shop I so enjoy getting every once in a while

Walt Disney World - I can’t even begin to list all the places I enjoy at WDW but it’s a highlight of my trip going back to old favorites and trying new ones - I enjoy snacks and fast food to sit down restaurants

Ahhh, we loved the steak and egg bagel. Driving across Arizona it was $3.99. Over the state line in Cali it was $8.09! Now,, not on the menu.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Ye Cottage Inn - This restaurant was a family tradition on my mom's side well before I was born. We went here for countless meals. I can still see us spread out along a big table looking out on the water. We even had one of our wedding receptions in their banquet room (took a regional casual approach so more people could celebrate in person). Sadly, it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

Paternal Grandparents' Kitchen - While we ate out a lot with my maternal grandparents, home cooked meals were the norm on my dad's side. They lived a little farther, but we'd usually sit down once a month for a Sunday meal in their home. Some of the family attends Sunday church services, so Sunday lunch after church was the tradition. We'd put several tables together, find whatever chairs we could, and about 10-15 of us would have lunch. We eventually had to have a kid table in the living room when my cousins came along. Thankfully, I was significantly older and kept my spot in the kitchen. My grandmother was an incredible cook and baker, so the food was always phenomenal.

My own Thanksgiving table - It's one of the few days of the year that I go out of my way to bring out the good stuff. I know some people are anti-TV during meals, but I got a TV and dvd player for my 20th anniversary gift at work. It went on the dining room wall, which means we can do anything from watching the Thanksgiving football games to holiday programming and old DVDs (like the Peanuts holiday ones) during our meal. G-d willing, we should have DD18 home for the holiday this year with one of her friends.

 

[slo]

TGIF Friends!!!

I don't even know where to begin.......

#1 - Cinderella's Royal Table in 2001 - This was the first time we ate here, and the look on DD3's face was something I will never ever forget. To make a VERY LONG STORY short, we almost didn't get into this breakfast - it was the hot hot hot ticket item back then, even more than today. So us getting into this breakfast was a dream come true for all of us and we very very grateful!!

#2 - My Kitchen - I'm so proud to say that we still have family meals, and we eat barely eat any fast food. I enjoy cooking everyone's favorites and enjoying family time around the dinner table.

#3 - My Grandparents Kitchen - My grandma was a great cook and my grandpa was an excellent teacher on manners, along with other life lessons. They both taught me so much in my young life, and my time with them is something I'm always so grateful for.

 

[Mrs.Reese]

#1- Culver's- They have a gluten free bun and I've never been glutened. I get to feel like a normie.

#2- The local ice cream place- For some reason we just find this to be like the best place ever in my family. Nothing like ice cream to cheer you up

#3- My parent's house- They always have tons of food

 

[SpaceMan5]

Red Robin - California Chicken Burger. I never order anything else. I know, boring.

Dick's Drive-In - A cult classic here in the Puget Sound area. Cheeseburger $3.00, Deluxe double cheeseburger $5.30
Regular size milkshake $3.80.

Disneyland - any churro stand

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Red Robin yum have not been there in years !! I get the same burger as you