Universal Health Care

A friend of mind made a thoughtful post. Please visit her blog to read it if you were not already directed there from my other blog.

I will always say that one of the things I really miss from the UK is the universal health care. It sounds like one of the biggest, baddest words you can say to so many Americans, so I have to be careful whom I say this to or it can start a big political discussion, which is not what I want. I would ask you to really think about this, though. Many people who are against it really seem closed minded to me.

Health care has been a great concern for us after moving back to the States. We have no money to buy insurance. We are currently uninsured. It affects the decisions we make. I may have to take a job I am not thrilled about because they offer a benefits package. Josh may not be able to take a job he could be happy with because they offer no benefits. What if I got pregnant? What if Josh had an accident while working on the car? It's winter...what if we get really sick?

That is all I will say about it now. After living in 2 countries one gets a taste of the good and the bad of both. This is the one thing that left me sick to my stomach when thinking of moving back here.

Thanksgiving

I heard snide comments from time to time about how American's cheat with the holidays by having Thanksgiving (so close to Christmas), but most people were just curious and enjoyed hearing about what we do.

As Americans we really appreciate and treasure Thanksgiving because it is the one holiday that has not been so commercialized. It is a time to relax (unless you are in the kitchen everyday for the week previous!) and enjoy the time with family. As Christians we think about our abundant blessings and how we have been provided for throughout the year(s).

This year we were in a position to have my family over for the holiday. Those of you who know me know that I LOVE to cook and entertain, so I was very excited to be able to have my family over. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of my family or the food, but I did get a picture of the centerpiece. I was very proud of Josh for going out into our backyard and putting this together:

The picture does not even do it justice. It looks very fallsie.

the table

Our first snowfall!

Snow in the backyard.

The sweet potato casserole was so popular this was all that was left the next day (and I don't even like it).

It was fun to have Stevie stay the night and the next day the Carter's came over and helped us eat up the leftovers (and left their car for us!!).