Thanksgiving already? I can hardly believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was roasting in the July sun. Now the only thing that will be roasting is turkey! I'm not a big fan of winter. The short gray days, the long dark nights, and the cold weather all make me want to make like a bear and hibernate! Unfortunately, hibernation isn't a possibility. There are jobs we must attend, chores we must do, families we must feed, Christmas presents to buy, cars we must shovel out of the driveway. No, hibernation would not be a good idea. But just because sleeping all winter isn't an option doesn't mean we shouldn't slow down and smell the hot chocolate. Maybe we were designed to hibernate, not in the way bears do, but in a different way. I think winter is a time for rest and reflection. It is a time to look back on the harvest and look forward to the sowing of new seeds next spring. There is still enough daylight to attend to our jobs and daily routines; but the long nights give us ample time to cuddle on the couch with a loved one, pop popcorn over a blazing fire, wrap up in a blanket and read a book, play board games with our video game addict children, and enjoy the feel of hot soup warming the body. Yes, winter can have its perks. Whether you enjoy them or not is up to you. I used to look at the lack of color in the landscape and think thoughts as dreary as the overcast sky. No sunshine? No green? No flowers? How terrible! But now I realize that those things don't die in the winter. No, they simply rest. And after they rest, they come back better than before. The trees have new growth, the flowers stretch their roots in all directions, the increasing daylight is appreciated by all. So don't dread the winter; embrace it, and you will bloom brighter than you ever imagined.

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! Let's see if I can keep it up for more than a few days! Let me introduce myself for those of you who might not know me. My name is Laura and I'm 21 years old. I live in Kankakee, IL with my boyfriend Bradley and his family. Before moving here, I spent most of my life in the once small town of Oswego, IL. I have two sisters, Amanda and Jessica. Amanda, 18, just went off to college a few months ago. She's studying music education. Jessica, 16, is the only one left at home, along with the nine cats, of course! If you hadn't guessed yet, I love cats! When I was younger, I wanted and pleaded and begged for a dog. But as the years went by and the number of cats in my house went up, I fell in love with my feline friends. There's just something about them I find irresistible! Maybe it's their independent spirits, yet love of companionship; their soft and furry faces; their gleaming glowing eyes; their easiness to take care of; their wildly distinct personalities; the fact that they were worshiped as gods in ancient Egyptian times. Whatever it is, I love them! But that doesn't stop me one bit from loving other animals! Other than the mosquito and other itchy bugs, I can't think of an animal I don't like! I'm in love with chickens and horses make my heart skip a beat! I can't wait until I can adventure out into the country with a menagerie of animals! Well, that's all for today! Check back later for more! P.S. The picutre is of my aunt Donna's cat Alice strolling around their courtyard in New Orleans.