Every Thanksgiving Day I tell the Husband that I will wake up (or stay up) and attend the traditional Black Friday Shopstravaganza.  But for two Black Fridays in a row, I sent him shopping on his own while I curled up in the bed.

You heard that right.  The Husband does the Black Friday shopping.  364 days a year I am the one with the spending bug, but Black Friday rolls around and the Husband decides to take away the credit card and use it himself.

Now to be fair, most of this year’s shopping was done online the 48 hours before Black Friday.  The Husband is finally getting his XBOX 360 and a few games to go along with it.  I even stayed up until 3:01 am waiting for the Apple Store sale to begin.  It was lackluster so I hit the bed shortly there after.  But the Husband still wanted to take advantage of some in-store only sales on a couple of video games and pick up the cousin’s and nephew’s presents, so he was up bright and early again this year. While I slept in bed.

And I am glad I did.  Did you hear about the deadly stampede at a Wal-mart?  I hope that more and more stores continue to replicate their Black Friday Sales in their on-line stores so I can continue tot shop in the comfort and safety of my own home.

Happy Black Friday!

Here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving, which just so happens to be one of my favorite holidays (neck-and-neck with Halloween and International Ashley Day).  It is a time when we focus on what we are thankful for.  And it is a time to EAT.  I will be cooking some desserts and the broccoli casserole for my family’s gathering.  But I will also make sure to provide my Granny with the Thanksgiving Guest Liability and Indemnification Agreement.  With the Agreement, I can be comforted in knowing that my Granny is protected from my aunts, uncles and cousins, in case of heart burn or overeating.

Do you need to protect yourself or a family member?  Visit ConsumerFreedom.com to download your own copies of the Thanksgiving Liability and Indemnification Agreement.

Hat Tip to idealawg for enlightening me on the Agreement.

And what is up with that?

I have problems wrapping my brain around the fact that the Husband is addicted to TMZ. You have to understand that the Husband doesn’t watch much TV (The Simpsons, King of the Hill and Adult Swim - that’s about it).  He doesn’t even follow celebrity gossip.  No tabloids, no Entertainment Tonight or Inside Edition.  No Perez Hilton.  Nothing.

Except TMZ.  He can’t get enough. He watches it almost everyday, visits their website and even has a TMZ quick link on his Blackberry.

Is this normal?  Do other men suffer from this affliction?  Please let me know I am not alone with a TMZ-addicted spouse!

Married people took those vows, or something similar to it.  I know the Husband and I did.  It was a mixture of standard vows provided by the minister and some we wrote ourselves on that long drive to Las Vegas.  And we all think we are going to stick to those vows when we say them.  But what happens when they actually come into play?  When it is actually time to adhere to those vows?

Now before you start worrying too much, I will tell you the main cause of concern: High Blood Pressure.  At the tender young age of 29, the Husband is one point away from hypertension.  I, on the other hand, am sitting at a calming 102/60.  Have I ever mentioned that we are total and complete opposites?  Well we are and this is just another area where we are not alike.

What is a wife to do when she finds out that her youthful spouse is creeping up on a serious problem?  She takes action!  That is right.  She doesn’t sit still and watch life pass her and her husband’s eyes.  She moves into attack mode.

So today starts our foray into a semi-vegetarian lifestyle.  That means two out of every three meals, and sometimes all three meals, will be vegetarian.  It is a way to get the Husband to eat more fruits and vegetable while cutting out the fatty proteins and high sodium sandwich meats he loves so much.  Of course, there will also be a reduction in salt at all meals.

Besides changes in diet, I have also started teaching the Husband the practice of meditation.  Meditation is something I have been practicing for over a year now, but I admit that I am not always consistent with it.  It is a relaxation tool that will help the Husband control his stress level.  We began with 5 minutes of mindful breathing once a day and will increase the time and also the frequency to twice a day as he becomes more comfortable with the process.

Diet, mediation, and finally exercise.  Normally both the Husband and I are good about exercising.  Winter weather throws us for a curve.  We do not belong to a gym so our exercise is done mainly outside.  With signs of snow flurries today, you can understand how we might prefer to hibernate during these cold months.  But not this winter.  This winter we exercise!  Thirty to sixty minutes a day, five days a week.  So stop reading this post and get moving!

I asked the Husband what I should blog abut tonight, as the New Kids on the Block performance on the American Music Awards caused some of my brain cells to fall out my ear.  As he is such a darling, he suggested that I should right about “Monkey Lovin’.”  You are probably wondering what in the world he was thinking when he suggested that topic.  Well here was his train of thought:

1. I’ve blogged about the new baby chimpanzee, George, at the Knoxville Zoo.
2. I recently purchased Sock Monkey Holiday PJs from Target.

1. I watched a rerun of “Growing up… Baboon” on Animal Planet today.
2. I own a mini Sock Monkey: Erle (pronounced like “early”).

1. My nickname for the Husband is “Monkey.”
2. In general, I think monkeys are pretty neat.

What the Husband was trying to say is that I like monkeys and I should declare such an interest out loud: of monkeys in general and of him specifically.  So this post is for my favorite monkey:

Why do people cut across parking lots instead of driving up and down the rows?  Is it because they are lazy?  Or maybe they need those extra 5 seconds they save by cutting across the parking spaces?  Either way, it is one of those little things that annoy me.  Mainly because they think they have the right-of-way and have almost run into the side of my car numerous times (especially in the Kroger/Target parking lot in Maryville).  If they barely miss the Bright Yellow Bumblebee of a car I drive, what makes them think they are going to miss a pedestrian?

Come on guys!  Take the couple extra seconds it takes to just drive to the end of that row of parking space.

Next up: People who circle the parking lot 12 times to find the closest space to the door.

I don’t know how it happened.  Maybe I was bored.  I was looking at a 8.5 hour car trip (10 hours with stops).  Maybe I was giddy since I was going back home.  Or possibly I had a bit too much caffeine this morning.  Whatever the reason, today when the Husband asked me a question I sang my answer back to him.  Then I did it again.  And I laughed until my cheeks hurt, trying to decide how I would sing my next response or question.  It was like being in a musical!  So I declared it ‘Musical Day.’  This would be a day in which I would sing everything!

That lasted for 2 minutes.

My time here in Illinois is done.  It looks like I will be staying in Tennessee for a little while longer.  It also means that I will be taking another Bar in the future and then deciding what the plan of attack is after I get those results back.  I enjoyed my time here, but I am realizing that it gets pretty cold this far north.  Brrr!

That is right my friends.  Once again your dear friend Ashley has hit the road.  This time I am hanging out in Central Illinois.  The Husband had to be here for work and I am tagging along.  Hopefully I will be able to keep myself busy this week.  I brought four books plus my laptop but more importantly, my workout clothes.  Luckily the hotel has a gym, since the weather outside is a bit on the colder side (under 40).

The good news, is that on the way home I will get to stop by the Costco and the Trader Joe’s in Indianapolis.  The closest ones to me are over two hours away in Nashville, so it will be nice to hit these on the way home on Friday.  If you have never been to a Trader Joe’s, you should find your closest one and get there as soon as you can.  It is a great grocery store.  I can’t wait!