Friday Five

One
Happy belated Thanksgiving!

I hope you guys had a great holiday, filled with delicious food and good company! I didn't snap any pictures of my own Turkey Day (so much cooking to do!) but I'm happy to report that I made so much food that we should have enough to survive the apocalypse. So please come to my house if you find yourself in need of mashed potatoes, honey-baked ham, pumpkin pie (I made four!), or delicious roasted lamb. Did I mention I have a lot of pie?

Two
Oof, I'm sorry I've been a terrible blogger as of late! How about we play some catch-up?

Earlier this month, Justin and I headed to Seattle to spend time with our niece and take a quick jaunt to Vancouver. It was my first trip to British Columbia and--holy Canada!--it was stunning. Like, I'd totally move there in a heartbeat if I got the chance.

{The view from our condo.}
{Justin and me at the Vancouver Aquarium.}
Three
The best part of our trip was spending time with our little niece. As cheesy as it sounds, Rowan is simply a joy to be around. She's sweet and thoughtful; she's whip-smart and clever. Plus, her hugs are worth a million bucks. At least, they certainly feel that way. :)

{Rowie at the "Donut Factory." Also known as Krispy Kreme.}
Four
On the writing front, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month! I'm the world's slowest writer but I needed a kick-in-the-pants to draft my YA sci-fi project and I love the camaraderie that comes with NaNo. But...um...I sort of gave up on it. Haha.

I've written about 22,000 words (yay!) but then we went to Seattle and I got a little behind. Then I started flailing because my word count was so paltry, and then I had an attack of the Doubt Monsters, and then Thanksgiving consumed my life and then... Well, there you have it. But I'm happy to have gotten a good start on my WIP. After all, 22K words is a lot more words than I had before!

Five
Phew, how was your Thanksgiving? Do you planning on doing any shopping this weekend? As much as I adore a good deal, I'm deathly afraid of Black Friday crowds so I'll be staying home, reading books and eating pie until I weigh 300 pounds. Sounds like a good plan to me!