Well, hello there and happy Friday, friends! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

After nearly eight months, our lives have settled back into somewhat of a bit of a predictable routine and I’m so, so happy to say hi to you on a Friday again! (For more about my hiatus, you can read my initial post about Dominic’s diagnosis here, and then updates one, two, three, four, and five.)

Thank you all for your unending support, prayers, emails, good thoughts, encouraging mail and packages, and everything in between. It has meant the world to our family and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now, let’s get on with a Friday Things! 😊

1. The kids got to go trick or treating together! We weren’t sure if we would be home or if Dominic would be in New York receiving treatment, but we ended up leaving the next morning. They had so much fun, and I’m so glad they could enjoy this together.

2. A quick Dominic update: he had another round of immunotherapy treatment last week. The infusions went well, though the last one hit him a bit harder than previous ones, and he ran two fevers over the course of the time we were there, which is a side effect of the treatment. All in all, it was a successful trip. We will go back in early December for another round, and then he will have a battery of scans afterward to gauge the progress of the treatment.

3. Tis the season >> How to Practice Gratitude Every Day

4. A year or two ago, we started the tradition of a “thankful tree” where each day the kids wrote on a leaf what they were thankful for that day. Then last year we switched it to the “thankful turkey” and did feathers instead of leaves. I am putting up the turkey today and I love that they are excited to do this!

5. Speaking of, do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned? I am working on ours over the next few days and will share it when it’s finished! What is a must-make for your meal or dessert? I feel like the cheesy creamed corn casserole is the crowd favorite at our Thanksgiving every year.

6. I’ve been doing a lot of reading since the spring, thanks to spending a significant amount of time in waiting rooms, hospitals, in clinic during blood transfusions, etc. The books I’ve finished:

  • Unbroken (had started it last year – enjoyed it)
  • The Four Winds (really liked it!)
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (I was surprised by how much I loved this one, I was trying to figure out the connection between Evelyn and the reporter the whole time)
  • Verity (I read this in less than a week, which is lightning fast for me; it was super suspenseful but I also found it really, really disturbing)
  • The Nightingale (started slowly for me, but the last third of the book or so, I flew through, it was fantastic)

I just started It Ends With Us. I also have queued up Code Name Helene, which was picked as part of a book club a friend of mine started, but I needed something in between World War II female spy books 😉

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I used to be a voracious reader and it feels great to have that reading urge sparked again! I love getting lost in a great story.

7. The last few years, we have put up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving and I am READY. I want to get the most out of those warm, cozy lights. The kids started asking to listen to Christmas music on the way to school a couple of weeks ago; we are all-in on holidays here!

8. I love this advice >> The Greatest Conversation Advice I Ever Received

9. We have to talk TV, of course! I JUST found out that the new season of The Crown dropped on Wednesday and I can’t wait to watch! I am also counting down the hours to Yellowstone’s season five premiere on Sunday night. My faaaaaaaaavorite 🤩

10. These two are still the ultimate snuggle bugs ❤️