Today is the first day of December and the last month of 2005. Time is so very fleeting...I can't believe I'm looking at my Christmas tree as I'm typing this blog!

November was so full for the Greenfields...especially me! After we recuperated from our Phoenix trip for the Johnny/Jessica wedding, I prepared for my business trip to the Pacific Northwest. My boss, Teresa Keenan, and I flew to Portland, Oregon on the 13th of November. We arrived midday which allowed us to comb the streets of downtown and enjoy a lovely brunch together. After a Monday morning presentation at the Verizon office in Tigard, OR, we drove to Seattle. The weather was amazing...clear blue skies, beautiful fall foliage, and snow peaked mountaintops. We had a late lunch/early dinner of fresh seafood, then walked the streets of downtown Seattle. It was a little cooler than Portland, but beautifully alive and vibrant. I loved it.

We spent the night at the Embassy Suites in Lynwood, WA, and then presented a repeat performance of our presentation on Tuesday for our Seattle team. However...I did it solo....Teresa contracted a terrible stomach virus and was sick for almost 36 hours doing all the "unmentionables". Of course, I had spent all the previous two days with her, and we had shared a meal together, so I felt sure I'd come down with it, too....and I did. I spent the evening of the 15th and the 16th sick in bed at the hotel...groan! On the 17th (my birthday), John was to meet me at the airport in Seattle for an extended weekend. Luckily my illness wasn't as severe as Teresa's, so I was able to meet John and take the two of us to our hotel in downtown Seattle. We stayed at the Sheraton Towers...very lovely...and we had a super view of the city and the Puget Sound. Caroline Greenfield spent Friday evening and Saturday all day with us. We took a ferry boat to Kingston, on the other side of the Sound, and then drove to the Port Townsend area where we lunched and cruised the delightful shops downtown. Very much fun...nice to spend some quality time with Caroline.

On Sunday morning, Caroline took us to the airport and we flew to San Francisco. We met Johnny and Jessica for dinner at their darling high-rise apartment. They are very comfortable there with their two very large dogs and their view of the city. We had a pleasant visit and reminisced about their wedding in Phoenix and their honeymoon in Maui.

Monday afternoon we drove our rental car to Santa Rosa and spent the next five days with my sisters...Pam and DeeDee and their spouses, children, and significant others. Grandma Nan was in her glory having everyone in Santa Rosa! I played with my grand-nephew, Victor Ventura (Nicole and Esteban's first-born son), and ate some wonderful roast lamb and turkey that were lovingly prepared by Mom and Pam. David Passarell, my nephew, manages a fairly large movie house in Santa Rosa, so he "comped" us a night at the movies with popcorn and cokes and all the trimmings. We saw Shopgirl with Claire Danes and Steve Martin. It was very good, but hard to watch at times. Next on my list....Pride and Prejudice! I can't wait!

As life would have it, I've come down sick again...this time with an upper respirtory infection, clogged ears, swollen glands, nasty cold and cough...I've missed two days of work this week...again...and will probably miss tomorrow, too. Luckly, I can log in to my Verizon network from home, so I should be able to catch up while I rest.

I truly hope your Thanksgiving holidays were fruitful, and that you enjoyed being thankful with those at your dinner table.
All my love in our Lord....

Mom