I guess since we laughed out loud and lingered well past midnight I can add the love of a good book group to today's list. I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt and I had tears running down my face. I may have scared a few people when the topic became politics and a few sweet young things learned that hell hath no fury like a voter betrayed. (My bark is worse than my bite...I promise hope.)

Stimulating conversation with good friends over a plate of Kneader's raspberry bread pudding. Does it get any better than that?

And I don't even know which day this should belong to, but I must tell you I don't need to watch any tear-jerking Christmas flicks this year to be reminded to believe in miracles. A good friend of mine almost--and by all counts should have--died a few weeks ago. At best he should have been hospitalized through the holidays and then come home on oxygen for a long recovery. The doctors are all shocked and disbelieving, but he was released from ICU into a long-term rehabilitation facility a week ago. He was expected to remain there a week to ten days. Due to a beautiful and powerful blessing and countless prayers of faith he was able to come home Monday, breathing completely on his own. I finally got to see him yesterday and he's doing amazingly well.

You can have your Tuesdays with Morrie. But I'm really starting to love my Fridays with Brenda. Today we started at RC Willey and ToysRUs, worked our way up to Borders, crossed over to University Mall and then headed back up the street to TJ Maxx.

Not bad for a day's work.