NOTE: Give thanks for a new blog address!

Please note that this blog will be continued (er, re-started) on www.thanksthanksthanks.wordpress.com. Please follow my thankfulness there!

October 31st Spell: The Great Bette

Dear Bette Midler,

Yesterday, I said to my roommate, "There aren't any Halloween movies on tv today! Come on, it's Halloween!"

She replied, "Well, I saw a 'Scream' movie fest, and 'Halloween' is playing, and-"

"No," I cut her off. "By Halloween movies, I mean 'Hocus Pocus.'"

I have never been one for scary movies. Or haunted houses. Or terrifying costumes. And yet, I maintain that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

And Bette, you have a lot to do with this.

When you strut around on screen, draped in lush, rich fabrics, your extra red hair thrown up in an oddly-shaped 'do, singing, "I Put A Spell On You"....well, how could one not proclaim that Halloween, the day on which you appear in "Hocus Pocus," is their favorite holiday?

So here's to you, Bette. For being the brassy, talented witch that you are, and making my Halloween a little less scary, and a lot more harmonized.

Bewitchingly yours,
Courtney

PS Please accept my apology of submitting this thanks a day late. Your spell must have made me loose track of time...and my ability to count the number of mini-Reese cups that I inhaled as I waited for trick-or-treaters. Oops.

Does Your Breakfast Make You Amazing?

Dear Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned Oatmeal,

Thank you for allowing me to wake up to your delicious and warm self every morning. As a kid, I didn't fully appreciate the wonder of your ways. But now, as an adult, I can't imagine my life without you.

With frozen blueberries, a touch of milk, and a sprinkle of sugar, you start my morning right. Thanks for always being there.

Warmly and happily yours,
Court

The first thank you note.

Dear TRTC, "American Idiot" soundtrack and Yellowtail Cab wine,

You three should be proud of yourselves - you are the impetus of this new blog. (Which, I promise, really, to keep up better than previous ones.)

This evening, I returned home from a perfectly lovely day at the regional theatre (TRTC) where I am working as an understudy. I received some good news from them, and in general had a happy glow about the whole acting-for-a-living thing.

Once home, I joked around with the roomie and the roomie's boyfriend (two delightful souls who are part of the constant sunshine in my life), then cranked up my "American Idiot" soundtrack (...of the Broadway musical. Yes, musical theatre dork talking. Let's move on.). I poured myself a glass of Yellowtail Cab (my tastes are expensive but my wallet is thin), and proceeded to dance around my apartment (the roomie and bf had left by this point).

Halfway through "Holiday" I realized: I am extremely happy. Despite the fact that I'm a bit stressed with work and other looming deadlines, in this moment, this beautiful moment of music and wine and dancing, I am happy. And incredibly thankful. For...everything.

And here begins the blog.

My mama (wise soul that she is) always taught me to write thank you notes. For birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, for when people attended my show, for when they let me crash at their pad. That adage ("Write your thank you notes!") has always stuck with me.

So why not post them here?

Every day, I will post a thank you note. To the small things (like my hot rollers) to the big things (like Obama) and perhaps even to you. When you have the time, take a read and post back what you're thankful for.

There's a lot of disappointment and hatred in the world. But if each day we can focus on just one teeny thing that we're thankful for, I think we would be a lot better off.

So here we go!

thank YOU for reading,
court