I ate lunch at The Counter today, and was impressed. When Alvin told me about The Counter I thought this was just another build-your-own-burger restaurant, like Lunchbox Laboratory. But The Counter seems to be much more established and thought out than the others. The beef is terrific, never frozen, and is not greasy. There is a menu of fifty ingredients that you can add to your burger. The service is great, and the restaurant is clean. One drawback is the location. The Counter is on 46th Street and 14th in Ballard and can be hard to find. I can’t wait to return!

Sunny and I cooked dinner for Laurie and Scott at our condo. Dinner was good and we played a fun game, Who, What, Where. In this game you create a drawing of a person (Who) in a specific setting (Where) doing something (What). You pass the drawing to each player and guess what the artist was trying to draw. We had a great time! This photo was taken outside our condo.

Sunny and I picked out a tree from the Boy Scouts again this year. They sell Christmas Trees from a school across the street, so we can walk home. We selected a tall and narrow tree, and it fits perfectly in our home. The tree is actually bigger than it looks, I had to run to Fred Meyers twice to buy more lights. We had a lot of fun decorating the tree. We have so many beautiful ornaments!

Sunny and I joined our friends at Jason’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner. Jason had prepared six or seven appetizers and an amazing turkey dinner. He has really become a great cook – dinner was outstanding. After dinner we played a few fun games with the kids. I really cherish the time I spend with my friends.

Sunny and I are planning to sell our condo. To help make the space look larger, we decided to brighten up the condo with a coat of white paint on the ceiling. We started early and painted a thick coat over nearly the entire ceiling. The difference is startling. Our condo shines! Sunny also touched up the walls. Now we don’t want to sell…

After dinner with my family, Sunny and I ate another Thanksgiving dinner at the Daiger’s! Two dinners in one day is one of my favorite things! Laurie is a terrific cook, the turkey was magnificent. I am stuffed!

The Ruiter Thanksgiving at Aunt Alice’s house. Dinner was terrific! I love Thanksgiving dinner – and there is no better way to spend it than with family.

I saw Brandon Sanderson speak at the University Bookstore! Brandon Sanderson is the co-author of the Gathering Storm. Sadly, Robert Jordan, my favorite author, passed a way a few years ago. Robert Jordan was the author of The Wheel of Time series. After Robert Jordan passed away, Brandon Sanderson picked up his notes and continued the story. The Wheel of Time is a fantasy series that spans eleven books. The Gathering Storm is the twelfth book in the series and should end the series. It was fun to hear Brandon speak and I can’t wait to read the book!

Collin is only one month away from having a baby girl. Adam and Collin have named their daughter Trinity. The shower was so much fun.

I was also introduced to John and Jessica’s daughter Eleanor Sara!

Only two days back from our cruise in the Caribbean and it is snowing in Everett! I am not happy about this, but if it is going to snow, I hope it dumps inches. But for now I miss the hot sand in Barbados.