THANKFUL AND THANKLESS

For my wife and her faithful followers:

The list of things to be thankful for should grow every year. As you know my mind is analytical and simple math answers everything, therefore the more you “have” the more you should be thankful for. We seem to acquire more things every year. Whether it is material items like books, new gadgets, kitchen items, coats, clothes or movies; or people like new friends, old friends becoming closer friends, new family members or new babies. When we add these new things onto last year’s thankful list, we really can start to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Our kids are really starting to get it for the first time this year which is really exciting. Emily was mortified to find out some children don’t eat special food for holidays and may not get presents for Christmas because their families don’t have enough money, and she was thrilled to help out in her own way. Palmer will start to get it soon I’m sure with a teacher like Emily. This holiday season will be the best ever because of our children’s ages. (And the fact that Adriana is not very, very pregnant like she was in 2006 and 2009)

Thanksgiving at our house is always something extra special because it is Adriana’s birthday. Well, not just her birthDAY, but apparently her birthday WEEK. And we’re not just talking about a business week starting on Monday, but starting November 18. Adriana uses this week to her advantage, with honey-do’s and pampering to the tune of “But it’s my birthday week.”

Now listen, I’m not about to say she doesn’t deserve all she does during that week on a more regular basis. Don’t take this as a complaint on my part, I had just never heard of such a thing as a birthday week before I met Adriana. In fact, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I feel that this is probably the best way to show her how much I appreciate her all year long but don’t show it the rest of the year. If you haven’t learned by now, Adriana is overworked, underpaid and underappreciated year round, and her birthday week is really the way the rest of the year should be. Time together for Thanksgiving at our house has been hard the last 3 years, due to my schedule: 2007 I worked 14 hour days Wednesday, Friday and a 24 hour shift Saturday, 2008 was working 14 hour nights Sunday through Thursday nights, and 2009 I worked 14 hour days M-F of Thanksgiving week including Thursday.

So hopefully this year at a time of Thanksgiving, while performing the thankless tasks of CEO, CFO and president of Heskett, Inc., Adriana can bask in the affections of her family and realize that actions speak louder than words. And hopefully some of her “wishlist” items for her birthday will suffice as a humble “Thank You” for all she does for us all year long. However, just in case those things don’t quite do it, let me go on record: Thank you for everything, there is no way I could do it without you, and I love you!

Love Always,

Bret, Emily, Palmer and Logan