Let's Give Thanks

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time to get together with friends and loved ones and be thankful for what you have whether it be your health, your home, food on the table, or all of the above. I love this time of year. Traveling to my parents house, getting up early on Thanksgiving morning and helping put together casseroles and pies, getting the turkey to the oven...

But dontcha just know it? A few weeks ago, my brother and I got into an argument that was so blown out of proportion our trip was nearly canceled and I ended up staying a night with my in-laws- which is an indicator of just how bad things were: I never stay there. (*See side note) There is drama in every family, I'm just usually not at the center of it. I'd much rather watch the sideshow from the bleachers, not while in the center ring.

After surviving lunch with the in-laws (surviving being no exaggeration), MJ and I headed out to have dinner with my family. My youngest brother and his wife hosted at their new home this year. It was very ambitious- I never would have had the cahonas at 21 to cook for 10 on a major holiday. But she is an excellent cook and she and my baby brother could make an Eskimo at home in hell.

The evening went much better than expected, but a little alcohol can make everyone more agreeable. Being back in West Virginia reminds me just how much I miss my family. Even if one of them behaves like a complete jackass, family get-togethers really are not the same unless we're all together. My grandmother passed away two years ago in October. She was the glue that held the family together. Every Thanksgiving, relatives near and far would travel to spend the day, laughing, talking, reminiscing...

I'm married with my own children. I want them to remember the trips to their Grandma's as full of love and family and fun- not their mother chucking a bowl of peas at their Uncle's head. As it stands, nothing was thrown- peas or insults- and it was a pretty relaxing holiday. And even if the ceasefire was only for Thanksgiving weekend- I am thankful.

** Prior to the Wed. before Thanksgiving, I have not stayed the night at my inlaws since the great temperature debate of 2001. I asked if we could turn the heat up in a guest bedroom where my husband and I would be sleeping with our one month old son. She replied that it wasn't cold in there and proceeded to place a thermometer in the room to prove her point. That same night she also asked me if I would like to blow dry my hair before bed, she would hate for me to catch cold. When I declined, she brought a towel in to put over the bed pillow, so my wet hair would not cause the pillow to mildew. She a peach.