Thanksgiving: one of my FAVORITE times of the year.
That's not a stock market report.
Or a receipt.
This is the average number of calories consumed during Thanksgiving.
Seriously, I think I consumed one millionnnnnnnnn.
Or nine hundred and ninety nine thousanddddddddd.
You'll get that if you saw this lady on Jeopardy.
When you grocery shop prior to the big day, you must make sure to include all the essentials.
The days leading up to Thanksgiving were completely packed. I played piano for a wedding, had church and the community Thanksgiving service, played for a funeral (God bless Mr. Lindsey; he was such a kind soul), and worked on top of that.
I was in serious need of a break.
And sometimes that break comes in the form of eating out with friends. It's what we do.
Of course, there is always room for playtime.
One afternoon my Dad watched Emerson while I ran some errands, and here is the scene that unfolded when I came home...
HAHAHA!!! Who is babysitting WHO!?!? One is sleeping while the other is still awake watching TV. Absolutely hilarious.
We have two Thanksgiving meals each year: lunch with Ryan's family (at Rene' and Steve's) and dinner with my family. Each year I try to bring something different to the table; literally.
Although my food pyramid typically consists of Skittles, Starbursts, and Smarties, this year I reached out to my awesome friend Ellen, because not too long ago she made some homemade bread for our family...and the entire loaf was finished in less than a day. Just as the Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the books of the Bible, Jesus Himself worked hand in hand with Ellen in the kitchen while she prepared this bread. It was that good.
...so I thought I could make it, too. I sent her a message, and she said she would gladly give me the recipe. She then asked if I had a "starter."
A starter? Somehow I didn't remember registering for that machine when I got married.
A KitchenAid? Yes. China set? Yes. A starter? Somehow that wasn't a featured item in the Bed Bath & Beyond wedding catalog.
#DontStartWithMe
Turns out that a starter is actually a PRE recipe for bread, and there are several different ones.
Food for thought! Literally.
Well, I got so busy that I decided to look at the recipe two days before Thanksgiving and saw the first line that said "five days in advance do this..." I was already out of time. I fully intend to make this at Christmas. Fully, as in I will be completely full by the time it's all said and done.
Every Thanksgiving morning I watch the Macy's day parade/national lip syncing competition. Seriously, it is so painfully obvious.
"I just wanna cook food for ya, food for ya..."
Five bonus points if you remember this Ashlee Simpson lip sync crisis.
But I do really enjoy the floats and overall celebration of the parade...without having to maneuver through the crowd.
"And IIIIII will always love you food..."
Then it was meal and family time! LOVE these people!
And as if that were not enough...we had dinner at my parents' house that evening.
We also visited with the awesome Jordan family on Thanksgiving Day, and I'm not sure if Dakota or Emerson enjoyed their game of fetch more!
Then came...shopping day! Each year Emerson's Christmas gifts get more fun to choose from, because there are way more options and less hazards as she gets older. True story.
While my family usually goes shopping on Black Friday, we don't go crazy, and we most certainly don't push and shove anyone over anything.
Please remember this. If you ever- and I mean EVER- see me fighting on camera over something as trivial as an item in store, please do me a favor and hit me in the head with a snow shovel.
Those fights are absolutely RIDICULOUS and make my blood boil. There are people in the world who wait in lines on a daily basis to get safe water, and yet we have folks in combat over party supplies. Unfathomable.
Say 'Buy one-Get one', one mo' time.
In any event, My Mom and I had a safe and customer friendly shopping experience on Friday. And what started out as a "few stores only" turned into a six hour trip. It was so much fun!
Poppy got the good job; keeping the Queen of Sheba while we were store hopping.
When we got home that afternoon something told me to go in one of our attics and see if there were any of our old toys that Emerson might like.
JACKPOT! Who needs Black Friday when you have a mountain of toys to choose from? The good, old fashioned toys that they really don't even make anymore.
From my magnetic/chalkboard desk to the circus lego set and yes- even a cardboard box- she was in complete Heaven. And I didn't wait in a single line.
For her Birthday Emerson got this precious car from my parents.
There was just one problem; she was frightened of it! It was like a kid receiving a Range Rover for their 16th Birthday and then running away, screaming in fear.
SURPRISE!!!
Fortunately, out of nowhere, she finally hopped on it and realized how much fun it was. And there was no turning back.
#BuiltBowTough
And we love Christmas lights! That evening we cuddled up in the Rogers' shuttle for a ride around town. Clearly, Audrey was most excited about the trip!
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is decorating day! Emerson was on fluffing duty.
And later that day Ashlyn and I enjoyed dinner and the new Hunger Games movie after a pit stop to finish decorating our tree.
So the food was prepared, families had gathered, all was well...there was just thing missing. One major thing. A piece of my heart named Jay.
Jay spent Thanksgiving in Chicago this year, and although I'm grateful that he was safe and sound and didn't have to board a plane...he was sorely missed. When I count my blessings, Jay is on my list for so many reasons. I adore him! He made an all-sides giving this year, which looked pretty amazing. Even so, I definitely noticed an empty chair for him at our table.
But this little pumpkin sure made Thanksgiving 2015 a sweet one to remember, and when she grows up one day, there may be an empty chair for her at our table. Perhaps she'll be at college or will even marry someone and live far away. But life is about revolving chairs. My grandmother Alice's chair is empty, but Emerson Alice lives on in her honor. It's a sweet circle of life. And in this stage of life, Emerson is filling her chair...and my heart, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment