Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Aren't you glad you aren't a turkey? I sure am!

I love Thanksgiving. Not only do I get to spend time with friends and family but I get to eat like food is a new discovery on this planet, and for that one day only, no one looks at my like I'm a crazy person when I go back for a 3rd plate (I tend to eat like a mad woman the rest of the year but the looks aren't as accepting outside of the Holiday season)! I must admit, though, Thanksgiving preparations tend to stress me out a little. I know when it comes down to it that my family won't lose their minds if there is a little dirt on the floor or a spot in the kitchen but I want it to look perfect for them. I like things to be in their place and shine. It isn't like Evan and I have the most exquisite furniture or dinnerware and our floors certainly don't go unstained or unscratched but I like to take pride in what we have and where we live. I never want my OCDness (yes, I am making that a word) of our home to take precedence over the love for the people in it but I want it detailed enough so the conversation can flow easily and never be hindered by something I didn't get done.

When our home is at its best, I feel at my best. When things are in order and ready to welcome anyone who may venture through the doors, I feel confidant and welcoming myself. The only problem in getting to that point, is the stress it takes to get there. When the cooking and cleaning begins, I am eager and ready to get it all knocked out but it is hard to keep up with all the chores that seem to magically appear once I get started. Why is it that the dust bunnies have such a great relationship with the mud tracked on the floor and the dirty toilets? It's like they talk to each other and demand a multiplication movement just as I begin to tackle the first order of business!

Anyway, I eventually overcome these pesky chores (ha! I am a winner after all) and tell myself to chill out so the hosting can begin. It has been a joy (once all that previous stuff is taken care of) to host Thanksgiving at our house the last few years. I was especially thrilled this year to share one table with our family. I truly wanted the group of us to sit around one dinner table and enjoy each others company so we could take time to look into the faces of those in which share our lives with. Thanks to the weather, and our great God, we were able to do that this year. My faithful husband helped me move the front porch furniture and a dinning room was assembled just in-front of my favorite red swing! With two 8ft tables, end to end, the 20 of us were able to gather in one spot to dine, laugh and have conversation. What a joy!

It was especially great to look down the full table and see the different generations that currently help shape my life. I was fortunate to spend this Holiday with my grandparents and Evan's grandfather. How lucky I am to still have them in my life! Also in attendance were mine and Evan's parents, my sister-in-law and cousins. What a blessing to have families that can get along and are willing to share their traditions and celebrations with each other. Beyond these generations, it was pure bliss to pass around the new baby of the family and share in Madison's very first Thanksgiving.

As we all sat together, stuffing ourselves to the bone and laughing, all the worries about the house, dinning table and serving dishes went away. Now, this feeling of anxiousness only left me for a little while but it was nice nonetheless. While seeing the family together, all the craziness of taking care of the house was more than worth it. I think my madness of preparation is part of what makes me enjoy the Thanksgiving lunch with everyone so much. It makes it stick out like no other day in the year. I love to share my home with my family and I hope they feel at home here too. I am unsure of how many more Thanksgiving we will all be able to attend together or how many times we will all sit around one table, but I no matter the number, this year was a win. Take that dust bunnies! And, Mr. Turkey: I'm sorry, but you sure were delicious!

2010 Thanksgiving Video (thank you Evan for your random video making skills)

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=536182550064

Table Ready for the Family:

A Happy Birthday

If I haven't mentioned it before, let me mention it now: I am a blessed girl.
Not everyone is able to enjoy a spouse, family and friends the way I do and I am truly thankful for that.
Last Monday, I celebrated my 24th birthday. My family and friends went above and beyond to make me feel loved on a birthday that isn't even any type of milestone. The gifts were wonderful (and unnecessarily amazing) but the thought that went into the celebrations were what made them the best.

The love fest first started way back in November. While I was at a friends house, I got a message from my sister that simply said "check my Facebook." Once I logged onto the o-so-popular website, I found Julie's status to say, "I am taking my sister to see Bon Jovi for her birthday." The excitement of seeing this wonderfully handsome man in concert did not lesson the entire 5 months we waited for the event! So, a week and a half ago, we loaded up the car, shared a great dinner and then headed for Atlanta! Needless to say, Bon Jovi did not disappoint as he wooed us with both songs of new and old (and his looks of course). Seeing Julie's face while she waited for him to sing "Livin' on a Prayer" was worth the 5 months wait!

Next, came Sunday's family birthday celebration. Not only was it great to hang out with my immediate and extended family, but it was beyond wonderful to hang out with them while eating ribs, mac & cheese (the holiday kind) and mashed potatoes! Man oh man could I eat that everyday! My parents must really love me to spend their already busy weekend preparing food that they know I love.

Once my actual birthday arrived, I already felt overly celebrated. However, Evan did more than he should have to make sure I knew that he remembered my birthday and a surprise video from my friend oversees put me over the top (and did more than make me emotionally unstable). Between eating at a Japanese Steakhouse (I sure do love it when they make the volcano out of the onions and set it on fire) and receiving the very special video (that you can view below) and all the well wishes from practically everyone I know, I cannot help but feel loved and supported this week. And, as a cherry on top, I am able to post this blog with the contraption that Evan surprised me with on Monday night.

Thank you to everyone who loves and supports me. I am truly overwhelmed and blessed.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL9JUqhfyLs

    

A New Resolution

I cannot think of the last time I made a New Years Resolution.

Was it when I decided I would actually pick up my toys when mom asked or when I said I wouldn't watch as much Eureka's Castle on television in the afternoons?

Either way, I was under the age of 8 so those most likely don't count. I have decided, however, to join in the trend and make a resolution for 2010. I have decided to keep a blog about the simple things of my life.

Over the past few weeks and days,I have been blessed to spend part of the Holidays with Evan's granddad, Papaw (not to be confused with my granddad, PawPaw). We were able to spend time at his house and listen as he told stories about his life and his love for his wife and marriage of 60+ years. Papaw gave me a lot of good advise for marriage and did his best to recap all the ways he shared his love with his wife. Papaw spoke more than once about the two years away from his lovely bride when he was serving in the military over seas. While he was gone, he faithfully wrote love letter after love letter to make sure she knew she was in his thoughts. He told me,"She was on my mind everyday and I am pretty sure I was on hers too." I have no doubt that he is right.

After leaving Papaw's house, I found myself desperately wondering where those letters have ended up? Will they show up down the road and inspire someone who is lost with or without love (you know what I mean, you've seen it in the movies) or have they been thrown away after all these years?

It was beyond inspiring to listen to Papaw tell about his life and love and know that somewhere, some of it was/is written down. It is so interesting to hear about a persons path that once seemed ordinary and now,years down the road, see that it actually was extraordinary. In Papaw's case, it seems to be extraordinary love. I wonder what the case was for my grandparents? I wonder what it will be in my case?

With this pondering, I decided on this blog. Blogging may not be the most practical way to recap our lives down the road (much like the lost letter writing of the past) but I did not want to live this life without some recap and thought on what it means. So here is to 2010 and a New Years Resolution. Here is to hoping that down the road, my silly struggles and blessings will come to be a story to talk about and a life worth sharing.