Counting my blessings

All things considered, last week could have turned out way different than it did. I'm sitting here on a Sunday evening, the first of December, and counting all my blessings for the quick, painless travel we were gifted as well as the convening of our entire family in one spot, under one roof to celebrate Thanksgiving. My sister's house in Raleigh, NC is about the only place where we can all sleep anymore and she willingly hosted turkey day to make that happen. So we, in turn, braved the standby lists and impending Nor'easter and headed south on Monday evening--well ahead of the bad weather which is the only place to be when you are relying on open seats to fly. The girls are such pros at this little game now that I really take for granted how awesome they are when we go somewhere. They get unlimited snacks and my full attention as we color, play dolls or whatever it takes to keep them quiet and seated.  And we reward them with a trip to see their cousins...or Grandma...or whoever it is they can't get enough of. 

This year's Thanksgiving week included a trip to one of the many farmer's markets in the area, a great burger joint, then a bouncy house, soupy Vietnamese lunch, a quick park visit, and my side trips to a wonderful bakery and a few stores for last minute ingredients. Yes, it was all pretty low-key and fun just because we were together.  Coming a week after Tio's passing and a few weeks since my dad's surgery and hospital stay, it was perhaps comforting to see familiar faces and be around people who know us so well.  Family is there when you need them and being able to relax and soak up some down time is important too. Mia and I played with her hair and makeup and the girls both loved chasing Jordan around the couch. A well attended game of Trivial Pursuit kept things lively early in the week, and our post-Thanksgiving feast viewing of the holiday classic "Elf" was a real highlight. Elisa snuggled up on Stacey's lap while we all cozied around the couch and floor. It made me wish we did this more than once or twice a year. But even so, I'll take it. It's more than many people have and I feel very fortunate that I have such a loving family. We decided to go out on a high and leave early on Friday so as not to push our good travel luck. And it worked well. We were back home in time for a family nap on Friday afternoon and have had this whole weekend to catch up and clean up. I even roasted my own turkey today and invited some friends to share it with us. It's the beginning of that season where I feel such camaraderie around a table in the twilight of the day. I look forward to many more evenings like this and the build up to Christmas that is bound to include some more fun traditions. As I reflected about this past week, it's wonderful to have your family's traditions, but making your own can be just as wonderful. I'll take both.