Our Thanksgivings

This will be Jeff and my 9th Thanksgiving together...we have spent 2 with family in Ohio. It has never been worth it to us to go hundreds of miles for a few days, when Christmas comes so close afterwards. This has resulted in one of our favorite past times...remembering Thanksgivings past. Our Thanksgivings serve as mile markers in our married life, and each reminds us of a different stage. Come with me on a trip through Thanksgivings Past...

Thanksgiving 1999: A kindly 2nd grade teacher a few doors down from my classroom invited us over to her house for Thanksgiving. I was all geared up to be in depression hell because I'd be away from family for a holiday. Flossie (that was her name...I kid you not) probably saw me crying in my classroom every day (unrelated to the holidays) and took pity on me. It ended up being Flossie, her husband, her 2 teenage boys, and their grandpa. Jeff and I were MUCH closer in age to her kids, but we had a good time talking to everyone there. I made my mom's mushrooms for the first time. We were educated on OC Thanksgivings...Flossie's sons always spent Thanksgiving Day surfing, making sure to be home in time for dinner.

Thanksgiving 2000: I was working for University of Phoenix, so there would be no going home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. We ended up planning a trip to Julian, CA...a little mountain town, for Friday and Saturday...a way to experience a little fall. For Thanksgiving, we went to Jeff's boss's house. We call this our Asian Thanksgiving, because Bob's wife was Taiwanese. It ended up being us, Bob and Jo-chi, and a ton of her Taiwanese and Korean friends from ESL classes. Turkey is considered dirty to eat, so Bob, Jeff, and I huddled at one end of a long table eating our rotisserie chicken while the others noshed on squid and raw fish and Korean BBQ and noodles and Asian veggies. The meal was actually delicious...but didn't feel much like Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2001: This year we decided to spend it with my old family friends in San Diego, the McDonald's. And I don't mean that we went to a McDonald's fast food restaurant in San Diego, you fools. But the McDonald's are Australian, so having the feast on the actual day is less important. So we had it on Friday or Saturday...I can't remember now. Jeff and I spent the day at San Diego Wildlife Park (we bought season's passes) and probably some time in San Diego. It was fun.

Thanksgiving 2002: We had finally started to get some good friends of our own in SoCal, so we went to my good friend Pamela's MIL's house this year. They lived in a GORGEOUS house up in the hills. I remember good food and Pamela's 1 year old walking on the table during dinner. A satisfying night with good friends.

Thanksgiving 2003: Andrew made his grand appearance at 2:16 pm on Thanksgiving Day. Quite a memorable Thanksgiving that year. Some of my fondest memories are calling our families as they were all about to sit down for dinner to tell them their first grandchild had arrived. Still makes me tear up just thinking about it.

Thanksgiving 2004: This was our first year hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Which means my first year cooking the turkey (yikes!). My friend Pamela and her 2 kids came and Uncle Chad was there visiting from Texas (I think...or was in Louisiana?). I don't remember much else about this one...everyone came to visit a day or two later for Andrew's 1st birthday...now THAT I remember.

Thanksgiving 2005: Thanksgiving in Ohio! We had moved to Kentucky, so it was an easy drive up to Jeff's parents. I remember feeling so strange that we were doing Thanksgiving the "traditional" way. It was lovely. My mushrooms were a hit, the french stuffing not so much. But we got to eat Aunt Bonnie's pies....mmmmmmmmm.

Thanksgiving 2006: Thanksgiving in PA! Lily's first Thanksgiving. My parents came to our new house to help us celebrate. It was kind of a sad year...we had just moved 3 weeks before and I had a newborn so I wasn't sleeping very well. I was lonely and sad to have left Louisville. I remember crying at Andrew's birthday a few days later because he had no friends to celebrate with. Whatev-

Thanksgiving 2007: Sara's wedding! We were surprised to go back to Ohio for Thanksgiving last year...it was not part of the plan. But Sara and Colum surprised us last summer by planning a wedding for Turkey weekend...so off to Ohio we went. I had just found out that surprise baby was a boy and looking forward to looking fat but not pregnant at the wedding. We had a lovely meal with Colum's Irish relatives...I fondly remember Andrew explaining the pilgrims and Indians to the Irishmen.

So those are our Thanksgivings. This year will mark Michael's first with the family. And it is Andrew's 5th birthday tomorrow. Jeff's parents are driving in late tonight (weather permitting) and I am going to attempt to make some food today with the 3 children dragging at my legs. Ha! My only priority is the birthday cake. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving all!

(Oh, and one other thing. What kind of sick, sad people are you? I get 5 comments about my menstruation, but only 2 about my cute cute baby? Your priorities are skewed my friends ;) )