A Different Thanksgiving

A family US-ie on Thanksgiving by the tree.

All of our bags were packed and ready to go, literally by the door for when I returned home from work on Tuesday.  Our Richmond pilgrimage was set and the gas tank was full  Influenza A had a different plan for Sam and our family, though....as he caught it last weekend and has been battling a fever and symptoms since.  

It was difficult yet easy to make the decision to not travel to Richmond this year.  The pandemic has taught us that it is simply not worth risking health over anything else.  It was sad to have to inform people, but everyone was very understanding and empathetic.  Yet another reason I love our family so very much.

Turkeys

So we made the most of it and placed a grocery order and made all kinds of Thanksgiving foods at home, while caught-up in an endless cycle of video games, movies, TV, and sports.  Lots of memories of Thanksgivings past also flooded our minds and hearts...we could feel the love radiating from afar last night.  

It was not an evening of sadness or regret or missing family, though....but truly helped us realize again just how special it is when we are able to gather together and share time.  Time....there it is.  I realize more and more just how little of it there really is....and just how nice it is when we cross paths and wander down the same route for a while all together.   We are so lucky and it is easy to find reasons to give thanks this season.

Got the solo 10k Turkey Trot in...some strange looks when I gobbled at people.

A Sunday Check-In

 It is a beautiful, albeit frosty, morning.  Sam has joined the "Early Bird Club" with me on this Sunday morn.  He has developed a cough and warm temperature over the night, and we both now sit on the couch watching Scooby Doo.  There is something about weekend morning cartoons.  Saturdays were always my childhood memories of waking up and tuning into a variety of shows, both live and in animated form.  Now I sit with Sam, enjoying some old favorites!  Poor kiddo can't seem to catch a break with his health lately!  

We look forward, now, to a short week of school and work, as we prepare for our annual pilgrimage (pun intended) to Virginia for Thanksgiving!  I have already packed, and Sam designed the Turkey Trot medals for this year's run.  The rest of the family will pack today, and we will hit the road!  We have much to be thankful for this year.  Yesterday, as a way to give a small amount back, I took Audrey and Violet to volunteer a couple hours for Bags of Hope, a food distribution program for families in need.  We helped pack 80 boxes of Thanksgiving dinner items to be delivered to a variety of families and organizations throughout the area.  I was proud of both ladies, as they worked hard and helped beyond themselves.

So now that brings us to now.  The coffee is hot, the cinnamon rolls are about to finish in the oven, and another episode of Scooby Doo is about to begin.  We have plans to set-up the Christmas Tree and Hanukah items out today, which would be a nice thing to have done before break.  Anything this morning to keep a little kid busy and forgetting he has a cold.  Tis the season.  

-a

Low Sun

 Sam and I are curled up on the couch, enjoying some Saturday cartoons and a well-deserved rest.  The ladies are out shopping and having some time out...but the boys stayed home and cleaned and made cookies.  Now we sit with fresh blankets after a warm bath for Sam, savoring some quiet time together.  

The weather has turned.  After daylight savings, it has been dark and a bit depressing in the afternoons with the sun setting at what seems a ridiculously early hour.  I am ready for bed at 6pm when it is pitch black out.  It always reminds me of growing up in Juneau, where it was dark when we woke-up....when we went to school.....and when we got home at the end of the day....winters seemed so long.

I guess that is how I am feeling now...waiting for the first flurries of snow (anticipated in a couple hours).  As the years speed-up...I start to identify more and more with those who made the decision to retire somewhere warm for the winters!   I know that once we adjust, things will be fine and we will have another winter together as a family...it is just some adjustment.  

So now the sun is setting and we are ready to start dinner preparations and maybe a football game on TV...but most likely Ghostbusters.  :-)  While the darkness deepens outside, we keep warm and happy inside our home.  How lucky we are.

-a