Giving Thanks

I know this is a bit late, being December now and all, but better late than never I suppose. We had a great Thanksgiving up at my parents' house with Kiel and Lauren in town. I miss having my siblings close by, so it was a real treat to be able to spend 3 whole days with K & L. We had an amazing dinner of turkey (that Dad made on the barbecue somehow and was mouth-watering), stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, asparagus, cranberry salad, rolls, and 2 kinds of cranberry sauce. Am I missing something? Probably - and that doesn't even count the dessert of raspberry and pumpkin pie. Talk about a feast. I had been craving turkey and cranberry sandwiches for a few weeks now and boy did I get my fill. Well, almost. I could still eat one every day if I had the turkey to do it.

As for that post-Thanksgiving tradition of Black Friday, it wasn't until last year that I went on my own as an adult. I have memories of being dragged out of bed to go wait in line outside in the frigid Kansas wind as a teenager, but last year was the first time I went of my own accord. I scored some amazing deals and so I decided I'd go again this year. Fortunately Lauren was game enough to come with me because I don't know how I would've navigated the madness or passed the time waiting in line all by myself. We only took about 30 minutes to get everything on my list, but spent 90 minutes waiting in line. About 20 minutes into the wait, while we had yet to even inch forward, I started questioning the sanity of coming out shopping on Black Friday while 36 weeks pregnant. Everything hurt - my feet, my knees, my hips, my ribs, etc. And Lauren, bless her, came out with me on Black Friday for the first time ever, and all she got was some coffee creamer. What a trooper. :) I'm glad I got such good deals on the things I got for the boys, but man, I don't know if I'll be doing that for a few years again. It was brutal on my body.

And speaking of deals, I scored a great deal on a turkey the day before Thanksgiving at the grocery store. If you spent $50 your turkey was only 22 cents/lb. So I got a 25 lb turkey for $5.50. Right now it's in the freezer, but I'm planning on cooking it up and canning the meat to save for later. After I make sure I save enough to make me lots of turkey and cranberry sandwiches.

I absolutely love this time of year. I love all the holidays, the festive mood people are in and the chilly weather. I'm so grateful for my husband and sons, my parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws and good friends. I'm grateful for modern medicine that can save lives and those people who understand how to keep furthering that progress. I'm grateful for the modern technology that allows me to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away. I'm grateful for the freedom to live and practice my faith however I choose and the right to vote for whichever candidate I prefer without worrying about retribution. I'm grateful for those who serve in the military to protect those freedoms. I'm grateful to be able to welcome a new son in the next few weeks. He isn't born yet, but he's already very, very loved. And I'm even grateful for the trials our little family is going through right now. I know they will make us stronger and help us grow closer to one another.