Tuesday, December 3, 2013

More than a Day of Thanks


Phew. What a weekend.
A weekend full of family chaos {the fun kind}, farm animals, and tryptophan-induced comas.

It's nearly Wednesday, and I'm just now coming down from my all-natural holiday high.

This year's Thanksgiving holiday was extra special.
It's the first holiday in a long time, or maybe ever, where I was able to fully let loose and completely enjoy.
Perhaps because I didn't have lesson plans to catch up on on the way to the farm.
Or maybe the fact that I have a no-stress policy that I am strictly enforcing at this current moment in my life.





Regardless, it was a perfectly perfect weekend.
The type of unforgettable weekend where I came home and felt the need to reflect.
On life, on thankfulness.
Through my pondering, I realized that I learned a few things this weekend.

Allow me to share a few little life tidbits I learned this Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving should be celebrated everyday. And I don't mean the sweet potato casserole and endless rounds of Yahtzee. I simply mean that gratitude is something that I want to strive for everyday, no matter my circumstances. But in this particular happy season of life, thankfulness comes so easily. And this Thanksgiving, I was oozing joy and actually felt it in my core. At one point during the day, I looked around at our families and thought my heart might *literally* explode sparkly, gold confetti.







It's not wise to drink a cup of coffee {or anything liquid for that matter} before a heading out on a 2 hour road trip. Or maybe this simply applies to those of us with the bladder the size of a popcorn kernel. You'd think my mom and I would have this lesson engrained in our brains after dozens of car rides together. But nope. We have now stopped at the same gas station 4 miles out from our final Thanksgiving destination two years in a row. Gotta take care of business before walking into a crowd of 50+ family members whom you haven't seen in over a year...and into a house with one bathroom. We've just chalked it up to a Turkey Day tradition. 




 Eight year old boys exploring in the woods aren't the only ones who get poison ivy. Too bad my husband also likes to explore and is incredibly allergic to the evil plant. He's been home from work for going on 3 days because he has it everywhere. I mean everywhere. Poor guy has to sleep in the guest room, had to get a steroid shot, and walks around all day with pink lotion all over his body. Lesson to be learned: don't roll around in suspicious looking plants. {Just kidding. He was cutting wood for his 87 year old grandpa}.

No matter how hard I try, I will never be cool. Especially when I walk around a farm in Steve Madden boots and step in chicken poop. Or when I scream like a girl when a sweet little goat tries to nibble my sweater. Or when I try to shoot a gun and end up falling backwards from absolute fright {and make the most ridiculous face to prove it}. At least I'm not the only one who looks a little out-of-my-element while shooting a gun.





I can hope all I want, but I do not have a sleep-the-moment-she-hits-the-carseat child. Most normal children can't fight the lull of a car. Except of course, my sweet Lyla. That little boogie refuses to sleep in any form of transportation, really. However, I can't really complain. Because I much prefer the tradeoff of having an independent sleep-all-night-no-matter-what toddler. But still. It sure would be nice if I could count on a little nap-a-roo on a long car ride. I guess someone just refuses to end the party.




Thanksgiving leftovers are almost better than Thanksgiving dinner itself. I look forward to Thanksgiving 364 days of the year. I love everything about it. For us, we travel to Gabe's family's farm and get to explore the farm, mingle with dozens of cousins, and dine on the most delicious feast ever. However, there is one negative. We don't get any Thanksgiving leftovers...an absolute travesty. So we decided that starting next year, we are going to host our own little family mini-Thanksgiving the day after the real holiday. Just for the leftovers.


It was such a fabulous day.
One that I will remember for a long time.

Needless to say, we went to bed with full hearts and full tummies that night.



2 comments:

Mary Elizabeth said...

Love her outfit...so adorable!

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

It looks like it was a great way to spend Thanksgiving!