Thanksgiving in the Country

Have you noticed (especially you women who are reading) that preparation for Thanksgiving takes weeks, but within 30 minutes, everyone is finished eating?  Our dinner was at our house this year, with 24 family members in attendance, and began about 1:00 pm.  By 2:00, my sister-in-law began to straighten up the kitchen - until I said, "STOP!"  I told her that after all of the time that we had put in, I was not going to start cleaning up so soon.  We should embrace the mess.

My husband and I were very blessed this year. We had family from California, Virginia, and Kentucky here.   Gary's son and daughter and their families were all here, as were his sisters, parents, nephew, and his new wife.  My parents, sister, brother-in-law, brother, niece, and nephew were also here.  However, only one of my daughters, Addison, was here this year.  Morgan lives too far away to make the trip twice, and will be here for Christmas instead.  Her dad and our daughter Bethany went to Louisiana to spend the holiday with Morgan, Kyle, and Layne.  Though I was thrilled with all who were here, I still missed my girls.  Our hope is that next year, all of our family will be here.

Gary and I had talked several months ago about doing a Thanksgiving morning run.  I have run the past two years, but we wanted to get others to join us.  At 7:45 a.m. we loaded up and headed to town.  Tamara, Bryce, and Krista joined Gary and me for a run along the Ohio River on our new River Walk.  It was a gorgeous morning, the temperature cool and the sky clear.  It was the first time Gary and both of his children had run together.    Tamara was able to run further than she had been running at home.  It was an amazing way to start the day, and to enjoy God's magnificent landscape.

Not having grown up in the country, there are times I think I would still prefer to  live in town - until weeks like this past one.  Seeing Gary's kids and grandkids enjoying our home is priceless.  His son kept a campfire going for three days, and people spent time near it catching up with one another and sharing stories from the past.  We could hear their laughter all the way in the house.  The kids were enthralled with the four-wheeler, or 'motor' as they called it.  Molly loved getting out and exploring along the edge of the woods, all the time hoping to catch a glimpse of wildlife.  After our meal, my sister-in-law and her husband took off  on the gravel road to work off some of the food, and my sister and I followed, just to enjoy the beautiful day.  Bryce, his girlfriend Krista, a nephew, and his wife all spent time splitting wood after dinner.  Admittedly, I am somewhat of a wimp, and the thought of true manual labor is not my idea of making holiday memories, but they had a blast.  They were making their own memories, and I suspect that they enjoyed every moment of that time. 

Bryce and Krista arrived the Saturday before Thanksgiving, but the majority of our company arrived on Wednesday.  Thirteen of us shared dinner Wednesday evening.  Just as the pilgrims and Indians celebrated for three days, so did the Staths.  I will not bore you with a listing of all of the food we consumed; my guess is that your own lists are rather lengthy!  I will say that my best estimate is that we ate over 300 cookies Wednesday - Saturday.  Really.  I had baked about six different kinds, and had them in the freezer.  Every time a tray was emptied, more cookies magically appeared.  I can't even tell you the favorite because every single one was eaten.  Needless to say, I am avoiding the scale today!  There is one piece of pumpkin cake left, and one slice of banana bread.  Those will be gone by the end of business today, and tomorrow we get back to healthier eating and regular exercise.  And I will begin baking more cookies for Christmas!

I am very thankful for the laughter, love, and stories shared over the last week.  I am thankful that Gary's family and my family were able to share the holiday together.  I am thankful that I have a husband who is an excellent cook and can help out with the cooking (I have never even attempted making a turkey!).  I am thankful that Morgan was able to cook her first Thanksgiving meal, and that her dad and sister were there with her.  I am very thankful that I did not participate in any of that madness of Black Friday shopping!  It just isn't worth it.  We chose, instead, to visit the quaint shops in Tell City, which was very relaxing and enjoyable.  There was little traffic and no one threatened me with pepper spray!

And now, I am thankful for a quiet day at home.