Thanksgiving 2011

I'm always late. Like, always.  If I somehow find myself with plenty of time on my hands before an appointment or commitment I will think I have time to real quick clean the bathroom, clean out the toy box or switch summer clothes out for winter clothes in my dresser. And then I'm late. Or Gabe will find himself in a mud puddle on the way to the car and we have to change...or Selah will need a new diaper...or a shoe is missing. Never fails.

Quick story...while on vacation a loooong time ago Joe and I got up early to go to church. We realized church started a lot later than we originally thought so we headed out for breakfast. It was a cute little diner p in Gap, Pennsylvania. It was so much fun. I was busy picturing how he grew up around there and what his life must have been like back then.  We got all caught up in our conversation and in doing so, we were late to church. Terrible. I have several stories like this but I think you get the idea...

I'm workin' on it...

So, while you are wrapping Christmas gifts or thinking of the perfect purchase for your special people, let me show you pictures of our Thanksgiving. You know, the holiday we celebrated nearly two weeks ago...

Let's start with Gabe's Thanksgiving Feast at school...

I loved the costumes they made. His name was Dancing Fox.

I volunteered at Isaac's Thanksgiving Feast but sadly I don't have any pictures :(  It was really, really cute. Trust me. There was pin the gobbler on the turkey, square dancing and a scarecrow dress-up race. Adorable.

*****

Then our road trip to New York. You know I was lovin' this. We drove a few hours, stopped for dinner at Bob Evans (kids eat free Tuesday? Marvelous idea, Bob, splendid!) then drove a few more hours and stopped for the night at a hotel. The next morning after a quick run on the treadmill and yet another stop at Bob Evans for breakfast, we were back on the road.  My favorite part? The road games. We sang Christmas songs and tried to get all the truckers to honk as we passed by, we played the alphabet game and I spy. Loved it, every single bit.

We rolled into Binghamton around lunch time. After stopping by Kathy's (Joe's sister) office to say hi we picked his mom up for lunch. 


The next morning, Thanksgiving, I ran the local 8k Turkey Trot and then drove around with my brother in law looking for donuts and picking up last minute ingredients for the chefs back home. The turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy...you know, all the fixin's. It was delicious.

The guys followed dinner up with some football while the kids played outside. I couldn't believe it was in the 50's! Such nice weather!

And kids met their grandma for the first time...

Later the kids danced and played race car games in the basement as adults talked. Little people up past their bedtime and resting on their mama's laps. I wish I had pictures of that. Sweet, sweet memories.

That night  Joe and I lay side by side in the guest bed as Selah slept in her pack-n-play at our feet. We talked about our day, catching each other up on what the other may have missed. It was good. Maybe my favorite thing of all. We talked about our lives, our pasts how we aren't perfect, how our families aren't perfect. There's a a lot that goes into each of our lives, our stories, from the time we are growing in our mama's bellies to now, there is a lot, a lot, a lot of stuff. Some good, some not so good but it's our story. Own it. Go with it. It's all in God's realm and He has a purpose for every single bit of it. I think I'm realizing that more and more. My life isn't supposed to look like anyone else's. And that's okay. It feels good to be in a place of not having to keep up. Sometimes it seems as you look at the lives of those around you everyone has it all figured out, everyone else is living the perfect life. Except you. I think we grew this Thanksgiving. We moved from a place where there once was uneasiness to a place of acceptance. We can't change what happened in the past, even if we never talk about it, even if we try not to think about it, it's still there. And you know what happens when we just accept it for what it is? We take a deep breath, our shoulders settle a bit, we laugh more, we don't judge. We just enjoy. The older I get and the more I share our stories and listen to the stories of others, the more I realize no one is perfect. We all have something, we all have a past. We can all relate to imperfection.  I think that's God's way of showing His love. Because no matter what He's there. Always. Every tear, every second of feeling alone in the this great big world. It's His way of bringing us closer to Him. To remind us of our dependence on Him. I know because that's how He's held me for years. There is hurt in my past, like everyone. I was tempted to feel like no one heard me, no one saw me. Joe and his sisters grew up in an orphanage and although they had people who loved them it's not the same as your mom and dad. But He was always there. Always.  And now? Now we have our own family. We choose to make a different story for our kids. Like making trips to far off relatives to spend Thanksgiving together. Now that's something to be thankful for. We had an absolutely great time being together and that's what matters. That's what we'll remember.

XOXO,

Angie