Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. The turkey and trimmings are all stored in the refrigerator now, and everyone has gone home. I had such a nice time being with family and friends, even though I always tend to have this perfect little idea of how things should go in my mind, and it always comes out a bit differently, but in most cases, it's always better that way. It's a lot better to just see what happens.

I set my alarm for 8:00, because I wasn't about to miss out on any of the festivities. I heard my mom and dad talking in the kitchen, as my mom was prepping the turkey. I walked out to the kitchen, saying good morning to my parents, then turned on the news to KTLA 5, just waiting for the Macy's Parade to start. The parade came on not long after, but my dad and I ended up going to Marie Callendar's to pick up the pie we had ordered. We listened to Lady Antebellum's Christmas CD on the way, which is fantastic! Marie Callendar's didn't seem quite as busy as I thought it would be, which was good. The girl that waited on us is actually in my creative writing class. I thought she would recognize me, but apparently not. Then again, neither did I, but sometimes I tend to over analyze those things until I'm blue in the face. Plus, the fact that I was already starting to feel frustrated was not doing anything for me. We got our Chocolate Meringue and Pumpkin pies, then made one last stop at a little store at a gas station to pick up batteries and soda. On our way home, we got breakfast at Jack-In-The-Box, and brought it home, since we wouldn't be eating until much later on.

We ate, while watching the parade, and I have to say the parade was really not as exciting as it used to be. It doesn't seem like they get good entertainment anymore. It has always been a dream of mine to sing in the parade, from the time that I was a little girl. I still think about it when that time of year comes around, but not as often as I used to be, because it's starting to seem like a further off dream. When the parade was over, I helped make my grandma's green jello salad that she always used to make. It almost just makes me sad to make it now, though. You would think as time passes, that you wouldn't miss those loved ones quite as much, but you still do. While the jello sat in the refrigerator for a few hours, I helped my mom make our table look festive. I had been showing my mom pictures of Martina McBride and the Jonas family's table all dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner, so we decided to do the same. It looked really good, if I do say so myself. A little while later, my dad and I decided to go on a bike ride. It's this tradition we've had for as long as I can remember. I'm sure there were a few years we skipped, for whatever reason, but for the most part we always try to do it now. It wasn't that cold out, but it was a bit overcast. We had fun talking and just enjoying the nice weather; admiring the trees turning to orange and red all around us. We rode up to the park, which was busy with guys playing football. It reminded my dad of stories from his time growing up of playing football with his friends.

We parked our bikes in the garage when we were done and walked into the house with the smell of turkey wafting into the living room. It was getting closer to the time of our family's arrival, so I decided to hop in the shower and finished getting ready. My aunt and cousin arrived, while we finished getting some things together, and pretty soon my aunt and uncle arrived. I helped dish out the cranberry sauce, while my mom finished up the turkey.  Finally, everything was lined up and ready to go. My dad prayed over the food, and we were ready to eat. There was a ton of it to go around; mashed potatoes, rolls, jello salad, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, turkey, ham, and cranberry sauce. It all smelled and looked incredible. Most of us ate in the kitchen, while a couple sat in the living room to watch the game. I think this is the first holiday I've actually sat at the table for, and it was quite nice. We all talked with one another and enjoyed some great food! The table was nicely set as well.

After everyone finished eating, my aunts and mom cleaned up the kitchen, and some of our family friends ended up stopping by. I showed them my room since they hadn't seen it yet and filled them in on my meeting the Jonas Brothers next week! We all hung out and Mandy filled us in more about wanting a dog. They left after awhile, and we all just continued to hang out. The girls were at the kitchen table, while the guys continued watching football. At one point, I even started working on homework, which is just pathetic, which lead to the inevitable talk about college and my transferring. My aunt was giving me some advice on what I should and my other aunt chimed in about how I need to make connections with other journalists in town to get my foot in the door. They're all great ideas, but I still tend to write them off, and I think the idea of breaking out of my safe little comfortable walls that I've always known scares me, even though it's everything I want. It's all part of growing up, and I guess I'm not ready for that yet...But, it's time. Way past time.

The guys went to visit my grandpa in the hospital, and the rest of us stayed here, just talking at the table. We finally decided to come out to the living room to watch TV and one of the power fuses ended up going out; the TV shut off, the Christmas lights went out, and basically everything else except for the main lights in our house. My aunt and mom fixed everything, so it wasn't quite as dramatic as I thought it was going to be, but it was still something. We came back inside, and ended up watching The X Factor. When that was finished, my aunt left since she had to work today. A little while later, my uncle, dad and cousin returned, then my aunt and uncle left. Nick stayed, and ended up spending the night, which meant my mom and I had to clean out the extra bedroom so he would have somewhere to stay.

Once that was taken care of, my parents, Nick and I ended up playing wii bowling, which was a blast. We cranked up the Christmas tunes(Kenny Roger and Dolly Parton; Celine Dion) and ate some pizza. We were all laughing and making fun of each other, and I was practically putting on my own concert, singing along to all of the songs. I just felt really good. It was one of those nights where I didn't want to be anywhere else, and I wasn't wishing I could be somewhere else or wishing I was doing something else. I was content. But, it also got me to thinking of how different the holidays are now, as all of the grand kids get older...I'm basically the only "kid" left...No one else really comes around much anymore, and it's sad. I guess that's why things feel a bit different, because over the years, people change and we all just sort of move on.

Yesterday was really wonderful. I think it's probably one of the best Thanksgiving's we've had in awhile. It was just a really fun time of being able to spend it with some of the people that are most important to me. I love them all so very much and am so thankful that they're all there for me.

That's all for now! I hope you all had a great holiday :)
~Shelby