Whew!
Thanksgiving is over.
We had a wonderful time, but it is a lot of work, and a lot of money. It seems that each year, I wait until it becomes a huge job to be ready in time. I love it all, but I admit, I am exhausted.
My daughter and son-in-law weren’t able to be with us this year, as they were enjoying a delayed honeymoon in Costa Rica. I am sure they had a great time, but we missed them. Everyone else was here, though.
Three little girls, three dogs, one great grandma in a mix of kids, spouses and my sister’s and brother’s families made a great group and guaranteed chaos. My son had a new rescue puppy who had several accidents, my sister’s dog is old and a bit crotchety and barked a lot, our little dog was overwhelmed at times and barked back.
Food was dropped, coffee was spilled, dog fur flew. Barking, running, screaming, laughter, singing. Movies, video games, card games, political discussions. And food. Lots and lots of food.
There are runners in the group. It was too cold to run Thanksgiving morning as they had planned (-5F), so they waited until the next day when it was nearly 25 degrees warmer. My sister had prizes for everyone, and we all participated at whatever level we could. I learned how competitive a family we are, as even the littlest one wanted to “beat” someone. She did cross the finish line before me.
Everyone agreed to make this an annual run/walk “race”. Each participant estimates their finishing time. The winner is the one who comes in closest to their estimate. That means that it is not necessarily the first person across the line who wins, which makes things more fun for the non-runners.
My sister also brought a gingerbread house for the kids to decorate. This was the second year for that, and it was quite a hit. The kids remembered it from last year, and did a great job doing the decorating this year. They also wanted to eat the finished project.
The ultimate lesson that you can’t have your cake and eat it. too.
But you can have some leftover pie.
Just My Life 
I love the idea of an annual family race. I don’t think I could ever motivate mine to do that, though!
Glad you had a good Thanksgiving!
By: Secret Agent Woman on December 1, 2014
at 6:07 am
It sounds like a great time, in spite of the chaos (which usually does happen when large groups get together!) I like the “race” idea but man, -5 degrees – I can’t even imagine what that feels like. I complained about walking when it was 28 degrees last week 🙂
By: jannatwrites on December 2, 2014
at 11:01 am