nixtress's Diaryland Diary

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Turkey Day recap

Okay, now that I'm past the Thanksgiving chaos, I can actually sit and enjoy this pie I MEAN creating an actual honest to goodness entry about it all.
Thursday was spent at my aunt Kath's house, where just about everyone gathers for Thanksgiving. It was yay-worthy, being able to see everyone and share time together. My cousin Jason brought his two daughters, Makayla and Alexa, for the first time in probably 4 years. They've grown and look so much like him (a good thing as he's a very pretty man). Jason and I have been pretty close, mainly because we're only three months apart in age (I'm younger). Plus,I was a tomboy as a kid and he was my companion in hellraising during the summers I spent with my Gramp and Grams.
His sister is the cousin with the health issues right now but she managed to make it as well.
One of my cousin's is newly pregnant (all of 11 wks.) and because she's so tiny, she's got this itty bitty belly started already. It's adorable. She (like someone else I've been reading lately) wondered if she'd ever have kids and now she's working on Numbah 2!
There were tons of little cousins running under foot, from 2yr old Pnut to others my own kids ages. The boys had a blast, playing pool and Dance Dance Revolution. Getting together with family like this is exactly what I wanted for them, exactly what I remember growing up with in regard to this side of my family. A ton of people, always someone to talk to and be with. So much food you think you'll explode just looking at it. The feeling of belonging. One of the greatest joys of my night was watching them with my family, laughing and tussling.
There were a few people missing, as per the norm. My older two aunts began years ago to have their own little get-togethers (they have a different father than my Gramps and tend to keep to themselves a little more) with their own children and grandkids. Two of Uncle Jim's kids opted to go to their mother's this year.
Of course my Grams was missed. Oddly, though, she may not have physically been there but she was there in all of us so the hole wasn't quite so deep. There were stories and laughter and one of my cousins, God only knows which one, snuck in this mechanized dancing chicken that drove us all nuts. Click the chicken polka song and imagine listening to that song over and over and over...and our dancing chicken wasn't nearly so entertaining as the one on that site!
That song was the one played at every Tupperware meeting my Grams held and she'd make every single person get up and do that damned dance to it. Every time I hear it, I think of her.
Soooo much food. I think they deep fried three turkeys and oven-cooked a fourth so there was no shortage of turkey and tons of other things to go with. We all ended up carting home enough food to feed a small army. I don't think I'll have to cook for at least a week!
I very much enjoyed catching up with everyone. It felt...good.
There was a tiny spot that bruised the evening but I tried not to dwell.
At one point, before dinner, my aunt asked everyone to say just a word or two in regard to what they're thankful for this year. Everyone rattled off the typicals: good health, good family, good friends, good food. My father, at his turn, stands up and says he's thankful for his nieces and nephews, his brother and sisters, his father and the good luck to be clean and sober for so many years.
Then he sat down and commenced eating.
I think the entire family turned en masse to look at me and I'm pretty sure the expression on my face was similar to someone who's just bitten into a rotten meat sandwich.
My sons and I just don't even factor to this man and the part that gets me, the part I hate, is that for some reason it still matters to me. I don't want it to hurt, don't want to care anymore. I should be used to it by now. Heck, I'm nearly 32! I guess it doesn't matter what age you are, rejection still smarts.
I was determined to not let it get to me and wasn't going to let it ruin my night so I went downstairs and played with the kidlets.
Nothing can band-aid a bruised heart faster than a 2 yr old Pnut who thinks a body is her personal jungle gym.
All in all, a good Thanksgiving spent wrapped in the comfort of people we love.
***
I'm thinking about taking the boys to see Happy Feet today. It looks really cute and who doesn't love even Robin Williams' voice in a movie? He's such a crackhead but oh-so-funny.
That'll give it time to warm up as it's supposed to and then maybe we'll head down to the Mohican State Park and do some hiking. It's supposed to be unseasonably warm today---nearly 60 here and just beautiful. It'll be good to walk off some of this Turkey Day food! Fresh air never hurt, either.
Hope everyone's holiday went well. Am I the only one who thinks today (heck, YESTERDAY did too) feels like Sunday?
N.

9:21 a.m. - 2006-11-25

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