Every Thanksgiving, a family fills their plates from table so loaded with food, it could fatten twelve hogs for slaughter. They sit down, start shoveling heaps of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and--for the over-eager family members--pumpkin pie into their mouths. A few spoonfuls into the meal, one of the adults suggests (to the chagrin of the youngsters) that every person at the table says one thing he or she is thankful for. The very young children always mention something "awwww" worthy, the teenagers smart off, and everyone else says some variation of good health, good home, good food, good company, and so on.
Well, that was my family for the last twenty years... if you're wondering, I was the over-eager dessert eater. As far as I can remember, (which, to be fair, is only fifteen years or so) this was my first Thanksgiving away from my family, and the first thanksgiving I didn't get to spend with my Grandma Hoss. As I've grown older, and hopefully wiser, I'm realizing how important of a role gratitude plays in happiness. So when my older family members were so annoyingly keeping me from my pie, they were actually teaching me lessons in happiness. Disappointingly, dessert can only do so much.
This year, we live a bit farther away. My family is now Ty and me. Luckily, marrying Ty meant that I gained one of the best extended families. For me, it's not the "in-laws"; it's just my big, crazy, awesome Stelting/Howard/McClellan family. The Stelting Grandparents drove all the way to Nashville (over ten hours!!!) to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. I feel so honored and loved that they could have been anywhere in the world, and they chose to spend the holidays with us in our dinky one-bedroom apartment, eating over a folding table with mismatched chairs.
This Thanksgiving, I would like to celebrate the last several days with a thanks-giving blog, because Lord knows I have so much to be thankful for.
Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, Ty went to work. He deals with data in a realty company that rents out buildings to giant shopping centers, like Target, Publix, Dicks Sporting Goods, Texas Road House, and more. He's even been able to help create policies for the entire company. (Ty won't brag, because he's humble, but I'm allowed to because he's awesome.)
Wednesday also happened to be the day that Mary Beth and Jerald Stelting were supposed to arrive in Nashville. Purely by coincidence, that was the day I decided to clean our apartment top-to-bottom and make it appropriate for guests.
On his way home from work around one o'clock, Ty got stuck in "terrible" traffic.
This is apparently what "terrible traffic" looks like. :) I ended up with a cute teddy bear balloon (or is it a gorilla?) and an edible arrangement complete with heart-shaped pineapples, strawberries, grapes, and chocolate-covered apples. (Maybe dessert does bring some happiness.)
Around 1:30, our guests of honor arrived! We ate some lunch, and since they'd spent most of the morning in the car, we took them (and Papi) to one of our favorite walking trails by Percy Priest lake.
Mary Beth (who I'm told actually reads this blog!) said, "I just knew you were going to take that picture!"
What can I say? When you see a couple that's been married for over fifty years holding hands on a scenic walk, you take a picture! It's a rare sight to see people so happily married, and I loved that I was able to glimpse it. I asked them once how they'd managed to stay together for so long, and Jerald said, "Time flies when you're having fun."
Can you tell why I love this family so much? They'd picked the pecans themselves, and the pie was homemade... and delicious.
What a better way to top off a great day than with a game of Phase 10. The only way the day could have been improved was if I would have won instead of Ty.
Thursday
Thanksgiving day was finally upon us! The weather was fantastic, and we were looking forward to a great meal with stuffing, turkey, jalapeno cheese dip (AKA legal crack), Mary Beth's famous spicy broccoli cheese casserole, and, of course, dessert.
While the food cooked, I preoccupied myself with editing my book. Brief side note: I'm currently editing my first full-length novel. It's a book geared towards high school-aged girls, about a girl who deals with great success, bullying, losing friends, injuries, boys, and trying to figure out her place in the world. My sister, Savannah, is going to illustrate it, and I think it's going to be really grand! Keep an eye out for the finished product. :)
Papi, however, had other activities in mind... like getting petted.
He was a little disappointed when I asked him to leave me alone and when Ty wouldn't give him any Turkey, so he pouted in his corner.
We all took a nap after lunch, and then hung around the apartment the rest of the day. We finally woke up enough around 7:00 to play a round of Golf (a card game). The only way the night would have been better, would be if I had won instead of Jerald.
Friday
Black Friday... It should be called "black-eye-Friday" because everybody's out beating each other up over discounted roasting pans they won't need for another year.
We weren't quite brave enough to get up early and face the shopping crowds, but we did go to the mall around eleven to see if there were any good deals. It was a madhouse. The parking lot was absolutely packed, and Ty (who was driving) actually had to use some of the parking skills he learned at K-State to snag us a spot. (See? A college education is worth something now-a-days!)
Our shopping turned out well because I got a really cute pair of fifty-dollar jeans for only seventeen dollars. My favorite part was the sparkly pockets.
After we made a break from the crowded mall, we went to a restaurant called "Las Casuelas". My Mexican friend in the apartments tells me that it's pretty close to being authentic Mexican food... and it's delicious. Even though I was still in my stretchy pants from indulging the day before, we enjoyed ourselves a great meal, and even though I took half of my food home with me, I was still stuffed.
We played a game of Mexican Train (we're very cultured, no?) which took over two hours. When we finished we played "Old Maid In" which is basically a fun way of picking up all of the dominoes. (I won!)
The only way the day could have been better, would be if I'd won Mexican Train instead of Jerald.
Saturday
Even though Catholics aren't really supposed to decorate for Christmas until Christmas Eve, we set up our tree. Mostly because I'm leaving soon, and I at least wanted to decorate the apartment with Ty.
Papi's convinced that he's the only gift worthy of laying under the tree... he might be right.
After decorating, we took our guests out to our favorite restaurant in Nashville, for our favorite food of all time: Gryos! No one can come visit us without trying it. There aren't any pictures of this because it's all gone before I can even think to take a picture. That's how good it tastes!
With full bellies, we went to the Barnes and Noble by Vanderbilt so I could find a book on tape for my drive home... We left with about six actual books and no book on tape. And, as Ty informed me, you can't really read and drive. Guess I'll have to listen to the radio.
We went by our church, Cathedral of the Incarnation, to show Ty's grandparents where we go to church. I think it was built in the early 1900s, and it really is a beautiful building.
From worship to lordship, we went to Gaylord's Oprymills resort, and walked around the hotel. It was--to put it simply--ridiculous. Everything was over the top. Brian McClellan (Ty's stepdad) loves it, I think because it is bursting with just about as much energy as he has!
Our cousin, Mark Goudy, said he stayed in the hotel the night after coming back from Philmont, a two-week, technology free camping trip. I can only imagine how overwhelming it must have been for him!
There was a huge glass structure in the lobby, and I immediately recognized it a Czech glass. It only said the artist's name (who was a Czech man) but I wondered if it came from the factory we visited oh-so-long-ago when we were in the Czech Republic.
Here we are in front of an indoor waterfall/koi pond/fountain/Christmas light display.
There were giant lights hanging from the ceilings in the shapes of music notes, guitars, and random twinkling lights.
The best people I was able to experience it with.
And indoor gazebo with a fountain surrounded by real poinsettias.
So I must admit that Ty and I don't have a television. When we want to watch shows, we pull up Netflix on one of our computers, or play a DVD from our small--but growing--collection. I also must admit that Ty and his (our) family are giant sports fans, particularly of the Oklahoma (OU, Thunder, SWOSU) teams, but are not I REPEAT are not fans of Oklahoma State University.
Saturday night was an important night because of the bedlam game. (I hope I'm saying that correctly, or they might disown me.) It was the big night where OU was playing my future alma mater, OSU, or, as I like to call them, OK State. So, Ty sat his laptop on a folding chair and found the game on ESPN. The three of them sat huddled around the screen, cheering as my future school get stomped by OU.
I worked on editing my book.
The only way the night could have been better, was if OK State would have won. :)
Sunday
Sunday funday. Church day!As I grow in my faith, I've really come to look forward to mass on Sundays. I love being able to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ who are at varying levels in their faith journeys, sing beautiful hymns, say prayers I know are being said in Catholic churches throughout the world, hear the same scripture that's being told in every single Catholic church, encounter God in the Eucharist, and experience it all with Ty at my side.
And, because Ty drives us, I entertain myself with road trip selfies... a few of them turn out alright. Mostly I just annoy Ty with the shutter sounds.
It also happened to be raining ALL DAY. Coming from the driest part of Kansas, I never thought in my life I would get annoyed with rain... well, I'm annoyed by it here. Everything is so wet that mold grows almost immediately. My car smells like mold. But, anyway, back to the thankful part, it kept us in the house for most of the day and we got to spend even more quality time with these wonderful people.
We braved the weather to go to a movie theater and watch "Love the Coopers" it was a cute movie, but the popcorn was probably the best part!
At the end of the night, Mary Beth taught Ty how to properly wrap presents, because Ty and I have some presents for my family that needed wrapped.
Ty felt a little under-pressure with such an attentive audience.
The only way the night could have been better... well, I don't really know how to finish that sentence.
I feel like in some ways this has become a sort of "coming of age" blog. I know most people come of age when they're 13 or 16 or 18, or 17 if you're a wizard, but I'm still working it out. As I grow older, and my family grows, relocates, or passes on, traditions will always change. The best I can do is enjoy my family while I still have them, and let them know how much I love them, and how absolutely thankful I am for the time I have with them.
I love you.
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