Happy Thanksgiving weekend! Shoutout to Sarah and Mitch who reminded me that I’m not off the hook for a blog post this week, and my personal apologies on being a day late!
I love hearing about other families’ holiday traditions, particularly Thanksgiving. I just love the message of the holiday – to be thankful for what blessings you have as we approach the Christmas season and start of a new year. I asked Mitch what his favorite Thanksgiving tradition is and he quickly replied “leftovers”. I can’t argue with that! Is there anything better than a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce and stuffing?! As a kid, my cousins and I would all venture out to the Houston Thanksgiving Day parade, hot chocolate in tow, before heading back home to prep for the big meal. We usually had turkey and ham (to which Mitch says – turkey AND HAM?! Reminder – big family.), complete with all the delicious sides – green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce – canned and homemade, and pretty much every other starch under the sun. We’d have thanksgiving with both sets of grandparents, though sometimes spread throughout the course of the weekend. Thanksgiving (and all other holidays for that matter) at Mah’s house were are a bit of controlled chaos, and at Gema’s – my dad’s mom – my siblings and I get more attention, and our pick of an array of desserts. Gema is known for always having multiple half-gallons of Blue Bell on hand along with enough pies and/or desserts such that each person at dinner could have their own whole. While there are stark contrasts between the two celebrations, each has its own special set of memories and funny stories and a special place in my heart.
Once we had our house and our kitchen renovations were done, Mitch took over turkey duty for Thanksgiving spent with his family. This year, he did a fried turkey and an oven turkey (fail-safe). Even with just the two of us, I love the buzz in the kitchen as he gets everything ready while I prep vegetables to roast. We have the high chair already set up in the kitchen and I can’t help but imagine what our lives will be like this time next year with an almost-one-year-old watching in the background.
My mom always makes us go around the table and say one thing we’re thankful for, so I’ll take the lead in continuing the tradition here. We have so much to be thankful for, but I’ve boiled it down to a short list of five:
- Support – I’ve said it many times but I can’t even begin to describe how much love we have in our lives, particularly since sharing our news.
- Mitch – I’m so thankful to have a husband who is strong when I am weak, who works crazy hard to support our family but also because he is so passionate about his business, who makes me laugh even when I’d prefer not to, and makes a mean breakfast sandwich.
- Family – I am so thankful that we will get to spend the holidays with both my family and Mitch’s family this year. I am thankful that my family has the means to travel to be with us in what I’m sure will be a very emotional (but also exciting!) time.
- Baby! – We are so thankful that we’ve had excellent medical care and staff monitoring our sweet babe throughout this whole process. I’m thankful for advanced medicine that allowed doctors to identify the heart condition and diagnosis, allowing us a grace period to process everything and prepare for baby. I’m thankful that there have been no other major medical issues identified to date, and continue to pray for healing.
- Hot showers / baths – Such a simple pleasure to me, but lately it is nothing short of GLORIOUS.
I hope y’all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and share your thankful thoughts with your loved ones!
