Ahh, The Holidays have begun
23 Nov 2007 4 Comments
Thanksgiving was at The Folks again this year. I wanted to do my part so I invited everyone over for breakfast at my apartment.
Brotha-Man’s in-laws were heading in from Connecticut so he, Sil and The King were unable to come. I told Mom I was ready to have them all but I would have to borrow one plate. She laughed but we both know that was better than when I had the pancake breakfast a few years ago. I had only invited Mom and Dad that year but Nicole was living with me at the time and her Fiancée, Lou, stopped by so we had to wash the only four dishes I had and reuse them as fast as possible. We laugh about that every year now.
So Mom, Dad and Sis came for breakfast. Mini Red and I were up late doing the final cleaning Wednesday night. We had already done the grocery shopping Tuesday, which was not fun but I approached it with a Zen like attitude and we survived. Thursday, Mini Red and I got up early since our guests were arriving at 9am. I was still doing more cleaning and wiping down the kitchen cabinets when Mini Red said, “What are you doing Mom?”
I replied, “I’m cleaning.”
“Mom! Do you really think they will notice a speck on your cabinets and point it out?”
“Hey! My schedule doesn’t warrant dome deep cleaning like this so when I have the chance I will scrub the cabinets and such.”
For breakfast I had scrapple, bacon, eggs, fruit, cinnamon buns, home fries, toast, OJ and coffee. The five of us squeezed around my dining table and breakfast was a success. Dad even expressed how much he enjoyed it and that was an incredible feat considering he doesn’t like much of anything anyone cooks except for Mom’s cooking.
After breakfast I drove Mini Red to her Dad’s. I was feeling grumpy and I think that was just a combination of exhaustion and the fact that the holidays are here. I am determined to really enjoy the holidays this year. The shopping is always a bit unnerving and I refuse to let any of it get to me and just figure out what it is I want out of the holidays to make me happy.
So when I got home I went for a run. Who could resist when it was so beautiful out. Now I’m probably the worst runner out there, I’ll walk and run and walk and run and so on. I did a bit more running this time and hit some neighborhoods I haven’t been through in a long time. All the while I was enjoying listening to The Kooks. This is unusual since I don’t normally take the iPod when I run but listening to the music and taking in the sights of the beautiful trees will put anyone in a great mood.
I leisurely took my after shower run and took my time drying my hair and getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner at 5pm. I was feeling the hunger pains since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and although tempted to just grab one little piece scrapple I didn’t. I was the last to arrive at The Folks but dinner wasn’t near ready and I made a beeline for my nephew, The King. He looked at me and cried. Mom hollered from the kitchen, “Red! Did you make The King cry again?”
“Yes!”
Ends up he was hungry so I let him be. We were all hungry and this year there were no dips, which was probably a good thing. We opened the wine and by the time we sat down to eat we were all buzzing off the wine on our empty stomachs. After the fabulous dinner, which I had seconds of the pineapple stuffing, we excused ourselves to let the dinner settle before we dug into the desserts. The King was much happier so we played and he even told me a story. Gawd, I love this kid and he is growing so fast that we suspect he will be very tall like my brother and thus will be carrying his Mommy around by the holidays next year.
Thanksgiving was a success and now all I was trying to do was stay awake. I had been so exhausted and I was feeling my run then after the wine and all the food I knew I would sleep well. I was home and in bed in time for Grey’s Anatomy and I could barely stay awake for that. Earlier in the evening I sent out mass text messages to all my friends wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving. I received replies all the way up till 2am and still I would easily fall back to sleep easily.
Yeup, the holidays are off to a good start. I’ve recently realized how much I love the holiday commercials and movies. I believe White Christmas is playing today and I love the Sisters song. It’s just the shopping is the part I’m not looking forward to.
