Thanksgiving

In exactly two weeks, I will be in Missouri, enjoying Thanksgiving with my family, just like I have done for many years... since I was a child, really. There is only a few years that I can remember staying home from Missouri, so, for me, Missouri for Thanksgiving is a tradition.

Each Thanksgiving-- each trip-- to Missouri is a special blessing now, especially with my grandmother in her condition. I remember hating those trips so much not that long ago, and now I am anxious and eager to spend time up there. So many things have already changed, and I wish I could go back in time and enjoy them more. Some things I will miss this Thanksgiving include:

1. My Grandparent's farmhouse. They bought that home in 1951, and they raised my mom in that home. My mom had her wedding reception in the living room of that house, and she got married in the little chapel down the road. It had a staircase to slide down on, a back porch to read on, a trail that led to the creek and Critter Tree, and a 200 year old Liberty Tree standing tall in the front yard. That house is history now, remembered only with pictures and memories. Grandpa had to sell it to move in to town to be closer to grandma. Those idiots who bought it burnt it down with their renovations. This will be the first time I go there with no farmhouse existing whatsoever.

2. Cinnamon Sticks. Mind you, they were just flat sticks of left over pie crust dough with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on them, but they were amazing. Grandma would always have a few batches ready to share with her grandkids.

3. The evil fan. This could technically fall under the farmhouse category, but this fan is special. I always thought this ceiling fan had an evil and mean face to it, and it terrified me. I could never sleep facing it. Yet I will miss it. Odd.

4. Grandma's thanksgiving dinner. I will miss her cooking, and I will miss the smell of the house all morning long while she made all the preparations. All of her recipes were fresh from scratch, and the best ones included her dressing, chicken and dumplings, and her rolls. Unfortunately for me, I was a picky eater growing up and never got to fully enjoy her cooking... two years ago marked the last Thanksgiving she cooked for all of us, and I got over my pickyness to eat at least one bite of everything she made. I realized what all I had been missing...

I will stop there because this entry is depressing. A lot has changed over the years, including my increased desire to go to Missouri and spend this time with my family there. I don't know how many Thanksgivings I have left before my Grandma either forgets who we are or leaves the world for a better place. All I really meant to say in this entry was that I am really, truly looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I have a LOT to be thankful for.

And after Thanksgiving comes me and Chris' first Christmas together. We have already begun thinking about traditions and buying decorations. We are both so excited about this... :)

Nothing too exciting going on in our world, anyway. That is why I chose to write about the holidays that are coming up. They are what we are living for and looking forward to right now. We are both ready for a BREAK! (I know that I AM!)

Hope everyone is well!

3.