Even after a week of non-stop traveling, my holiday spirit is still alive and kicking! Although I spent most of today thinking that it was Tuesday rather than Monday, so apparently my mental state is a bit questionable.
The travel marathon started the weekend before Thanksgiving, when Paul and I drove to Houston to spend the weekend with his mom. I realized shortly before we left that I hadn’t seen his mom since before we got engaged, so it was nice to get together and have a chance to celebrate. One thing I am thankful for this year is that I did pretty well in the Mother-In-Law lottery. :) Some good food, a lot of sleep, and an excursion to see the new Harry Potter film made for a great start to the holidays.
Banking all that sleep came in handy when I had to get up at 3 a.m. Monday morning. There is nothing good that I can say about that … but taking the 5:45 a.m. flight out of Austin did put us in Philadelphia by lunchtime, in time to get to Jolly’s house and meet Max & Jude at the bus stop. I still can’t believe they’re old enough to be in Kindergarten and taking the bus home from school! They spent the rest of the afternoon outside, playing tag – and other various games that involved running around the yard like crazy people – with Paul. M&J love me, but next to Paul I am officially chopped liver. Still, I can’t exactly blame them or fault their taste. Tuesday Paul and I got the boys to ourselves for part of the day, while Jolly went into work. My grand plans for morning yoga went out the window … but I’m pretty sure that trying to keep up with a couple of five year-old boys ended up being plenty of exercise. Paul and I were certainly exhausted by the end of the day … do parents just develop this stamina as they go along? But it was a great day. We took the boys to Starbucks, which they loved. My mom started a tradition when they go to visit her down in Oriental, to take them to the coffee shop and let them have “coffee,” which is basically a little bit of a decaf and a whole lot of milk. It’s very cute and makes the boys feel very grown up. I sorely confused the barista at Starbucks when I ordered two steamed milks with a splash of decaf, but they got it right and the boys loved it. They even wanted to stay there and hang out while we drank our beverages. After coffee we went to this fantastic playground nearby … one of those deals with all kinds of walkways, stairs, monkey bars, climbing ropes, etc … which in this case served as our giant spaceship that we had to defend against the invaders.
Paul and I made a short trip to Whole Foods to pick up the things I hadn’t assigned to my mom’s list, and then Paul, Jolly, and I were off on our nighttime road trip down to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with my mom. We hit traffic trying to get to I-95, but once we did, we had smooth sailing all the way past DC … and then things backed up. Rush hour around Fredericksburg at 11:30 at night? Seriously? I know it’s the Tuesday before Turkey Day, but sheesh! Sometime after midnight we stopped at a Waffle House for dinner … I love Waffle House, but this was the longest visit ever. It took 1/2 hour for the one waitress there to even take our order. At least we got extra sweet tea to go! Not on my approved diet, but I made an exception for the road trip. (As a side note, I managed to return from this whole week of traveling and eating without gaining an ounce, so I’m considering that a rousing success!) We finally hit Oriental around 5:30 in the morning, and promptly hit the sack.
Paul and I spent the better part of the next two days cooking, although we did manage to fit in two much-needed yoga practices, and I went for my first run in two months … something else to add the very long list of things I’m thankful for. The complete rundown of the feast? Winter squash, leek, and apple soup; roasted turkey (duh); stuffing with apples and leeks (I went with a bit of a theme here, and it was deeelish); homemade gravy (all Paul’s doing!); mashed potatoes en croute (basically mashed potatoes wrapped in puff pastry – a mouth-watering avalanche of carbs); mashed sweet potatoes; sautéed Brussel sprouts with bacon (after the bacon cooked on the turkey); peas, Irish soda bread courtesy of my aunt (so yummy!); copious amounts of red wine; and finished off with my specialty … chocolate bourbon pecan pie.
Next up on the grateful list: Spending Thanksgiving with my family (some of them anyway). I’ll see the rest at Christmas, but after a tough year with my mom, who had a stroke 6 months ago, to get to spend time with her and see how well she’s doing … truly something to be thankful for. With my mom, you don’t always know what you’re going to get. Last year after Thanksgiving we were barely speaking. So to have a nice visit where everyone got along was really special. Especially since this was my first Thanksgiving with Paul. I know we’ll have a lifetime more of them, but I’ve already made it clear what a sucker I am for the holidays, and I want our first holidays together to be special. I’m not putting too much pressure on (especially since he’ll be gone for two weeks in December), but let’s get real. Of all the things I’m thankful for this year, he’s without question #1 on the list.
And now I’m thankful to be home and getting back to normal. Back to my vegan diet (which feels so much better!), back to my (almost) daily yoga practice. Of course, I’m passing my free time by indulging shamelessly in cheesy holiday movies. I love them, without embarrassment. My DVR is nearly full, and somehow Boardwalk Empire and Burn Notice are taking a backseat to the Hallmark Channel. I’ve spared Paul so far, and I’m pretty sure that’s one of the things he’s thankful for this year. :) I’m also looking forward to doing more Christmas shopping. I’m done with some people already, and lots more will be ordered online. But in addition to cheesy holiday movies, I am also a sucker for shiny objects. Paul and I went to the Domain yesterday to do some shopping, and I am like a little kid with all the decoration and cute stuff all over – jewelry, shoes, Xmas decorations, shoes, funky little gifts, shoes. I don’t even need to buy things (and I didn’t) … I just love to look around. It somehow provides me with wish-fulfillment, yet without spending money or ending up with too much stuff.
Next up … going later this week to get my Christmas tree. Once I have that, it will be hard to get me to leave my house. I love to snuggle in on the couch with the tree lit, candles burning, a nice cup of tea, and my kittie all curled up with me as I watch yet another holiday movie. I’m going to use every minute Paul is gone to indulge in this while I can. This will be last Christmas in my little house … I move into Paul’s after Xmas. And while I couldn’t be more excited to start the next phase of our life together, I am definitely already sad about leaving my little house in Hyde Park. I’ve lived here for almost 5 years … the only place I’ve ever stayed longer is the house where I grew up. Moving is the right thing for me, but I’m still sad. And so I plan to wring every last drop of holiday enjoyment out of being home this year.
I have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to blessings and things to be thankful for. And so my only real wish for this holiday season is that the people I love have their own dreams come true this year. Happy Thanksgiving … I hope you all have much for which to be grateful.
