Oh so thankful...

This year my family was displaced: Robbie and I here, Dad in East Missouri visiting his parents, Mom in OKC working on the house and getting ready to move in a little over a week and Daniel in Edmond working and reluctant to ride his motorcycle in cold temps. It just happened to be this way this year and on Wednesday when we found out Robbie's brother and family were not coming to KC, well, Robbie and I had to make the best of it. Fortunately for us our friend Brent was also missing his family who also happened to ALL be in OKC as well. He joined us for a long afternoon of food and conversation. It was a quiet day and I know we all missed having our families around us, but at least we had each other.

Thanks to my parents, Robbie received his very own turkey frying set the last time we were in OKC. Robbie has been preparing for weeks to fry his first turkey and with surprisingly little drama he managed to a) prepare it with ease b) not catch himself or the house or the grass on fire and c) clean up the mess in the kitchen when we realized the hose was frozen. (Dad, many of your recommendations were not followed to the letter as you can see.....despite this, Robbie and I still managed to avoid any confrontations whatsoever....hmmmmm.....a lesson for you perhaps?) The turkey was delicious and my traveling Dad and Uncle Tom (the O.G.'s of turkey frying) were immensely proud.

My Grandmother called me first thing TDay morning as she was in her kitchen fixing her feast. We talked about all the many convenience foods and ways of preparing meals that were not available years ago. We talked about her first turkey she ever cooked when she was 16, living in France and had a brand new baby. I reminded her that I have the picture Grandpa took of her and that bird....it's one of my all time favorite pictures. This year I took it easy, green bean casserole, Stove Top (oh, I just realized I forgot to make the stuffing!) frozen rolls, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. I attempted to make candied yams, but sadly they sat atop the stove during the meal......not sure what happened there.

I set the table for three and Brent and Robbie even allowed me to take pictures of it before we could sit down, pray and eat. Thanks guys for pacifying crazy. (Thanks Wis for the Ikea napkin holders...they were a lovely addition to my table!)

After our late lunch, Brent, Robbie and I settled down in the living room to watch a documentary on the typeface Helvetica. (For those of you out there actually interested in this kind of thing it's really a great film and it's called Helvetica, in case you were wondering). We talked about art, life and consumerism while the t.v. flashed oodles of shoppers ready for Black Friday. The evening news came on and that's when it happened. A sudden gasp from my husband. When we discovered we would be alone for Thanksgiving we decided this was the year we would attend the Plaza lighting ceremony. We live 7 minutes from the Plaza and every year they adorn the beautiful shops with 80 miles of lights. It's a terrific KC tradition which includes thousands of people counting down the minutes then seconds to the lighting. Fireworks are also part of this tradition as well as Christmas carols, coffee and hot chocolate. Robbie told me on Wednesday that he was certain the ceremony was taking place on Friday, not Thanksgiving Day. I was pretty sure it was Thursday - but, whatever, we'll figure it out. So, the news comes on and there they are, on the stage, counting down with 30 minutes to go until the lights and fireworks. Brent was on his way home anyway, so Robbie and I scrambled to find our winter coats and gloves as the temp was at the most 22 degrees. We managed to find a parking spot only 7 blocks away and booked it to the center of the action. We had 8 minutes to spare! This is something I have always wanted to see in person and this was our year.

We got home around 7:45 pm and finished up the last minute cleaning. Is there anything more beautiful than your husband cleaning the kitchen? I didn't think so, either!

Our evening ended with a slice of pie and some "adult" hot chocolate. All in all it was a really nice day. The various phone calls and text messages from family and friends were reminders that we were loved and missed. This year I am thankful for husbands who like to cook and clean, technology to keep distance voices a little bit closer and for friends who have become family. I hope your day was as blessed as mine.