Thanksgiving Memories

I have noticed that I am always counting down to something. I suppose it's a habit that I developed during my long distance relationship with James. We always felt the need to count down the days until we would be together again. Now that we are married and the waiting is over, I still feel the need to count down to something. Everyone needs something to look forward to. But it does create some problems once that one thing has passed. For example, I had been looking forward to James' and my trip out to Louisville for Thanksgiving for months. I couldn't wait to see my family again and introduce those who couldn't make it out to the wedding to my wonderful husband. But now that the trip is over and we're back at home in Del Rio, I'm plagued with that nagging question of: "What now?"

Already, some of the specific details of the trip are fading... But we made a lot of wonderful memories that I know we will treasure for years.

I remember that James and I got some KFC for dinner and watched the movie 'Elizabethtown' in our hotel the night before flying out to Kentucky. That was our little way of preparing for the journey.

I remember looking out the window of my grandparent's car on the way home from the airport and noting how different the familiar landscape is in the winter. Can you believe that, in my 22 years of being a part of this family, I have only ever been out there to visit in the summer time? The tree tunnels that hang over the winding roads leading to their house seemed much less impressive without any leaves.

I remember how great it felt greeting everyone at the top of the stairs once we got to the house. It was especially nice seeing my parents again. I could tell they were really excited to see me. (And, I suppose it was nice seeing my brother again...) Everyone was so warm and inviting, and I greatly appreciated how well they treated James. There was no question that he was a part of the family.

I remember spending the afternoon alone with my granddad while everyone else went out shopping on Tuesday. He told us many stories about himself and how he met my grandmother. I know he was worried that he bored us to tears with all the information, but we really did enjoy learning more about our family history. He has put together a book of pictures and memoirs from his life called "Across Eight Decades". What a luxury - to have all these stories preserved for future generations!! It makes me wonder what kinds of stories I'll have to tell my kids and grandkids someday...

I remember playing many games with all of my cousins over the course of the week. I think they realized early on that James is a very smart man who enjoys competition. There were very few games he did not win, when he chose to play. As annoying as that was for the rest of us, I was proud of him for it. He certainly made a good impression on my relatives!

I remember going to the Louisville Slugger Museum with my immediate family - something I have been wanting to do with James since I learned about his passion for baseball. I enjoyed seeing how excited and interested he was in everything we saw and learned. I didn't know much about any of the people or events that are memorialized there, but it certainly meant something to my husband and so the trip was a meaningful one for me as well.

I remember walking around outside in the sunshine on Thanksgiving day and taking portraits of all of my cousins. This was something I had been wanting to do ever since we decided to make the trip, and I was so glad that they were all willing to model for me. I just don't get to take as many photos in Del Rio as I would like, and so it would have been worth the effort, even if the pictures didn't turn out as well as they did. Everyone was very impressed with the work I did, and that meant the world to me because it helped renew my confidence in my craft. Hopefully I will be able to use my new lens to stir up more work opportunities in the next few months.

I remember Thanksgiving dinner, and how great all of the food was. Even though the turkey wasn't finished cooking until after everyone was too full to eat another bite, it was a spectacular meal. My grandmother seemed to think that the mix-up in baking time ruined the meal, but I think it's a huge credit to her cooking that we were more than satisfied with side dishes. There was never a lack of food during the entire week, and I can honestly say that, as married people, James and I have never eaten so well.

Finally, I remember having to say good bye to everyone, which was very difficult for me. It's especially hard to say good bye to my grandparents, since I never know if it will be for the last time. It certainly didn't help that we had to listen to my grandmother's funeral music right before walking out the door. (I guess she asked my parents to write an arrangement of her favorite hymns, and they wanted to show her what they had written.) But I consoled myself over a late night White Castle cheeseburger that, at least we had an amazing week together as a family. We took advantage of every opportunity to be together and make memories. If this is it, then it's a great end. But I do hope there will be many more fun and crazy, laughter-filled visits to come.

Now that the trip is complete, it's time to find something else to look forward to. Good thing Christmas is coming up. That will keep me occupied for the next few weeks. =^)