Thanksgiving 2018

Now that Christmas is next week - how did that happen - I will go back in time to share our Thanksgiving. Not to be confused with Canadian Thanksgiving that we celebrated in October, this is American Thanksgiving that offers us another opportunity to be super thankful and eat a lot of turkey and pie. 

The three of us flew up to MSP, rented a car, and drove to the northwoods of Wisconsin where my parents live. We hadn't seen Will since we dropped him off in August and we were looking forward to reuniting there for the week! We could tell he beat us there because of the tell tale donut marks in the snow on the circular drive leading up to Mom and Dad's place. I refused to believe my son would do such a thing even though his father seemed at peace with it. But once asked about the aforementioned skid marks, dear son gave a sheepish look that confirmed his father knew him better than his mother, who apparently lives in denial. 

airport selfie

To prepare for this trip I had to storm the attic and find the Rubbermaid container with our winter gear. I also had the opportunity to wear my sweaters, corduroy pants and turtlenecks that are collecting dust in my closet. That's because it looked like this:

Beautiful, yes? With that comes cold. We definitely got our snow and cold fix. I'm good now. 

If you've ever read my other posts about Thanksgiving, you basically know where this is going - our celebrations included Grandma's apple pie, the official first viewing of A Muppet Christmas Carol , games of hand and foot, bottles of 14 Hands, Friday night fish fry, Black Friday in Rhinelander, and bowling on Saturday. This year we added a pecan pie made from the pecans off our tree, watching the movies Holiday Inn  and Christmas in
Connecticut, Mom's broken ankle that encouraged her to order a turkey dinner from the local grocery store, and a plane ride instead of our previous car rides. 

Yes, Mom broke her ankle (again) the week before Thanksgiving. This was upsetting on several different levels. It was her right ankle again and would keep her from driving. It was also hunting season and while Dad was willing to sacrifice his favorite time of year, Mom was not willing to be the reason. Our family would be descending on the house for Thanksgiving and her hostess duties would be seriously challenged. On top of all of that, they were scheduled to leave for Germany right after the holiday weekend to visit brother Reid and family and to attend some of Germany's Christmas markets. 

It all worked out and for all of that was more reason to be thankful! Dad got to go hunting and had a successful season. Mom ordered the grocery store meal but Zanna and I still did green bean casserole and my pecan pie. The dinner ended up being so tasty that we've really started to question why we haven't done this before!! It may be a new tradition ... And Mom and Dad made it to Germany and back although I have yet to talk with them and get the details on how it went. 

It was wonderful to see Will again and I always breathe a sigh of relief and thankfulness when my little family of four is all under the same roof again, safe and sound. Will is enjoying Martin Luther College and has been recently juggling a job at a dairy farm just outside of New Ulm. He's thrilled to be driving and have his own car! He's home now for Christmas holidays and is already enjoying the break. 

It was also wonderful to share another Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa. They're in their nineties now and I'm just soaking up every bit of time I get with them. It's humbling grace that allows our four generations to celebrate together, commune and worship side by side, and continue to laugh and love each other. Thank you, Jesus! 

Another blessing has been moving closer to family. Wayne's brother, Brent, and his family are in nearby Dallas/Ft Worth area. They have been extremely gracious in hosting us overnight for reasons that bring us into the city but in not enough time to drive home. Brent's made our airport runs and has met us for the occasional lunch date. The cousins get to see each other more often after all these years! We are grateful to reconnect with our family now that there are two "Texas Halldorsons". 

Advent and Christmas has seriously snuck up on me mainly because I keep waiting for it to get cold and/or snow. We have been enjoying some really beautiful weather and still can't get over not needing a coat some days. We're working on the yard in December and are going for walks without needing mufflers and boots. My brain has been tricked and I'm learning I need to look at the calendar and not base my planning on the weather. Everything continues to be new and different and a learning process!