My Wonderful Thanksgiving

The turkey was stuffed, the potatoes were mashed. The pie was cut and the tables were set. It was time to eat our Thanksgiving lunch. I was so excited to eat and share an amazing meal with my family. Thanksgiving is the beginning of a whirlwind of holidays but it is always the most relaxed. We take our time eating lunch, sharing stories and catching up with family members. I always eat too much but I never regret it.

Usually after lunch, we clean up the tables and turn on the football game. We hang out and let our food digest for a bit, then the real fun begins. We start the afternoon off with a leisurely stroll down to the crick about a quarter mile down from our house. Once we make it to the crick, we all run around and find a handful of quality sticks. We play, "Pooh Sticks", a game that began years ago when we were all much younger. After you find your stick, we count down and toss our sticks off the bridge into the crick. We then run over to the other side of the bridge and wait to see whose stick comes to the other side first. The winner gets bragging rights until our next round of Pooh Sticks! Now that my sisters and cousins are a bit older, we simply play Pooh Sticks for our two younger cousins. 

Playing Pooh Sticks and getting ready to drop our sticks!

Waiting to see whose sticks come out first!

After a few exciting rounds of Pooh Sticks, we went down the road a little bit farther to the horse pasture and fed the horses some corn from the field. Chipper and Trigger are the horses that Ashley's family own and have in the pasture. Eventually we walked back to the house and started some exciting games of euchre and pinnacle. The older folks took naps and those that were interested in football watched the game. Some played air hockey and ping pong, too. Spirits, cards, naps and the occasional snacking filled up our afternoon hours.

You know it's time for supper when more people start poking around the kitchen for food. We get out the leftover turkey and make turkey sandwiches with all the necessary toppings. It is a whole new spread of food. As soon as dinner ends, people start sprawling out everywhere, closing their eyes and moaning. 

My family can be crazy and fun but at the end of the day, I love them to death and I always have a blast. The conversations my family have would turn people away at the door. Unbelievable, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so glad I have an amazing family and that I was able to be with them this Thanksgiving. Every day I feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family. Today couldn't have been more perfect. 

All of my cousins and me.