Happy Thanksgiving!

For the first time since I was under 5 years old I was supposed to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad and his wife and kids. Thanks to an Arctic storm that was cause for a blizzard warning and frigid cold temps in Utah, I didn't make it to Thanksgiving in Idaho.

Instead I hung out with my dear friend and her hubby and the hubby's fam. That was fun! We spent the day looking at the ads and playing video games and enjoying each other's company. There were 4 children around to play video games with, say bizarre things that make adults giggle, and to just enjoy watching. One of the kids is hands down my favorite kiddo. She's almost 4 and I always love time spent with that kid! She makes me laugh and feel so loved and she has a real zest for enjoying life. Time with her on Thanksgiving was as fantastic as always.

After dinner and dishes and peeling all the meat off the turkey we had nap takers and football watchers and a few adults sat down to play games and we all continued to enjoy Thanksgiving. Next thing I knew, two of the adults are yelling and the house was in a bit of chaos. I still don't know what happened (and nor do I care). Sad to say, but I was starting to think this pleasant day was a bit too good to be true. While I was growing up, my family didn't exactly have drama free holidays. And when I'm around people who are too "Leave it to Beaver" perfect, I worry about them. This sudden fighting seemed normal to me and made me appreciate the dear friends who had shared their Thanksgiving with me. It made me feel like a member of the family and not just a guest they felt the need to hide their conflict from.

While the adults tried to work out what had happened I played with the kids. Running through the house and circling the couch I had two girls pretending to be doggies chasing me. When I stopped to catch my breath my favorite little person bit at my pant leg and tried pulling my leg and shaking her head while still biting my pant leg. She let go and bit at my pants again and this time got my leg. Yep, she broke the skin. And yep, I've got a blue and purple bruise just above my knee. And no, I'm not mad at all. It was an honest accident. And I love my little person as much as ever.

After the bite and seeing that the fighting wasn't exactly resolving I decided to head over to my cousin's for round two. My dear host apologized and I did my best to assure her that it was fine and really just seemed like a typical family event to me.

At my cousin's house the food was done being eaten and they were relaxing with a comedy show on tv. After being introduced to the other invitees I realized my cousin had introduced me to his wife. His wife? When had they gotten married? They let me know it had happened a couple weeks ago and after offering them my congratulations we all spent the next few hours playing games.

I headed back to Salt Lake a bit after 11pm in the bone chilling 15 degree night thinking what a great day this Thanksgiving had been. I had been in the homes of loved ones and spent the day laughing and enjoying the company of dear friends. Sure the day also held a family fight, getting bit by my favorite little person, and yet another family member who got married without telling anybody. Yep, completely normal by my family's standards.