Let them eat Turkey....

Sooo….tomorrow is Thanksgiving and the web is filled with everyone expressing what they are thankful for.  I have to say…I’m thankful for the past year…..it’s given me a new prospective on this journey we’ve been battling as a family.  I think some of it went unspoken because at times we just didn’t want to talk about the obvious, which was hard to face.  I’m thankful that through this journey I’ve had “good news” to share with dad daily.  The positives we have been able to pull from this, the opportunity to be in touch with some we haven’t heard from in a long time, the notes, the encouragement, the stories, the memories, and most of all the laughs at “remember when”.  Sometimes we get so busy in the everyday life of demands we forget the little things.  Trust me I’m not preaching to the choir, I’m probably one of the worst at that so I’m pretty much talking to myself as I type this.  It’s always been about reaching a particular goal but the important thing to get from that is to understand and appreciate how you got there. 

I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my family.  As crazy as we may be J  Ok…we aren’t crazy…maybe just loud… opinionated…poor dad never stands a chance in a house full of woman.  I think of everything he claimed was “his”…he lost over time because we took over.  I remember when building our house he was so proud of the basement getting to be his (it was some sort of agreement mom had with him so no “Hunting memorabilia was in the actual living/visiting parts of the house)…(I suppose now people refer to those as man caves)…a place he could finally hang his deer trophies…turkey hunting whatever…football memorabilia etc.  I can’t say I remember how long he had that “room”…but I do know it wasn’t long J  Sadly the kids started to take over little by little, and then I think I actually took over it with craft projects so much he didn’t even bother putting up a fight about it being “His Space”, now it’s Andy’s room J.  Maybe he just considered the “Hunting Cabin” they built to be his “place”.  Which is another thing this time of the year always reminds me of…..Deer Camp….  Now I must say you have to be from around here to truly appreciate this ritual….I don’t even know where to begin to explain it J  But there was a rule “No woman allowed”  but somehow they always let me sneak in…I think I brought cookies is the reason or I usually wasn’t seen without being attached to dad J

I remember in high school they tried to have school the Monday/Tuesday of what some call Thanksgiving break….We kinda refer to it as Deer Season…. I remember there were so many students absent (they were hunting) they couldn’t even count the days…..so we still get a whole week off for Thanksgiving here…I suppose you have to pick your battles J  Dad lived to be in the woods….I remember questioning all the “tricks” of hunting…. vanilla extract poured all over clothes (you know so the deer can’t smell you)…to “survival of men only” at Deer Camp for the week, but don’t worry we had Thanksgiving Dinner after Dark so they had time to make it to dinner after they’ve come out of the woods for the day J  Dad scheduled basketball practice around deer breaks…..he showed up in camo….had to answer the question everyday if he got one.  I guess that was always the week dad got to “getaway”.  It’s kinda a ritual around here, and growing up around it I’ve learned to appreciate it.

Last year since dad can’t attend “Deer Camp” now….they came to visit him…camo and all J  It’s easy to forget just how fun this week was as a kid and to be honest, it seriously was less than a half a mile from our house, but it seemed like a whole different world.  Some of the deer camp stories I hear now, I definitely don’t remember being allowed to hear as a kid haha….but they are worth all the laughs now that’s for sure.

 

I’d made a big move back to WV last June…so this has been my first full year here being back “Home” in WV and I’m thankful to be here.  I’m thankful to get another Thanksgiving with my family.  I’m thankful my family still doesn’t believe I can cook so I’m never really asked to bring anything J  I’m thankful to be surrounded by people who care about me, to have all the blessings I do have in my life that I take for granted on a daily basis.  It's good to have a day we disignate to be Thankful for and all the traditions that come with it (especially the food part)....we need a certified day sometimes to help us get things in perspective and remind us of what it's really all about.

Here is to everything we all have to be thankful for…but sometimes get a little sidetracked at the little things that bother us and tend to forget all the blessings we do have…..it’s ok…we are human J 

P.S. Turkey trotters don't forget to wear your Team Spangler T-shirts tomorrow! :) (I sadly am side-lined if this cough and repertory whatever doesn't straighten up over night....it's always good when a Doctor tells you that your stubborn and to "just take the medicine already".... a battle once I get to this point I’ve yet to learn to give in and surrender) J  Don’t forget to send pictures! 

 

And just a warning...if ANYONE touches my grandma Nelson's Macaroni Salad that I know she makes JUST FOR ME...we'll have a wrestling war going on at our household :)