I want to go "home"

Yesterday we had to take two separate cars to drive to my aunt & uncle's house.  I had Catherine with me and the rest were driven by Andrew.  We stopped to drop something off at my best friend's house, and then we were on our way.

A little over half way home, my eyes began to fill with tears.  I realized for the first time I really don't want to stay in this town for years on end.  I had so much fun with my cousins yesterday, but I miss small family things because I'm over an hour away.  We can't make it to dinner gatherings with our friends because we are an hour away.  I'm incredibly grateful that we are here and that are kids are in these schools.  When that need is finished though, I want to go back and be closer to the area we call home.  I don't know if that will ever get to happen, but maybe someday!

A Thanksgiving I will always remember

Today was one of my most favorite days.  I truly loved it.  It is a Thanksgiving I hope I always remember.

There were 28 of us all together at my aunt & uncle's house.  I loved watching how all nine of the great-grandkids, ranging in age from Catherine at 18 to Ava at age 4, hung out together and laughed together.  Most of the grandkids and spouses (along with Andrew's parents) all sat at another table.  I don't ever remember having as much fun and sharing as much as we did today.  While I am older than all of my cousins (in fact, I called them my "baby" cousins growing up), we are all adults now and the age difference doesn't matter anymore.  We all enjoyed watching our kids, and we laughed as we heard them arguing about the answer to a math problem.

We missed our sailor, and with the impending graduation of Catherine, and of course losing my aunt...with all of this, gathering together as a family seemed all that more important.  I so enjoyed getting to spend the day with so much family.

Thanksgiving morning

My favorite holiday of the year is here.  I'll be honest though, Thanksgiving isn't what it used to be.  There were so many years when Thanksgiving meant an entire weekend of time for our family to do exactly what we wanted, and to just hang out.  It's so different now.  Catherine will work all weekend, and the kids had swim practice and work out yesterday.  We also need to transport Andrew's parents back and forth, and it just isn't the amount of "down" time that we had in the past.  It is what it is though.

I've enjoyed the quiet of the morning.  I emailed Robert, and since he is 15 hours ahead of us his Thanksgiving was almost over.  I have enjoyed a cup of coffee, and now I am watching the parade.  Catherine has been sick (she does feel much better today) so Andrew and I have been camped out in the living areas of the house.

I am looking forward to heading to my aunt & uncle's house later today.  I am really missing Aunt Cathy today, and I can only imagine how her girls are feeling.  I am so grateful that we get to spend so much of our day with family.  I am thankful for so many things.  Life is full of so many blessings!

I just lost my mind

This was an extremely busy weekend.  It made it very difficult to feel in the holiday spirit, but we will get there.  I love Thanksgiving, and I plan to enjoy it.

We had a very nice lunch with my grandmother Saturday.  She never ceases to amaze me!  I was at the barn for our band fundraiser in the morning, and then again in the evening.  I also tried to get the house picked up since Andrew was having guests yesterday, and of course my in-laws are coming.  Yesterday I was up to make sure Catherine got off to work, and then did LOTS of house cleaning before heading off to the fundraiser...and this is where I just lost my mind!  I totally got confused about the time and was still sitting in my dining room when I was supposed to have been there ten minutes earlier.  Oh my goodness!  The day went along though, and it was fine.  As is always the case with this fundraiser though, even after spending four hours, I came home and basically spent the rest of my evening working on handling "issues" that resulted from it.  I even had to leave home at 8:30 last evening to drop something off at a house.  It felt like it would never end.

It seems as though losing my mind actually started a week earlier.  I went to do laundry this morning, and when I opened the washer, there was a load from last week still sitting there.  Ugh!  Everything obviously needed to be re-washed.  I wondered where several things had gone.  I can't imagine how this happened, but I guess it just shows I've had too much on my mind.

I am ready for a few days of family and fun.  Catherine is home sick today with a terrible cold.  I am hoping and praying that nothing more develops and she can still enjoy the week!

Ready to begin the holidays

It is the Friday before Thanksgiving...one of my favorite "we are in school" Fridays of the year.  We made it through this week, and now the time has arrived to think about the holidays...sort of.

The kids don't have swim this evening which is awesome!  Unfortunately, Andrew has to work at the hockey game, but even then he should be finished and home by 9:00.  The kids and I will be spending LOTS of time working on chores, but I am hoping there will be some TV sharing before bed.  Tomorrow I will be up early to get things going for our band fundraiser, then we have Thanksgiving lunch with my grandmother tomorrow.  I'll be back in time to finish the day's shift at the fundraiser, and will be spending all day Sunday working it with Thomas.  Andrew is having guys over to watch the Steelers/Bengals game on Sunday, so tomorrow evening needs to be some serious house cleaning.

Monday I will be traveling to norther Kentucky to visit some extended family, and will also need to spend some time at my church job.  I'll make sure laundry is done and things are ready for the week, because Andrew and I are leaving VERY early Tuesday morning to retrieve his parents and bring them back for the holiday with us.  By the time we get back the kids will be at swim, but I am looking forward to a few days of relaxing and hanging out.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I'm so incredibly blessed to be able to spend the day with so much family.

Our lives are so incredibly blessed.  I realize I need to stop worrying about the things that "could" happen, and just enjoy the things that are actually happening!

Another step in the process

After school today, Andrew is taking Catherine to where she is going to school to sign her housing contract.  This school does not have dorms, but they do have a managed apartment complex that is adjacent to the school.  She is doing this early to guarantee she can get the room she wants, which is the cheapest of the choices.  Honestly, it's pretty reasonably priced, especially considering it is furnished.  This is all really happening.  My sweet little girl is growing up and moving away.  The thing about this living arrangement is that because it isn't a dorm, because it is an apartment, they aren't "closed" during holidays and breaks.  So my sweet girl could move out next August, and never actually come back home.  It just seems so hard to believe.  Somehow, the worrying in these years of life seem nothing compared to the worrying of the next years!

So blessed to have this quiet morning

I am again only scheduled to work this afternoon.  It is not yet 8:00, although I've been up for nearly two hours.  I am so grateful for this time this morning to relax and just allow myself some quiet time.  I am so grateful for the moments I get to sit here, with my sweet pup cuddled up next to me, and one of the cats snuggled up next to the pup.  These moments bring such a sense of calm and gratitude that I can't even begin to explain it.