Thanksgiving & Disappointments

I love Thanksgiving. I look forward to it every year. I love all the smells, the foods, the special time with family, and the time to focus on all that we're thankful for.

My sister-in-law Jeremi and I two years ago with our first turkey at our first ever Thanksgiving at my dad's house. And we were back in time for a meal with Tim's family here on Saturday!

The amazing assortment of food at my Grandpa's house with mom's family last year

Tim loves Black Friday. He talks about it for months, does research, finds early ads online, and is all about finding the big bargains. Get in, get out, and be done with the shopping and crowds.
{This year it's been even better because much of what he wanted, he found at huge discounts prior to Black Friday or at midnight that night online, and voila, no store shopping necessary.}

Thanksgiving this year was not as we'd pictured it.

Not even close.

Tim got sick. Plans were cancelled. Family wasn't seen all weekend. We were alone.

But it was still special in its own way. We made the best of it, enjoyed time alone together celebrating, just the two of us.

Tim's brother & sister-in-law's house was where we'd planned to go, but her parents were going to be there {whom we dearly love} and they'd been dealing with cancer, pneumonia, heart concerns, etc, and we especially didn't want to risk getting them sick!

I knew friends we could call, options we might have, but Tim was really miserable and he just really needed a few days of rest at home. No Black Friday shopping for him. {And yes, you'd better believe I went!} 


I spent my days focusing a lot on Tim, our little family together, had some sweet time with the Lord, and special time reflecting on how thankful I am for all God's blessed us with.

We did enjoy it... despite the illness, despite not being with family on Thanksgiving, despite not having a special home-cooked meal {and being especially thankful for the wonderful people & prepared food at Boston Market that tasted yummy & was as close to home-cooked as we could get!, then later had a special meal with the ham I had on hand & my homemade mac & cheese}, and despite not being able to share my homemade pumpkin & cherry pies with family, we've been enjoying having more for us! {Eek, must. get. on. treadmill!}

Our table decorations - the turkey is an heirloom from my Grandma D. It opens up in the middle. Love. I enjoy putting homemade cookies and other goodies in there.

This year's yummy Boston Market food :) - notice we broke out our Christmas plates!

My homemade pies (w/ purchased crust), along with the pie that came with the meal at Boston Market {the one with the lid on it}... which we haven't touched yet. But you couldn't get the meal without it.

Plans change, things fall through, disappointments happen, people get sick, and life goes on.

But a couple days into all of this and the antsy-ness hit. That lonely ache deep down. That feeling you only get from being away from family and loved ones.

It was hard.

I got sick over Easter this year. Now I feel like I'm waiting for the ball to drop on Christmas. :(

But instead of letting that antsy & depressed feeling totally take me over yesterday, I got up and kept moving. I'm exhausted, but not too depleted because I knew my limits and when to chill out.

Over the course of the weekend, we watched oodles of football, watched the Thanksgiving Day parade of course, favorites Elf and Home Alone {those are the ones I have to watch ON Thanksgiving!}, watched tons of other Christmas movies {thank you Hallmark & Lifetime!}, took down the Fall decorations and put up the Christmas ones {still in progress--and that one's all me except Tim helps put the tree up}, dreamt together and made plans for our house, snuggle time :), and listened to Christmas music via David Crowder, Josh Groban, Enya, Travis Cottrell, Mannheim Steamroller, & MercyMe.

Yes, it's been a somewhat lonely, quiet Thanksgiving. An introspective, reflective Thanksgiving. A homesick-but-still-glad-I'm-not-traveling Thanksgiving.

An at the end of 4 straight days alone at home {for the most part} together hubster & I are trying not to be too sick of each other Thanksgiving. ;)

But the last minute change of plans haven't made me any less thankful or happy. 

How was yours??