Ghost of Thanksgivings Past

I love Thanksgiving! Every year, I always forget just how much I love this holiday, which is often lost between the excitement of Halloween and Christmas, until about the week before Turkey day.

This year, though, I've managed to keep my enthusiasm for a day of giving thanks - perhaps because we have so much to be thankful for! As with so much in the fall and winter, we have holiday traditions that I have come to absolutely love.

Since we bought our house, the past two Thanksgivings have looked something like this:

*My mom comes over the night before and stays with us, so that she is there when we wake up Thanksgiving morning.

*I wake up ridiculously early Thanksgiving morning, not because I have to, but because I'm so excited I can't sleep. I turn on the TV and watch whatever is festive, make coffee, and get started on the stuffing.

...Sometimes Casey even gets up with me!

*Make "Awesome Breakfast" - a smorgasbord of hashbrowns, eggs, spicy sausage and cheese, which is Casey's favorite and which he asks about literally all year long. (No picture of this could be found, it just disappears too quickly!)

*Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which makes me absurdly happy!



*Piece by piece, make all the wonderful, traditional food of Thanksgiving, while watching either a) the dog show, or b) football with my family lounging on the couch.

Hooray! The star of the show: Tom Turkey!

*About 2 or 3, Casey's parents come over, just in time for me to set the table.







*Eat, drink, and be merry with all the fam around the dinner table. I absolutely love having them all around! It's always a pleasure.

This year, I finally had to share the holiday... which, after two years of hosting, makes a lot of sense! Although we will have to run around a bit more this year in order to see everyone, I am still looking forward to getting to see all of my family at this wonderful time of year!

And I am still in awe, and increasingly aware of how much we have to be thankful for. This year, even more than in past years, Casey and I feel extremely blessed!