Happy Thanksgiving!

This was the last Thanksgiving for Jonathan and I as "single people" as the saying goes.  It was a very pleasant and traditional one as usual. This year we opted to go to his aunt's house in Westchester again, even though we had gone last year. Reason being that his Uncle Dom had unfortunately suddenly passed away this past spring. We figured it would be best to make the house feel as full as possible this year because of that.

I liked what Jonathan wrote about his own view of yesterday:
Nicole reminded me that it was my last Thanksgiving as a single man and the last Thanksgiving in this house (at least, the way it is now). After she had said that, I got to thinking, how true she was. I was a bit sentimental...but not a bad way. I just tried to soak it all in. But, trust me, I'm more than happy and eager to start my life as a married man! :-)

We hit some pretty awful traffic on the way over. What normally takes just over a half hour or so, turned into an almost two hour car ride. But once we got there, the feasting began. Though I did miss seeing Ayla and Eliza (my two little cousins), we had another little cutie cousin there, Caity, the daughter of Jonathan's cousin Lauren and her husband Chris.

Between dinner and dessert, we hung out in his cousin Danielle's room, which is like Disney mecca. Needless to say, Caity really enjoys hanging with her aunt in there!

We left around 6 with full bellies and after dropping his parents at the house, continued to Woodside. The traditional movie was on (they chose The Money Pit with Tom Hanks) and the girls were down with their dad. Alex, my aunt, was nice enough to go get them. Luckily they weren't sleeping so I got to kiss them all up. Do I sound like a sucker for my little cousins? ....that's because I am, lol.

Raise your hands if you think my grandparents need to upgrade their TV!

We wrapped up the night with a Kris Kringle picking. This year, it was brought up that maybe we would take a break from the usual big gift swap (booo!) thanks to all the wedding stuff coming up. (Oops?) Jonathan wanted to participate too, so pretty much everyone in the house minus my Opa had names in the hat. The person I drew is easy because gift cards are definitely the way to go here. And, of course, regardless of what my mom said, Jonathan and I agreed my parents are still getting a gift from us! 

That leads to me to a short but sweet "Thankful" list:

1. I am thankful that everyone (both families & friends) have been excited about the wedding. It's more exciting thinking of it as a family affair. With lots of good food and music, of course. The emotional and financial support means more than a paragraph can express!

2. I am thankful for Starbucks iced mochas. They keep me sane, which keeps Jonathan sane, lol.

3. That even on Thanksgiving morning, some Starbucks employees came in and even seemed genuinely cheery as they worked!

4. Speaking of Jonathan, I am thankful that there is someone like him in the world. Everyone needs a Jonathan in their life. 

5. For siblings. Instant buddies for life. And I've got three! (A headache for my kid self, a blessing for my adult self, lol)

6. For my parents and Jonathan's parents, who secretly must all be saints.

7. The Big Man Upstairs. Without Him, I wouldn't be here to make this list!