1. 2001. I went to Massachusetts to visit my sister. I drove from Lexington to DC, where I took the fast train to Providence (a fun adventure in and of itself). I had only known Thomas for a few months, but I missed him terribly. The day before I left, we watched a meteor shower on the hood of my car. We were pretty solid friends by then. He was stuck at school by himself and I felt bad for him. I left my sister's house ahead of schedule on Thanksgiving day. We ate t.v. dinners by the light of the t.v.
2. 2002. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew stopped by Lexington, VA on their way to Florida. It was great to see them, but they left something behind--a terrible stomach virus. I was excited to cook our first Thanksgiving dinner. I ended up eating it by myself...for about 5 days. For some reason, I got really angry at Thomas for being sick. I was so sick of eating turkey, he was just so sick. For a couple of years the smell of turkey made him nauseous (and me unreasonably mad).
3. 2003. We were in Winter Haven with my family. All my siblings were there with their families. I have very little memory of that actual day. Why? Because we were married the day after and that is where my focus was.
4. 2004. Thomas and I were enrolled at the Naval Justice School going through the Navy's basic lawyer class. We went to New Hampshire and spent Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle and their family. We had a great time spending time with relatives we don't often see.
5. 2005. Spent with my family in Florida. I don't have any specific memories of this one. I am sure it was good, as my mother was an excellent cook. I always enjoyed helping her, especially on Thanksgiving morning, when the two of us, along with my sister if she was home, would get up early to get started. In our house, the women enjoyed the cooking, the eating and then watching the men clean up.
6. 2006. We hosted my family in Jacksonville. It was my first Thanksgiving cooking for a lot of people and I was nervous! Thomas did the potatoes, which started the tradition of him always being in charge of that item. The meal turned out perfect!
7. 2007. This was an interesting one. Jack and Anna had been born on October 3, prematurely. My mother came up to Virginia over her Thanksgiving break to help us. We hadn't planned on doing a Thanksgiving dinner (sleep deprivation!) but at the last minute we threw one together. We essentially ate in shifts. Two would eat, one would tend the babies. It turned into a pretty memorable Thanksgiving. As a side-note, the very first time we took the kids out in public (other than doctor's visits) was on black Friday that year. It marked about 8 weeks since they were born. We waited until 11AM and hit the mall, which was completely empty. The deals, and the people, had all left the building.
8. 2008. I was pregnant with Kara. Unfortunately, I can't remember much. We were still in Norfolk. Maybe Thomas will read this and help me out?
9. 2009. Spent in TN. Just Thomas and me and the kids. It was a nice quiet Thanksgiving. At least I assume it was, again, no specific memories. Although, I am sure the potatoes were superb.
10. 2010. Our first Thanksgiving in MD. Another quiet holiday with just the 5 of us.
11. 2011. We hosted our second big Thanksgiving. Well, big for me anyway--13 people. I made a list of what time to use which of the houses 3 ovens and had a blast planning the dinner. Thomas did potatoes in the crockpot for the first time and they were fantastic. Our good friends from Florida came up to spend Thanksgiving with us and helped us establish a new tradition, or what I hope will be one, of going to St Mary's City's Hearth and Home on Black Friday. It was a very special day.
12. 2012. Just me, Jennifer, and the kids. I made a pared-down meal. Since Thomas wasn't here, there were no potatoes. I turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, just like we always do and it hit me that it was our first Thanksgiving apart. It was a sad moment. [As a side-note, my high school band marched in the parade in 1993, which was another very memorable Thanksgiving, but that's a story for another day.] We were invited by some of our kind friends to spend Thanksgiving with them, but it was our first Thanksgiving in our new house and I wanted to make the dinner, even if it was just a small one. The kids and I joined some good friends (the Darrows) and all their guests for dessert and games. We had a great time, the only thing missing was Thomas.
That concludes my 12 years of Thanksgivings. We have a few traditions: like Thomas making the potatoes and turning on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Thomas and I count down our favorite Thanksgiving Friends' episodes and watch them in order from least to most favorite. We did the ranking years ago; Thomas made his list, ranking each season and I did the same, then we averaged the two lists to get our order. That index card has made it through lots of moves. I can't remember exactly when we made it, but I know it predates the babies.
I went through my Shutterfly photos, which go back to 2006 and I don't have a single Thanksgiving picture! So, another pictureless post for me. I'll make it up in the next one
No comments:
Post a Comment