Happy, happy Thanksgiving! We’ll be enjoying food and fun later today with Jose’s family. I’m excited for them to see how much Emma has changed — and how much more she is TALKING — since we last saw them all in August.
For the first several years I lived in Houston, I always stayed here for the holiday. It never made much sense to spend the money and time on traveling when I’d already be going to Charlotte for Christmas a few short weeks later. I would hang out, run the local Turkey Trot, eat with a small group of friends, and enjoy the rest of the long weekend.
I spent my first Thanksgiving with Jose’s family in 2006. We’d been dating for nearly a year at that point, but it was the first time I had met any of his family except for his mom and brother (who I’d met a month earlier). I remember being pretty overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, but other than that it was a fun day. We played foosball with all of his cousins, and Jose and I went through the entire day undefeated! Hurrah.
Sometimes I do find myself wishing for a nice, quiet Thanksgiving here in Houston. I haven’t done a turkey trot since 2005, and it’d be fun to do one again. I’d like to try my hand at cooking a Thanksgiving meal, and relax on my own couch afterwards. Mostly, it’d be nice to avoid the drive, and the traffic getting out of Houston!
But there would also be something a little strange, at this point, about celebrating Thanksgiving without any hustle and bustle. Without random bouts of foosball — or tetherball or whatever backyard game is available. Without betting on the score at the end of each quarter of the Cowboys game. Without standing in a giant family circle and hearing what each person is thankful for that year.
So I guess a little travel ain’t so bad after all.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
