Thanksgiving: Now and Then

Then...

I used to wake up feeling like it was Thanksgiving

Leaves outside would be golden brown..

Duke would be rolling in the leaf piles Erik and I made

Mom would be in the kitchen cooking

She would talk to the Turkey

(And even tricked me into believe that talking to it made it taste better)

Erik and I would play Nintendo 64

Then John and Leslie would come over

The boys would play video games

The girls would play Polly Pockets...

We'd fight over who would get to sit at the "grown up table"

Granny would come over first

She'd hug us all and kiss our cheeks

Saying "hi baby" to each of us..

Her honey baked ham would leave such a delicious smell...

Tara and Kenny would show up next

...bringing some sort of Tara's famous pies

Piper would help my mom and set up the punch bowl

Soon, Farmor and Farfar would be here

Along with Rick

And sometimes Lumina...but not always

Duke would sneak into the house somehow

And say hi to everyone...

But then he,d get in trouble and get kicked out again...

I miss the candles being lit on the table

I miss being the one to dim the lights

I miss the way my family cooked every dish

I miss those stupid pumpkin stickers my mom would put on the windows

I miss that tacky pumpkin tinsel she would wrap around the iron rod gates...

I miss the orange and yellow lights around the dining room window

~ ~ ~

Mom moved out

The holidays were different...

No decoration were put up again..

Thanksgiving was always at Tara's house now

It's fun..but not the same

I miss the way my mom celebrated the holidays

I miss her..

The old her....

I miss playing games with Erik all day

I miss feeling like it was Thanksgiving

I miss the way the light shined through my bedroom window

I miss the smell of turkey and candied yams

I miss coming downstairs to see my mom in the morning...

I miss seeing Erik climbing up the doorway in the kitchen...

I miss... Everything...

~ ~ ~

Now...

(Last year)

I got off of work

It's starting to snow/rain

Kerry is on her way to come pick us up

I race back home to our apartment to pack

Jayson just got home

I straighten up the kitchen and front room before packing

Jayson throws a few last minute things into the suit case

He moves all of our moving boxes away from the hall way so Cody can use the bathroom

Kyle brings Sam up to our apartment for the first time

"Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jayson live closer to Nephew Sam now"

Sam chooses a movie to watch on the drive up

Jayson is excited to see his nephew

I'm making sure Sam remembers to bring his coat with us

Kerry checks out our new apartment

Cody,Kyle,Jayson, and myself are so excited to see Sam

We drive to the airport to meet Curtis

(He was dropping off a rental car)

We drive up to Grandma Shana's and Grandpa Milton's

I realise that Jayson didn't grab the suitcase out of our apartment...

I didn't grab the suitcase out of our apartment...

We're an hour away from grandma's

We stop at Walmart

Sam helped aunt "Ashjery" pick out a Thanksgiving dinner outfit

But every shirt isn't an AuntAshley shirt...

..its a Cool Cody shirt..

We finally drive up to Grandma and Grandpa's

The whole family is there

From Curtis' side anyway

We unfolded 3-4 long tables for dinner

There are a ton of Anderson's.....

It's different from home

But it's good

Everyone gets along

Grandma cooks the best sweet potatoes.

We play games in the basement

Everyone has their own room

Clean up is finished

Black Friday begins

The boys go out

The girls stay home and play cards with grandma

Or supervise babies

Grandma has an entire cubbord of soda

I'm in heaven.

(This year)

Jayson and I have FHE tonight

Pack for Utah

Back to the cold again

Hoping for snow

One more time for that long car ride up to Logan, Utah

It will be different again..,but good

Full of the Spirit

Full of love and Appreciation

Nephews and cousins, young and old

Aunts and uncles,

Sister in laws and their husbands

Brother in laws that drive me nuts...
but I love them

More family that I haven't met yet

Future husbands to my cousins might be there this time?

I'm ready to hear the interrogations begin on that one

First time Black Friday shopping...

...heaven help me....

We won't forget our suitcase

Thanksgiving: Now and Then

It's different

But I still have many things to be thankful for