Monday, November 26, 2007

Back to Reality

For the first time in at least 5 years, the Hoos and I spent Thanksgiving with my family. We typically spend turkey day with his side of the family, but since it was my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary, we opted to celebrate with them in upstate NY at my uncle's house.

It is always nice to spend a few days with family, especially my family. They are nutty, diverse, silly, generous, loving and kind. You really can't ask for better. Seriously. For example, we spent one night playing the game "catchphrase" - poorly. You have to get your team to guess a phrase by describing it. To truly explain our inability to think after consuming large amounts of turkey, consider my grandmother saying "It is like a hamburger - with cheese" for the term "cheeseburger".

This applies to all of my family, not just my dad's side, who we spent the holiday with. We reserve the entire family gathering for Passover, because more than once a year might cause the universe to explode.

Anyway, we spent Thursday through Saturday at a lovely bed-and-breakfast/spa that my Aunt and Uncle own near their home. A restored mansion, it is spacious and quite wonderful. There is no television, which we didn't end up missing at all. We all gathered around the fireplace and talked, played games, and just chilled. It was great to be able to kick back and relax with no worries.

The situation was even more relaxing because with 12 adults around, LP had plenty of attention and the Hoos and I did not have to be constantly jumping up and down to chase her down. In fact, LP became so comfortable in the house, she would occasionally disappear behind the door leading to the kitchen and return with food. Lots of adults get lost in the 19th century mansion, but LP had no problems finding her way to the good stuff.

The drive home was just as easy as the ride up, but the return to reality was not quite as enjoyable. Well, other than the fact that LP slept like an angel at home and less so while we were away. A new environment and all that. I must admit, it was nice to have lots of extra hands and eyes to chase down my munchkin. The Hoos spent most of Sunday blowing all of our leaves into a big pile on our lawn and I followed LP around and brought her to the grocery store.

Makes me even more thankful for a large, healthy, and loving family...

3 comments:

KiKi said...

Sounds like you had a great time! I'm sure LP was in heaven, snitching food from everyone. And now I know where to go for a niiice getaway. Sweet.

Wenderina said...

Sounds great. Although TV has saved many a holiday for me when the conversation...um...dies.

Tiffany said...

We also went to visit family for Thanksgiving. I have a 7 year old niece and it was wonderful - it was like have a babysitter that I did not have to pay!! I could sit back relax, talk with the grown ups and read a book - no worring about the little one!!