Thanksgiving

In general, I really enjoy cooking and the idea of inviting our closest family and friends over for a home-cooked meal sounds like a lot of fun. However, this year, the thought of slaving away in the kitchen to prepare a Thanksgiving feast just sounded like.....a whole lot of work. And so the decision was made to eat out. No shopping, no cleaning, no prepping, no cooking, no hosting. Just show up and eat. Sounds like a winner to me! Well, kind of. In reality, it was more like, just show up and wait two hours and then eat. Happily, the boys were so patient while we waited in a line that curved and wound all the way down the hallways of the Little America Hotel. They amused themselves playing with their cousins, snacking on a few pre-dinner cookies, and stretching their legs on walks up and down the hall. Unfortunately, their good humor was spent by the time we finally got seated at our table in the grand ballroom. Rocky was tired but wouldn't be pacified with being bounced and rocked. Joey was tired from missing his nap and had snacked on so many cookies that he wasn't interested in eating a thing. Ben was unsettled from the noisy surroundings. Instead of taking our sweet time and savoring each and every bite as we had planned, Aaron and I took turns making trips through the buffet line and shoveling food into our mouths while the other bounced Rocky and offered Joey icecream and cake to keep him happy. So, when it was all said and done, I think our dining experience, although plentiful and tasty, only reinforced my feeling that Thanksgiving actually isn't about the food at all! The success of my Thanksgiving isn't determined by the quality of the pumpkin pie, it's all about being with the ones I love most and giving thanks for our abundance of blessings. Long lines and fussy kids aside, my life is rich because of the five little boys and sweet eternal companion that I share it with and for that I am grateful.