Thanksgiving

Chicken, corn bread, ribs, baked beans, macaroni and a gatorade! So my first Thanksgiving away from home wasn't so bad. Darin picked up that stuff from a local mom & pop's place called Bahama Grill. We started off the day with Darin going into the shop to work and I decided to stay home. Darin was closing early so I read and laid outside in the sun for a few hours. I got to see my family on skype a few times, there's a LOT of people to see so I couldn't do it in one call. Made me miss being there. I got to see Rachel crawl which Dr.s say she would never do, got to see Dominic's HUGE eyes take up the screen as he says hi and waves, Laura dangled fried turkey in the camera as I sat at the end of the table watching everyone eat, Carlin and Taylor making faces at me giggling, and the display of food my mom and aunts so nicely set up. Total there was 2 deep fried turkeys and 1 regular turkey. At the end of the day we took a family picture that came out pretty good. Darin and I were on skype so it makes a fun picture of our first Holiday away from home.

We did still wish we were back in Orlando with our families for the holiday, but it makes me more thankful to be home for Christmas and wake up in my old house with my family. I can't wait for my mom's Christmas breakfast with mimosa's (I think it was last year when I opened champagne and it almost hit my mom in the head after bouncing off the wall). When us kids were little we used to sit at the top of the stairs and wait for my parents get ready for the day before we could run down the stairs to open presents. They used to make us sit there so they could shower, get breakfast ready, my dad set up the camera, and if we woke up at 6am, we sat there till 8am or whenever my parents were ready. My dad video taped every year all 3 of us running down the stairs in excitement to see what Santa brought us! Now we're 22, 25, and 27 years old and we still take a moment to sit at the top of the stairs before we come down. There's no rule anymore how long we have to sit there for, but I think the tradition my parents started really means something to us kids. We sit there and remember the years past and what we used to do and that one time we did rock paper scissors to see who would go 1st down the stairs, it just brings us back to that place as kids. This year Darin gets to sit with us at the top of the stairs....a new edition to our old tradition. I've asked Darin if he used to have a childhood tradition and his answer was "I ran out of my room and shook all the presents every year", lol. We've talked a little bit what traditions we want to start this year and do every year so our kids have a special tradition they remember. So far we don't have much, but Darin did suggest we go to the beach and surf every Christmas morning before we open presents....he's so creative ha ha. Well i've got to grab lunch and head up to the shop. See you all in 23 DAYS!!! (I hope I get a mac book from Santa!!)