Ah, Turkey Day. I hope everybody had a wonderful extended weekend. I know I sure had a nice time. And since my sister Laura complained that I don’t talk enough about my family, I figured I would write a brief synopsis. Thanksgiving is a weird holiday for my family. Not big on the usual celebrations, it eventually became the one holiday where we all really got together. But that all changed with my sister Lisa and her in-laws. Somehow we got stuck with Christmas even though half of us don’t celebrate it. So nowadays, Thanksgiving has become a rather subdued evening with some of us showing up for dinner, and possibly more later in the weekend; but certainly not the big event with a dozen or more people crowded around the table it once was.
Lisa went to her sister’s on Thursday, but my sister Kathleen and her husband Curt drove up from Alabama, so I wanted to see them. My Mom forewent the Turkey in favor of some red meat, which was just fine with me. Since I came down in the afternoon, I was able to spend some quality time with my Mom before other people started showing up. It ended up just being myself, my parents, Kathleen and Curtis, and Laura and Carlos. The night was filled with all sorts of wacky games that Laura insisted upon, culminating in a late round of Cranium. My Mom and I almost won, too. Unfortunately, she thought Fleetwood Mac sang “Can’t Stop Worryin’ ‘Bout Tomorrow.” Oh well, next time.
In a rare move, I actually stayed down and had breakfast with my family. Friday was going to be a lazy day, so I decided not to rush back. Once I did, Lisa was hitting the malls already because her family would be celebrating the holidays on Saturday due to their parents leaving for Florida this week. Friday was total relaxation, and much needed before the big day for Lisa’s family. It was nice to see everybody, as I’m getting closer to all of them. It’s odd for me to think, but someday they will actually be my relatives. Thankfully I feel like I’m starting to fit in. It’s not a situation I’m used to, so I still feel a little awkward at times – compounded by the fact that they gave me gifts. I’m not good with gifts… but I’m not even going to get into that. The only hitches in the entire affair was her cousin getting lost (as usual) and the kids getting cranky at the end. But they hung tight for a number of hours, so I can’t blame them. Her neice, Ilana, has the most adorable cheeks, and I now understand why grandmothers pinch.
But I digress, and I’m sure most of this is boring you. Sunday nearly became a disaster because of the rain. I’ll post pictures a little later, but the stream that runs right next to our place was about 3 feet higher than usual. Yeah, kinda scary. Lisa had to head into Hoboken for a party to help her new business (more on that later), and faced a lot of flooded areas. Unfortunately she couldn’t turn around because it was just to important. Since the weather was so bad I decided to watch the first half of the game at home and listen to the second half on my way to dinner at Laura’s. And let me hear a great big “E-A-G-L-E-S! EAGLES!” Yup, fourth consecutive NFC East crown. Now lets just hope they make the Super Bowl.
Laura and Carlos’s dinner was the bigger affair as everybody could make it. And I mean everybody. Rather than describing all the fun we had and the joys of watching the kiddies grow up, I’m going to take this time to list my entire family:
- My Mom and Dad (of course)
- Matt (husband of my oldest sister Lisa), and their three kids, Jack, Conner, and Kelly
- Maureen (second oldest sister) and her friend Billy (whose practically a part of the family)
- Christine (third oldest sister), her husband Jason, and their little girl Paige
- Suzanne (fourth oldest sister), her husband Alex, and their boys Caleb and Lucas
- Kathleen (fifth oldest sister) and her husband Curtis
- Laura (sixth oldest sister) and her husband Carlos
Now that you all have a better idea of my family… well let me just add that the pork was amazing. Carlos started cooking it at 7 am. It was in that oven for hours and hours at less than 300 degrees. Wow, it just melts in your mouth. I’m enjoying the leftovers, and so is Lisa. As for my family… it’s big. I love them all, and wish I got to see them more regularly. In the meantime, yes, I’m desperately working on all of the pictures for you guys!