I am hungover from pie.
Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy massive amounts of pumpkin in three different locations (including a piece of my pumpkin cake creation for breakfast and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice in my coffee) and even a huge piece of Patterson’s cherry pie (oh my God, yum!). As holidays normally progress, Apples to Apples and Catchphrase were huge successes (on both sides of the family) and the hidden bottle of Crown came out after imbibing in cans of Milwaukee’s Best. Gosh, just good fun.
I was able to visit both sets of grandparents and aunts from my mom’s side that I haven’t seen in too long. I also received updates on my cousin Roddy, who is doing some amazing recovery at Metro right now (I’m still not ready to see the accident photos) — so much that my aunt brought him three huge containers of Thanksgiving food. I was excited to see my cousin from Columbus and my uncle from South Carolina. I felt my pregnant sister’s belly too much (and may have spooned her and her dog after passing out at 3 a.m.). My mom let me lick the beaters after making her pumpkin roll (or First one home, licks the beavers, as my T9 predicted), then she made me peel potatoes — and I wouldn’t have chosen to be anywhere else. And I got to tease and have fun with my little brothers while we watched old birthday videotapes.
All-in-all, my entire family seemed in good spirits and happy — until the dogs started running circles around my grandparent’s house (they’re just not Dog People, but everyone brought theirs anyway).
Last year, I didn’t spend the holidays with my family (Thanksgiving or Christmas). I met majority of 10SB’s family (felt like 80 people) in Cincinnati in one day. I was uncomfortable to say the least, as early meetings of a significant other’s family usually unfold, but his family did make me feel at-ease. But it was nothing like my mother’s turkey. And my sister’s non-celery dressing. Or my extended step-family’s cheesy potatoes. And cinnamon rolls for breakfast. And my brother’s naming a screaming cat after me. That being said, nothing is comparable to acting your usual loud and obnoxious self, and having family love and accept you as is. And realizing where you acquired certain aspects of your personalities.
My mom videotaped everyone at the dinner table, and I shied away from the camera as usual. But she asked each of us for what we were thankful. Mine (off camera), is that I was home. Even though when asked about seeing me over Christmas, I vaguely said, “I should be home,” as if something magical would happen in four weeks. I don’t even know what that means.
It was endearing to me that my family asked about HG on Thanksgiving. As I mentioned, he met some members of my family at a dinner last week. Word spread fast, as what felt like the first time ever that family asked ME about a guy I am dating (instead of say, asking my dad or my sister). Most of the conversation stopped at “is HG coming today?” but I was able to maintain a certain flow of exchanges in talking about “the new guy.” And my grandfather poked fun about me having a new boyfriend (and remarked that he was “nice”). It’s a start, I suppose.
And as long-distance dating usually goes, HG & I on an extended time away because of the holiday and with our respective families being on opposite sides of the state.
I’m really excited for HG’s return to Cleveland next week. And maybe, just maybe I’ll have something more for which to be thankful.
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