A Lot to be Thankful For

Jerry and I love spending the holidays with our families. We both have big families so we try to do as much as we can. We always miss some gathering, but have a good time to the ones that we make it to. This year was Thanksgiving with my side. (You know, I love me some Woestmans and O'Huskys though.) We were happy that we were able to spend time with them since this year has been a hard one. We've lost 5 family members in the last 6 months, 2 were expected, 3 were not. So, it is nice to see them for an occasion other than a funeral.
We had ourselves a good ol' time. Over 50 of us gathered at my cousin's house. Most were there, but not all. We missed those that didn't make it. Tears were shed, laughs were chuckled and shots were taken. Yup, you read right. A couple of years ago, my mom brought some homemade tequila that a friend gave her. She brought it to our Thanksgiving gathering and ever since then, bring on the shots. My mom (that's right, I can call her out because I know she'll still love me), some cousins (those shall remain nameless for fear of retaliation), and I were taking shots, toasting to family and remembering the old days. My dad, husband, son and other family members just sat in the other room rolling their eyes and laughing. Ok, Grayson really wasn't rolling his eyes. When we finally left (with Jerry driving of course), we commented on how fun it was. Not just because of the drinks, but because we both really like our families. I discussed this with some cousins on Thanksgiving day. When you marry, you marry the family--not just the person. Like it or not. For better or for worse.
Jerry and I were camping in the desert the rest of the weekend. We camped with our friends, Matt, Kelli and their daughter Taylor who is 18 months. Grayson had fun with his playmate. Aside from the wind, we all had a nice time. Grayson has found a new toy. His daddy's Suzuki Samauri. He loved sitting in the driver's seat and honking the horn.
We're looking forward to Christmas when we'll do everything we possibly can to squeeze visits in with everyone. Woestman's on Christmas Eve: check. Fisher's on Christmas Day: check. O'Husky's on the day after Christmas: check.

Having fun in the desert with Daddy!


When Daddy let me drive....


I'm a big boy now.