Thanksgiving with the Family and a Surprise or Two

 

The holiday season is here for sure, and the snowmen, Santas, snow and other decor reminds us of that. Terry and I traveled to the cities of Eugene, Springfield, and Lowell for the typical Thanksgiving feast. Wow, what a feast it was!

There were four long tables to fit everyone (about 25), and we had some feasters at the dining room table as well. We were a house full, and we were all famished. Everyone was definitely ready to eat.

Turkey, ham, and brisket were all prepared by my oldest daughter and her husband, and her husband's sister. It was a beautiful array of food. More than one can imagine for a Thanksgiving dinner. There were mashed potatoes, two kinds of sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Green bean casserole, green beans, corn, fruit salad with coconut, walnuts and marshmallows and one with just marshmallows. 

But it didn't end there. We had rolls galore, sweet potato rolls and white dinner rolls too. Cranberry sauce, stuffing, sourdough stuffing, gravy, a charcuterie board, filled with crackers, cheeses, olives, three different dips such as cream cheese, jalapeno, green onion, almonds, and more. Salami, pepperoni, raw carrots, celery, bell peppers of various colors, and a horn of plenty made from puff pastry. It was amazing. 

Spread along another table lay pies. All sorts of pies. There was cherry, apple crumb pies, pumpkin, banana cream, and an amazing chocolate brownie pie. Desserts were the talk of the party, yet when it came time to eat them, we were all stuffed. Terry and I left without so much as a nibble of a crust because of how full we were. 

We were all moving around the kitchen, dining room, and the living room to grab our favorite foods and fill our plates. I walked over to Terry who was standing next to the dining room table where several members of the family were sitting. Terry cleared his throat and began a speech that shook me to the core, in a great way. He asked if everyone could listen up for a moment because he had something he wanted to ask me. Looking into my eyes, he asked, "Vicki, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Tears flowed from my eyes and a few of my family members had a difficult time holding back the tears of joy. I said, "Yes," and of course, the applause followed. It was amazing! Terry put the gorgeous engagement ring on my finger and received a big kiss from me. A shock, yes, but it couldn't have been planned any better. He was shaking from nerves because he is just meeting my family and didn't know what would come of the question. He made it through, and my family is very accepting of him. 

Thanksgiving with my family was quite special this year, for sure. The proposal, the meal, the family, and Terry joining our group. We lost one family member sadly, and the gathering of all of us definitely brought about some laughter, a little joy, and great memories again. As with most families, the COVID pandemic put a damper on most family events. Our family has not been meeting as often as we used to, so this event was just what we needed.  

The day could not have been any better. We had so much fun with everyone there. Since we have a long drive home, my daughter Marina and her husband, John, invited us to stay at their ranch. It's the perfect way to complete our weekend. The ranch is beautiful, and we love John and Marina's company. 

Terry and I both know how truly blessed we are, and we hope everyone had an amazing holiday weekend, filled with the same joy, blessings, family, laughter, and fun that we had. We are off to Wolf Tree Ranch!