If Mom's Boob is Out, Just Mind Ya Business

Happy Gobbler Day!

Terry and I are preparing to make that drive to Eugene today. I can't wait to see our family again! Our afternoon and evening will be complete with great food, awesome company, and love. Always the love shared! 

Not to be a Debbie Downer here, but yesterday was the anniversary date of John F. Kennedy's assassination. I recall the sadness of the world that dreadful day of November 22, 1963. Even though I was only six years of age, I remember the funeral procession coming on all channels of the television. I didn't understand politics. I had no clue who the man truly was, but I do recall the despair and heartache of the adults around me. I could feel the depth of grief in the Kennedy family, especially in the children as they tried so hard to remain stoic as their dad's coffin passed them. What a dark day that was. 

But today is a day of gratefulness, blessings, and pure thankfulness of being alive. Yes, this holiday has different meanings to various groups of people, but to me, it's always been about family. This is the best holiday in my opinion. Don't get me wrong. I do love Christmas, but Thanksgiving was always the holiday when we gathered, giving thanks for family. Of course, the food was always outstanding but the true meaning was family. We ate until we were unable to eat any more. We laughed until our sides ached and we snuggled up to watch movies or we played games. Beautiful holiday and to me, the way life should be all during the year. 

My gorgeous boules are baking and the house is filled with that aroma that brings back memories of home. Not that we baked a lot in the Perry household growing up, but when I had my daughters at home, I used to bake bread quite a bit. If it wasn't bread, it was cakes. Baking has always been a joy. 

The boules are heading out to my daughter and granddaughter. I want to give them a taste of the homemade sourdough experience. Anyway, leaving in a bit to go have a feast with family. 

Terry is looking forward to our travel to Eugene. Well, maybe not the actual travel, but the idea of being with family and sharing of a beautiful meal. 

The boules are done. In case you didn't read the last post, these are spinach, Parmesan, Everything seasoning boules. My favorite. They might be over proofed as I let them rise overnight on the counter instead of slow fermentation. We'll see when the girls cut into them. 

Now to get ready, get set, and go! We have fur babies to attend to, showers to take and off we go. I am wearing my wife shirt and Terry his husband shirt, to remind us this is our one year anniversary of our engagement. Sweet man stood nervously, yet strongly in front of my large family, asked for everyone's attention, and humbly asked me to marry him. He didn't know any of my family at the time or so very little of them, but he stood with all he could muster and asked. Of course, as the story goes, I said yes. How could I not? It was the perfect day to ask because it's my favorite holiday anyway but now it has an even deeper meaning. 

With chips, dips, salsa, two pies, Cool Whip, two veggie trays and our sodas in hand and joy in our hearts, off we went. Excuse the dust on the dash. Been a while since it's been cleaned. 

Without incident, we made it to Eugene. We arrived and the family was waiting! Our granddaughter, Kylee had her new boyfriend in tow so we got to meet him as well. His presence actually made me happy. As it turned out, he's a very nice kid and treats my granddaughter well. That's the most important thing to me. 

Kylee and her new boyfriend, Cam, posed pretty for the cameras. Jess was snapping photos at the same time. The two stood posed, smiling for several moments. Awkward. 

Terry was browsing the Internet the other day, in search of something and ended up finding a cute gift for Zyrah. She is almost two, so he grabbed the largest size they had. Wednesday night he came in the office with the gift in hand. I laughed at this one:

He found a onesie that was size two. Zyrah is tall but thin, so we were a bit worried about it fitting. Turns out it did fit and quite well actually. There was room left to grow. Jessee and Brandon loved it, as did others at the gathering. 

Not a huge group this time, but a good gathering. My brother Michael showed up. Brandy and her husband Dan (my youngest), Kylee and Cam, Jess and Brandon and of course, Zyrah. Dawn and Andy were hosting it at their house (oldest daughter and husband), and of course, Andy's father, Lorenzo. Lorenzo is such a sweetheart. Terry and I love him and his kindness. 

Dawn and Andy had begun the Christmas decorating around the house. A beautiful tree boasted nice white lights and greeted us as we walked in. The ornaments aren't on yet, but they will be soon. Outside, they had installed large inflatables, including the big man himself. Alongside Santa, Dawn had placed a Christmas tree for Bear, the latest furry family member that had passed. She is going to hang ornaments for Bear, with things that meant something to Bear in her life. It was quite odd not having that adorable little pup rush around the house on her three legs this year. 

Dawn and Andy's other fur baby, Bella, was suffering from Bear's loss. It was apparent that she missed her dearly. From early on, Bella mothered Bear-Bear. Now that she's gone, Bella is grumpy and just lays around the house, grieving. My heart went out to her, as I felt the same way. I missed Bear so much. It was strange to not have her bouncing around the house, trying to swerve around all of us. RIP little Bear. You are definitely missed.  

I laid out veggie trays, chips and dips, and salsa. Everyone started the munching while waiting for dinner. 

My classy granddaughter, Jess, showing us she still has it. 

Dawn put together an olive and pickle dish too. Things were going fast and the entire time I heard people claiming they didn't want to ruin their dinner, so they could only eat a small amount. Yeah, right. That's happening. Somehow, I still think that turkey and ham will be devoured, with no problem. 

Lorenzo got away from the commotion and watched some football in the living room. The poor man probably couldn't see much as people were walking in front of the television often, coming from outside and wanting to get to the dining room area. 

Terry chatted with all the guys and even carried on conversations outside while sharing his cigars. He had packed his cigar humidor this time and brought plenty to go around. The "boys" were having in depth chats about jobs and football. Typical Thanksgiving male bonding and I loved it. I love seeing Terry blend in so well with the family. They do love him and it makes me smile. He had been so worried about my family not liking him and that's just not the case. I knew from the instant I met him that he would be included as part of the family very easily. He's my people. What can I say? 

Brandy (left) and her husband Dan (purple hoodie) were the last to arrive. We don't see them as much as we would like due to their work schedules. The holidays are even worse, especially for Brandy, as she is in retail. This time of year is hectic for those in retail, of course. Friday morning, she had to work starting at 4 AM because of the Black Friday sales. I always feel for her on Thanksgiving because she can't sit back and enjoy herself thoroughly on turkey day, knowing she has to leave early because of work in the wee hours of the morning. 

My brother Mike was pointing out something Zyrah was into. She was full of energy last night, as most two year old children are. She was being good, just energetic. 

We sat around chatting, catching up on everything for a while. That was fun until the cattle call for dinner was finally happening. There were many hungry people scouring the premises. Yep, the stomachs were growling, the eyes were large and in search of goodies to consume. The big moment was here. I believe poor Lorenzo gave up on watching TV and leaned into his phone to see the game. 

 Andy did his usual smoking of meats for the meal. It was outstanding! The ham and turkey were smoked to juicy perfection as it typically is with Andy at the helm. He lovingly opens the lid to the smoker every once in a while and sprays the meats down with a spray mixture of butter and water. But this year he also cooked another turkey, in the oven. There was so much meat!

Dawn had cooked up two very large pots of mashed potatoes and a sweet potato dish in a smaller pot. She had rolls and corn going along with everything else. Brandy brought a zucchini casserole which is so good! Then she included her green bean casserole, a traditional Thanksgiving Day favorite in most households. Both dishes were great. I snagged some of both to bring home. 

Terry was waiting patiently for the turkey to arrive. 

The call came and everyone rushed into the line at the buffet table. We were ready! I threw some ham, a tiny piece of turkey, zucchini casserole, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and of course potatoes with gravy on a plate. Too much food overall, but hey, it's a day of eating and sharing stories. 

That heavenly aroma of turkey, ham, an assortment of veggies and of course, pies baking in the oven filled the house. Closing my eyes for a second, I could hear the laughter coming from people, the clanging of forks and knives to plates, and the giggles from Zyrah. It's such a beautiful thing. 

Mike and Dan sat at the end of the table, discussing home improvement projects that would surely get them in trouble or blow up the house, whichever came first. I mentioned to Brandy that she should never give those two any permission of any sort to do home improvements around her house. They were talking about cooking things within seconds and blowing things up. Not a good choice for home improvement needs. Put the explosives down. Back away from the house!

This is where I ended the photo taking process. I simply put the camera down to spend quality time with my family. It was another amazing day spent with loved ones. Everyone left with a smile on their faces. Our hosts were exhausted. They both looked tired and I knew Dawn had not slept the night before. She was anxious about today, up at 3 AM mopping the floor and getting things ready. You could tell she was finally succumbing to the lack of sleep by the end of the day. She had offerings galore for help in getting the kitchen cleaned up before we left but refused all of them. She is picky about how she loads her dishwasher and would stay awake until it was all clean. Bless her heart. 

Andy had ingested enough food to make him so full he didn't want to move. Being tired after two days of smoking meats, helping Dawn, and taking care of Lorenzo, he was due for a good, long nap. Terry and I had some of the marionberry pie we brought and headed out for our long trip home. I was even really tired and had not done much. We stayed up late the night before, waking early Thursday morning, so I guess that was it. Anyway, not as tired as Dawn and Andy, that's for sure. 

Our hosts delivered an amazing dinner and our family definitely provided a good time had by all. It was another good memory for the record books. We are so thankful for our family. I am thankful for the inclusion of a few more family members this year. We have a new baby in the family, Keenan's wife and his new daughter, Elena. Kylee's boyfriend, Cam. Terry and his daughter, Mallory and grandson Hayden. 

The family is rapidly growing and I'm happy for that. It's good to see that the love is still strong among us and the laughter continues to bring us so much joy each gathering. We have made it through our wedding, death of a couple of fur babies, and the joys of bringing new life into the world. Family is a beautiful concept, an amazing gift. Seeing the family together makes me know, without doubt, that when I die, my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will hold the importance of family in their hearts. We aren't perfect, by any means, but we are family and we love each other dearly. That's what counts. 

Terry and I are also so thankful to return home to this:

We are blessed. 

Hope everyone had a beautiful day, filled with friends, family, food, and most importantly, love.