Thanksgiving Break 2017

It's back to the grind after five wonderful days with family and friends. It was hard waking up to an alarm again this morning, but the promise of Christmas break in just a few weeks is keeping my spirits up. The Thanksgiving break started for me on Wednesday, and Emmy and I had the day together while Boomer worked a Teacher Workday. Grammy came over in the morning while I got in a run with Megan, and then we worked on a hand-print ornament for each of our trees. That evening, we got together with the Houstons and Williamses. Even though we had pizza instead of the traditional turkey meal, we still called it a "Friendsgiving." The kiddos ran around the living room while the adults supervised and tried to hold conversations. Emmy and Laurel were matching, so we attempted a twin picture, with not too much success. Emmy wasn't too interested in posing for pictures, as you can see! We headed home early to finish packing and to get ready for our trip to Virginia. 

 On Thursday morning, we left around 8:30AM to make the annual trip up to Woodstock. We got about 3 hours into the trip, with Emmy sleeping most of the way, and then we made a pit stop. Funny enough, we stopped at the same truck stop from last year. 

All throughout the trip, we found ourselves making comparisons to last year's trip with a 2-week-old. It was our first big trip as a family of 3. There was so much to bring, and we stopped almost every hour to check on Emmy and to feed or change her. One year later, the packing hasn't changed too much -- there is still a lot to bring! But there were other things that were much easier this year. The feeding isn't as constant, so there is more time to do other things. Also, there aren't too many blowouts these days, so every diaper change doesn't require a total outfit change, too. After the truck stop, we had just a little bit further to go to Harrisonburg, where we had lunch with Granny's brother and his family. The Wakemans had seen Emmy over the summer when they came to visit at the lake, but they were surprised by all the changes since then. After lunch, we made the final drive to Woodstock and checked into the hotel. We relaxed in the lobby and ordered Cracker Barrel take-out for dinner. Emmy was a little low on energy. Luckily Granny had a thermometer, so we were able to take her temperature. 102.1! I had packed the infant Tylenol, so after giving her some of that, we put her down to bed and quietly watched TV until we too feel asleep. 

On Friday, we got together with the whole Kennedy clan at the barn on Boomer's grandparents' property. It is such a beautiful area, and I know it means a lot to Boomer to go back there each year. 

There are probably close to 40 people all together, with the number growing each year. Just before the big meal, we take some group photos. 

Boomer's grandparents are both getting older, and I know it is hard for Boomer and the other grandkids to see them aging. His grandmother is battling dementia and has recently needed assistance with getting dressed and other daily chores. We hope to continue to go to Virginia for as many years as we can, but we know there will come a time that the tradition will end. For now, it was certainly a special time to be together with family. We didn't stay too late, knowing Emmy would need to get some rest. After getting Emmy ready for bed, I stayed at the hotel with her while Boomer went to a local brewery with some of his cousins. 

Saturday morning it was back on the road again. Emmy slept most of the way. When she woke up towards the end of the trip, Boomer kept her entertained!

We arrived back to Kernersville around 3PM, with just about an hour to spare before dinner with my family. On our way to Megan and Zack's house, we were not more than a mile from our house when there was a weird thumping noise from the car. We made it to the elementary school parking lot and discovered we had a flat tire! The tire light had been on during our trip, but it's typical this time of year for the cold weather to trip the sensor, and I had assumed that was why it was on. I just know angels were watching over us! It could have been so much worse if it had happened along our 500-mile trip when we were going 60+ mph. After calling my dad and AAA, we were all back at Megan and Zack's, eating dinner just an hour after we had planned. Whew, just another thing to be thankful for this weekend!

And a few comparisons between last year and this year!

On Sunday after church, we all rested a bit. Boomer even got in a little bit of writing for his dissertation. The week ahead is a full one. Boomer has evening activities 3 out of the 5 nights. I also have one evening of gate duty for a basketball game. We are all hanging in there for Christmas break. Even though it is a busy time, I try to pause to remember all of our blessings: family, friends, health, safety. It is not just the lights and gifts that make this the 'most wonderful time of the year.' It is being with loved ones and being thankful for God's gifts not just during December, but all throughout the year.