Staying Thankful

It's Thanksgiving morning! The first and only day so far this week Matt and I have off together. Of course I still wake up early; my body doesn't understand sleeping in anymore.

Today we're going to the in-laws down the street for some Thanksgiving food and spending time with family. It's bitter sweet, like most years. I have so many things to be thankful for and God's truly blessed my little family. Even with all that, I can't help but remember my side of the family is no where to be found. Since everyone is so spread out and Thanksgiving doesn't have a lengthy enough holiday break, we usually don't get to see each other.

This year Mom is in Pennsylvania working and Dad's flown out to be with her. Evan is in Wisconsin, probably eating with family or friends. Kyle is in California eating with friends and Bryan is making his first turkey and Thanksgiving dinner with friends in New York. So everyone has somewhere to be, it's just not together.

On a positive note, in less than a month we'll all be together! I know my last post was about my family coming too, but I LOVE my family and miss them so stinking much! If you know us at all, you also know we aren't the richest people in the world. So something like this is even harder to orchestrate.

One thing I'm very thankful for right now is my job. I have three more weeks in the school to reassure the administration I can teach. If they aren't convinced I'm still a sub, if they are I get the classroom for the rest of the year! No pressure right? Having a holiday is helping me SO much! My day off yesterday was spent half at school organizing and half at home organizing more stuff! I'm hoping to pop in tomorrow, grab a few things to do this weekend and take care of a few other details. That way the week starts great and I don't have to be nervous when administration walks in to observe me. That's coming very soon, I can feel it!

So this is a mess of information that I thought I'd share and get off my chest. :) Have a great Thanksgiving and if you're off the rest of the weekend, enjoy it! Remember all the things you're thankful for and that God is the ultimate provider of them all!

Christmas in November

I was the person who rolled her eyes at people who skipped right over Thanksgiving and put up Christmas decor. Growing up we bought freshly cut trees on Christmas Eve, due to the drop in prices, and spent the day or evening setting it up. We waited until mid to late December to do our gift shopping and put all the presents under the tree just before opening them the next day. There were years we didn't wait quite as long as Christmas Eve, but close enough right?

So this year is my first with my own home and a little bit of cash. Not much mind you. Enough though to buy a large, sadly fake due to my husband's family traditions, tree and host Christmas. Not only do I have the privilege of hosting for my in-laws but my family is coming too. Oh yes, I'm thrilled! I wanted a holiday and my mother-in-law graciously let go of Christmas, not all the cooking of course. :) This is perfect because Christmas is when my side really tries to reassemble ourselves and spend a long weekend or if we're lucky a week together. My family hasn't been together since May 2008, so we're all very excited!!!

All of this to say, November 1, 2009 my small Christmas tree and very few decorations were brought out. Oh yes, and my Halloween pumpkin was still on the porch at that point. Someone drove by and later told me they thought it was funny. We have a nice window in the front that displays the little tree perfectly to see when driving down the street. I would probably laugh if I saw that at other house too.

Slightly ridiculous? Yes. But to me it's not the decorations that I'm excited for. It's that I'm settled into a community with my husband and Kyle's coming from California, Bryan from New York, and my parents and Evan from Wisconsin. I miss my family so much and though the distance has helped me grow, I'm ready to be close to them again. It's remarkable how we've stayed in touch so well. I can't wait to show off my home, my puppy, and just spend time with my favorite people in the world who know me better than anyone else.

So this November I officially became crazed and slightly obsessed with Christmas. I can now roll my eyes at myself.