TG.

This year, I had one of the most bizarre Thanksgivings of my life. There was no turkey dinner. The whole family was not together. No lefse was in sight. And I wore jeans instead of a dress.

Although it was strange, it was one of the best I can remember (minus the whole family not being together). My mom, sister, and I drove up to Grand Forks, ND on Thanksgiving morning to spend some time with my Grandma for a few days. My Aunt and Uncle were there as well, and we decided we'd go have dinner at Perkins. Leave it to us to get to Perkins too late and end up driving around searching for any open restaurant in the area; we ended up at The Golden Corral, and what an experience it was. This place is like a giant school cafeteria that you pay way too much to eat at. The food was comparable to a school cafeteria, as well.

After we left, I was thinking about how great the hour or so spent at The Golden Corral was. No, I didn't have a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but I was so thankful for the time I got to spend with the people I was with. We laughed, and hugged, and caught up, and it was wonderful. I am so blessed with such an incredible immediate and extended family and that's what should be appreciated during the holiday. I think my Grandma was relieved when the 3 of us left each night - we might have been a little too loud and crazy - but my guess is that those few days went by a little faster than normal and that she secretly appreciated the chaos and the forced walking laps around the wing.

We even got the whole immediate family together on Sunday for lunch and the afternoon. That never happens, but we were all there. These 2 cuties even got to come, too.

Appreciate your family today. No matter how crazy they are.
love,
Chels.