Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.Thanksgiving 2008.
A day of traveling. A day of Carrie Underwood. (She finally went to bed at about 10pm-Joe and I told her to save her voice for next Friday!) An overindulgence of food. A mind shattering FOUR families to share the holiday. A perfect day with my man, Joseph. The only thing missing was little Maxx, but he survived alone at home!
The day started on a wobbly foot. (Thanks Bastille and friends for a fun night of Karaoke!--Hey Dr. Small, want a vodka/tonic? LOL!!!)
Joe and I started the day at his father and stepmother's house. It was like stepping through the looking glass to past holidays and a glow for the future of our relationship.
Four brothers. All nicer than the next. All with "youngsters", all with a loving partner. Pop and Mom welcomed me into the mix with open arms. Kids playing underfoot. Laughter. A sense of comfortability that I thought would never occur. I was truly amazed. I was truly humbled. Joe's family is very accepting of our life. They are very accepting of "us". No eyes batted. No weird looks. Just genuine feelings. Oh. And food. I had decided to pace myself because of the four stops in the long, torturous day of binge eating. We left there about 2pm and headed to stop number 2.Stop number two was with my new "two" moms. Joe's mother and her life partner. Another mix of family. This family is SO like my immediate family it is frightening. Joe's mother sat with me on the front porch for about an hour. Just talking. She recently lost her mother, and I guess she could sense the longing in my heart for that "motherly" touch. Nothing heavy. No dire discussions. Just intimate small talk about our respective families and the way I am mixing into the fold of Joe's family.
For the first time since my own Mother's passing, it was a warm feeling in my heart for her memory. Not a sad one for the loss of her. Intermittent conversations with the rest of family......but it really came to life when we were discussing someone else's problems. OF COURSE! I could have peed my pants when I found out they are a "young and restless" family! We ALL got excited talking about the "staches" return with Ashley, Katherine's "death", and how the teen/young adult stories need to fly out the window! (Oh, and for the record! It gives me the heebie-jeebies to think about Paul and Nikki doing the nasty!) It was great. Turkey day, part two with this family is on Saturday. I have to watch the TIVO to get caught up on Y & R before then!We left "my new two moms" around 430-500ish to head to our third stop. Of course, we had to stop to let the Maxx-EE-Mo out. He was not happy! We had to literally carry him back into the house to get back on the road!
Uncle Edward's was stop three! All guards were down. All inhibitions out the window. We had arrived at real "families" house! Roger and John, in their best Rachel Ray impersonations, were busy little beavers stuffing and basting in the kitchen. (Cooking you freaks! Hard to believe, but cooking! not basting and stuffing each other!--And yes, they even dress alike to cook a fucking turkey!!) Uncle Edward was on his perch directing traffic with his best friend Jim. Bean.
Chris and Sophia laughing and loving. And the star of the evening-my Baxter! (Yes, I know his name is Dexter, but I love messing with Roger when it comes to this baby!)
Great food, great company. And for those of you keeping score, meal number three! Thanksgiving has new meaning now thanks to Uncle Edward and Sordid Lives. Nothing says turkey day like Leslie Jordan in drag! Chris and I pulled the short straws and got kitchen duty. (OH! Roger, don't forget that email to Rachel Ray about the disaster in the oven! The bitch! We should have flown her ass to St. Louis to clean the bottom of the oven! BTW-It was a delicous meal! You two did great!)
The time is now 8:30 and off to stop FOUR! Dr. Small and Terri's. Now, remember. We had all celebrated the night before Thanksgiving, and our own, little, precious Dr. Small drank some vodka. Vodka is not her friend! LOL!! I am sure she will post her days activities, so I won't blog hustle her story! She did a great job, she looked a little like the turkey carcass in the pan, but her food was delicous. YES...DINNER/MEAL FOUR!! Joe and I had decided on the way to stop four that we were so stuffed we couldn't eat another bite. WRONG!! It would have been un-Southern for us to turn down the offerings!
In my head I likened the final stop to Sophia's return to the real world after her stint in jail. "Sophia home, sophia home." We ate, looked at sales ads (Terri and her daughters WORSHIP the day after Thanksgiving!)and made tentative plans for the weekend. It was now 10pm.We rushed home to play with Maxx. Watch a little TV. Put our FAT pants on, and relax. We watched Old Christine, for the record-one of the funniest shows on TV right now. And guess what! We ate again! I know, fat fat water rat! I had to have me some bran flakes! If you know what I mean!! Joe tackled a turkey leg. We should have been shot!
I ended my evening as usual. Doing my crossword puzzles until I got tired. Joe on the other side watching the last episode of the "Shield". Maxx in betwixt us in doggie heaven! A perfect ending to a perfect day.
Now, in hindsight, I find it quite exhillerating that I only thought of my immediate family twice yesterday. I am moving forward. I have accepted that part of my life has ended as I knew it. I am willing to embrace whatever comes my way concerning my siblings. If nothing, so be it. If something, on new terms for all of us. I miss them, but I don't let that feeling dictate my happiness or my future any longer. My life is TOO full of loving people for me to feel as if I am missing something when it comes to family.
So, now I must get my turkey and dressing going for all my "family" that is out shopping in this madness! I told everyone to stop in anytime after 1pm for my bird and bread.
Thanks to all that made yesterday possible. I love you Joe. I love your family. I love my friends.
Sophia home, sophia home.................
No comments:
Post a Comment