Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania this year. It was a long ride up, but I enjoyed it. I was happy that Shane finally got to see another little piece of my life. Mom played tour guide, I think she enjoyed it. We went to the Amish market, everyone one needs one of these! There was so much food and produce for sale. I saw Brussels sprouts; they actually sprout of the side of a stalk. And we found this different kind of cauliflower, it’s totally green, but it tastes just like cauliflower. And we crusied through the Sweet Lights at Hershey. Andrew enjoyed that. It’s a light show that you drive through. He sat in his Daddy’s lap and pointed and oooo’ed at the pretty lights. We took Shane to Chocolate World; he can’t wait to take Clay up there. There is a tour ride that shows you how they make the chocolate; he and Andrew liked that.

Gram took Shane and me to the horse races/Casino at Penn National. That was Shane’s first time at a race track. We went outside to watch the horses get saddled up and then we would come inside and watch the race. Its funny how into the races people can get. There was a table of old men, bent over race books with magnifying glasses and pens and highlighters, taking notes and comparing horses. I don't think they even watched the race, just discussed their books and the information in them. I told my mom that the Casino is the perfect old people daycare. You drop them off in the morning with a bucket full of pennies and then you pick them up that evening or the next one; it depends. You make sure that you tell someone to check on them every now and then and make sure they eat. PERFECT! Anyway, I did bet on some of the horses. I didn’t do well the first race and the second race I didn’t bet. But, the horses I would have picked didn’t do very well. So the third race Shane decided it was bad luck to look at the horses and we would try a different technique. So that race I bet $15 and won it back, using our new strategy. The last race I tried the same strategy and placed my bet. We watched them bring the horses out onto the race track, and I told Shane, there was a beautiful grey horse, I said “you see that horse? There is something about that horse” Shane said, “you can’t bet on a horse just because you like the way it looks.” I didn’t bet on that horse, and he came in second! Rrrrr…
We spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle and Aunt’s house with their kids, there are four of them. We drove up Wednesday, Mom and Gram drove up in one car and we drove up in another. Good thing, because Mom drove my grandmother's Cadillac and I thought Shane was going to run her over, haha! We stayed at a hotel that night and my cousins, who are all younger than me, came over the next morning after breakfast and we went swimming. I bought Andrew a bathing suite that has the little floatation stuff built into the top of it, for $5 at Wal-mart at the end of the summer season. He thought it was great. He is big enough to climb out of the pool and try to climb back down the stairs to get into the pool. He had so much fun watching the girls splashing and swimming and playing with him. He would get out of the pool and walk around and point at things and then climb back in. Afterwards he took a two hour nap and I had to wake him up from it, because he was so worn out! Matthew, my oldest of the four cousins, had a train set when he was little and the kids dug it out and set it up for Andrew to play with. He thought it was great, he played and then destroyed. He loves to pull everything apart or knock stuff down! You build it he will knock it over. The kids were great with him. They loved playing with him and he was captivated by them. The girls are learning to cook, so they helped prepare dinner and deserts. Everything was so good. Elena, the second oldest cousin and my God-daughter, loves cooking. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t turn into a chef or open a restaurant or bakery.
Shane met my other Grandmother, Mam; and my father, Paul, and his wife, Dawn; and Aunt Lynn and her husband Dale. Mam is famous for her pumpkin pies, so we helped her finish off the one she had left in the fridge. I tried my first home-made pumpkin pie this year. They didn’t taste exactly like hers, mine needed more spices, but they were pretty good for my firsts! Paul bought Andrew a Hess car, it has two race cars, one inside the other. Andrew loves it. I’ve been trying to teach him how to pull the little car back to make it go forward. He loves cars, trucks, tractors and balls. Anything that moves. And he has a pretty good arm on him for a one year old.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my friends and family. Especially my mom, she has been great these last few weeks, very supportive to both Shane and me. Andrew has loved spending time with her. And I know she enjoyed bath time as much as Andrew did. I’m also thankful for Shane and Andrew. Andrew has been a blessing and he amazes me each and everyday. He is so smart, I love watching him grow, but I wish I could keep him a baby all the same. Shane seems to be my strength. I’m not sure how I can get through something’s without him to lean on. He might not realize it but he is my rock. I truly love him. My friends, thank you for your ears. I have been very out of it lately and have needed the support you have given me. And thank you Lord, you are there to carry me when I don’t think I can go any further. You have taught me to be humble, patient, caring and nurturing. I don’t know what I would do with out You in my life. You are an amazing God. I don’t always understand why things happen, but everything happens for a reason. It is up to me to learn from this and apply it to my life.