Day 23/30 – Right?!?! When things get stressful it’s so nice to force yourself to step back and remember how fortunate you are. Days like today (US Thanksgiving) force us to do that.

For me, this has been a dream time off so far. I stayed in my pajamas watching Netflix until early afternoon yesterday then hung out with Chris and the the young adults in the house all afternoon (and Ollie, of course). Mom loves to cook and was busy in the kitchen wrangling a mammoth turkey into the oven (with a bit of help from Chris). (Spoiler, it was perfection in the mouth today! And smelled amazing both yesterday and today).

Then Chris and I headed out to dance class and some Christmas shopping. We drove slowly and just enjoyed watching snow fairies fall while we yakked and listened to music.

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Today I woke up relatively early and started turning our Halloween pumpkin into a Thanksgiving pie (achievement unlocked). I also steamed some cauliflower (faux potatoes) and some sweet potatoes. Chris made me a holiday coffee (I’ll leave that one up to your imagination), and I headed upstairs to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV until it kicked off the Christmas holiday season. I grew up on Long Island, and that parade is an intrinsic part of my holiday experience. Chris isn’t as into it, but humors me. I often watch it alone, but this year Mollie, Bri, Mom and Hudi joined me (Zeb came in later and Chris randomly showed up). It all made me feel so happy.

After that was over we settled in for a lovely traditional dinner. During that time we learned a bit more about Mom’s past and got to hear Mollie and Bri’s family traditions. We had a break between the meal and dessert, during which Mollie and Bri took time to call their families, and I got a surprise call from my son — who was sitting across the table from me 😉

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CJ and Lauren Factetimed us — a highlight in the day — and my sisters and brothers-in law also Facetimed. I so love technology. We had screens sharing experiences so the family in Ct spoke with us in northern NY as well as our family in Utah. What more can a person want?

Zeb and Bri headed off for work (they are doing temporary seasonal work nearby and have to brace for Black Friday), and we began cleanup. Star helped, to her great delight.

As we did so, we reminisced about generations past and about our own holiday experiences. We are at a time of massive transition in our family as our progeny take flight. Yet it’s super cool to see the family bonds stretch the boundaries of tradition, creating holes  in experiences of the past that are no longer applicable or possible while keeping the lines of love strong.

I am one super blessed lady.

• For November (the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US), I’m trying to blog about something for which I’m thankful for each day of the month.