Thanksgiving was kind of a big deal for me this year…

It was kind of my first Thanksgiving.

No, seriously. I’m 36, and I’ve had lots of Thanksgivings before. Some good, some not so good. Some interrupted by my brother in law Chris chopping off the tip of his finger with an axe while he cut kindling outside of Carole’s house the first time Josh brought me home for Thanksgiving dinner in 2004. I’ve had a bunch of Thanksgiving dinners at Josh’s mom’s place, always decorated to the nines and enough food to feed the KISS army.

I’ve had the holiday with Josh at home, cooking smaller scale dinners that we could share between the two of us whenever he got home from work that day. Because it seems like he always ends up working that day.

I’ve had the holiday without Josh, when he was in California and I was here in Georgia.

But this year was my first real live big ol’ Thanksgiving dinner in my own house, and it WAS AWESOME.

I cooked up a storm.

This was the first time Phil and I have ever made apple pie together, and before I could tell him “hey those apples are for the pie,” he had grabbed one and started gnawing away.

We might have just cut that bit up apple into pieces and thrown it into the pie.

I’ll never tell.

But if you look real close at that pie in the photo… towards the left side you’ll see a little slice with a bite in it. It’s like a Where’s Waldo – take your time, you’ll find it.

After that, Phil went next door to help Grandma decorate for Christmas. Because that holiday is crazily close once Thanksgiving is over, don’tcha know.

I got to clean up some of the tornado of toys in peace, without the little boy protesting over me putting the train set away so we’d have space for the family feast. I got to take the Hot Wheels tracks out of the living room for just a day or two.

I got all Martha Stewarty in my excitement over this momentous ocrearion. I ran outside and grabbed some magnolia leaves and an interesting looking branch to work in around the flowers Josh had sent me the other day. I lit some candles.

I used a tablecloth, guys. I used a tablecloth.

And then Josh got home from work even earlier than the expected 2pm.

The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind of more cooking, cleaning, baking, washing dishes… Phil joined Carole for some afternoon biscuit making. And then at 4, she came over with the turkey, roasted veggies and cranberries, to merge with my plethora of side dishes. Including my favorite… the yams with the marshmallows on top.

Cuz I’m classy, yo.

It was just such a freaking awesome day. Low stress, lots of busy bustling around doing family stuff. Phone calls with far away family, each one ending with an overly excited Phil hanging up on whoever we were talking to. It was an awesome day.

As I’m writing this, Phil is yelling in the next room, bellowing at the top of his lungs because he just woke up from his nap and all of a sudden he can’t remember how to climb out of his bed. MUHMUH!!!!!!

At least the stress free family times yesterday were nice.