Our very dear friends for the past 13 years joined us this year in celebrating Thanksgiv. This is the first time since 2005 that we've gotten the chance to celebrate together again. It was everything good, wonderful, happy, and fun! Laughter filled the house for days on end.
Gavin came home from North Dakota and John and Karen drove up from Parker to complete the largest Thanksgiving dinner we've ever hosted...15 people in all! The best part was, there was no stress, no worries, no running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Everything just sort of flowed, fell into place and turned out beautifully - not perfect, but wonderful none-the-less. We weren't aiming for perfection so there was nothing to be nervous about. Everyone had a job to do and everyone contributed something beautiful to benefit the whole. It was such a lovely snapshot of the larger picture of life.
We had the kids' table
And the big people table. Gavin even ended up laughing so hard at something Bennett said that he shot up out of his chair in the middle of the feast to puke in the sink right behind him because he was laughing so hard. See...not even close to perfect. Also, notice how the tablecloth is 2 inches too short.
We took crazy family photos,
which happen to be more real-life than the posed ones.
We played the annual football game (in which we lost and had a concussed person as a quarterback).
This team was literally stacked against us. Everyone was tall, healthy and fast.
The girls carried on the tradition by making the Thanksgiv cake for all to enjoy.
Wes and Logan became the best of friends for the day.
The arrival of the bird by two of the best bird watchers.
As the week progressed, we enjoyed ice skating outdoors at night.
Lucy even asked Chuck, "Is this the best day of your life? I've never seen you so happy before."
Gavin and boys bonded over Minecraft.
Chuck and Wes playing cards. We played soooo many games together this weekend.
It's awesome to have friends who love to play as much as we do.
We had a cheese ball eating contest.
We all tried to see how many we could fit in our mouths without gagging.
I only fit 5. The same as Wes. Chuck and John tied with 15!
Penny and Ninja got LOTS of playtime in. It was adorable to watch this puppy with this old lady.
And it wouldn't be a proper visit if we didn't have a night of nertz. Apparently the guys were so stressed by loosing that they both needed massages from their daughters to ease the tension.
Katie introduced us to Around The World Ping Pong. So. Much. Fun. We kept playing and playing and playing. It didn't get old.
So the moral to the story is...when you find best friends who are willing to celebrate Thanksgiv with you, you hold on for life. You call and invite yourself over as many times and as often as possible over the years. Even when they move to different states and different houses. You don't just tell them they're important and special, you show them.
