One Thanksgiving, One Location

For the past five years Thanksgiving has been a bit of a headache (in addition to the expected stomachache!) and a logistical nightmare. Usually Ryan and I are trying to hit two (sometimes three) family Thanksgiving dinners. When we got married we came up with an awesome plan that we would switch off where we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in order to be fair. So the first year we had Thanksgiving with Ryan's family and Christmas with my family, and then the next year it was Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with his, etc. Now this would be all fine and dandy and simple except that our parents live less than five minutes away from each other. So there is really no excuse not to see both families on holidays. The result is an hour by hour breakdown where Ryan and I travel back and forth between the two homes (we waste more gas on holidays than any other day). And we always visit my Oma and Opa who also live close by. So depending on where my parents are at for Thanksgiving (usually at Oma and Opa's) we have at least two dinners to catch (or consume).

But this year we got a rest—we spent an entire day at ONE HOUSE! A bunch of my mom's family came to Utah for Thanksgiving so we spent the holiday with my family. It's been about 13 years since I have spent Thanksgiving with some of my mom's family. It was so much fun to see my Grandma and Grandpa W., Aunt Robbie and her family, and Uncle Brian and his family. And since I forgot to bring my camera so you will have to imagine lots of yummy food, beautiful table decorations, lots of laughter and more than a few "inappropriate jokes and/or comments" (my Uncle Brian and I should be separated at all serious family functions!). Or you can just look at the Norman Rockwell painting above. It looks exactly like our Thanksgiving dinner this year except my mom and dad are about thirty years younger, no one wore suits, my parents' dining room is a different color, the food was served buffet style, no fruit bowls were in sight, and I'm pretty sure none of my uncles made eye contact with a painter.