Thanksgiving, mountain dew, and UNO

If you ever get writer's block just hang out with your family a for a few hours. Usually, you don't have to look too terribly hard for comic relief. Just sit back and enjoy the show.

This time last year my children were already adapting to their temporary family while I had, had my third chemo treatment of Adriomycin. It was a quiet Thanksgiving to say the least. Becky made a small ham, green beans, some kind of tasteless corn dish, dinner rolls, and mush, mashed potatoes. My son and I had made our traditional cranberry salad full of sugar, marshmallows, and whip cream. Their favorite dish I might add. Oh, and we didn't have traditional pumpkin or apple pie. We had apple tarts and pumpkin cheesecake purchased from Sam's club.

Don't get me wrong, I was grateful I didn't have to cook a meal and I was able to enjoy dinner with my children. My oldest son said an inspiring blessing that brought tears to my eyes and we all said what we were thankful for. Something I think that should be said at every dinner, not just at Thanksgiving. I think I was missing my mother and spending Thanksgiving with my immediate family. The last thing I wanted to feel like was a "guest." When you visit family and spend holidays with family, yes you are a guest, but you're still family. Everyone participates. If you don't cook, then you help out afterwards with dishes. Then, it's time to look through all the black Friday adds and plan your attack. (No, Kayla, black Friday is not a holiday for blacks.) I was just missing all of that last year I guess.

I felt like Becky and Roger couldn't get me out of their house fast enough. He plopped on the couch playing with his Android, and she plopped on the couch and watched Music Man. They sent my two kids and her daughter to their room so they could have piece and quiet. I'm sorry, but 3rd, 4th, and 6th graders are too old for a freaking nap on THANKSGIVING!!!!

This year I treated myself to a mountain dew. You would have thought I had been drinking all day, but the truth is I was just able to relax and let lose for the first time in a long time. I didn't have to worry about anything.
It's the unexpected behavior of people that makes Thanksgiving so comical I think. My brother, (Mike) comes over and sits next to me on the couch, which he NEVER does. His niece is sitting on the other side of him. He lays his head down on my shoulder and I laugh and tell him, "I don't know what you're looking for because my boobs aren't there anymore. Besides, your wife has enough for the both of us."

Meanwhile, Melanie is having an awesome time being a grandma. MAGIC MARKERS!! Nothing is funnier than watching an 18 month old cover himself in green magic marker and not giving a shit because you don't have to clean him up.

Who would have thunk playing UNO was fun. Yes I said thunk on purpose because thunk rhymes with drunk and we were not drunk. You would have thought we were drunk as much fun as we were having. "Bitch please," as I lay down a draw four card to my sis-in-law Chris. So she lays down a reverse card, and I nail her again with a draw two card.

Now, Melanie suggested UNO because it was a self-explanatory game that EVERYONE either knew how to play or was easy enough for the not-so-witty card players to play. Kayla, you can't lay a green card on top of a red card unless the numbers match up.

If you can't celebrate a holiday on the holiday with your family it shouldn't matter. What matters is that you get to spend some quality time with them and enjoy them. And drink lots of mountain dew to help you through the day.