thanksgiving (a little late)

this past thanksgiving was probably one of the best i have had in a very long time. i woke up pretty early in the morning and had pancakes for breakfast with my parents. after we cleaned up i decided to bake some dessert to take to my thanksgiving plans later in the day. i wrapped my great grandma's apron around my waist and dug through my mom's recipe box until i found my granny's applesauce cake recipe. my dad's mom, my granny, passed away when i was six so i don't remember her much at all. but how i do remember her is through the box of recipe's she left behind that are old sutton secrets. when i was finally old enough my dad let me start making them. so making applesauce cake, in all of its spicy deliciousness, is always a way i feel close to my family. once the cake was out of the oven and cooling i started getting ready with the rest of my family to head over to my grandmas. my mom and dad left early while my brother and i finished getting ready. the two of us showed up fashionably late and hoovered around the dips and veggie trays while my grandma and aunts buzzed around the kitchen finishing the last touches on the meal. once dinner was finished we all gathered in the family room, prayed, and loaded up our plates with delicious goodness. after lunch/dinner (we eat at 1 for some strange reason) we hung around with my relatives til it was time to leave so we could make our other plans. 

we drove home singing ridiculous songs and laughing the whole time. my favorite part about holiday's is getting to spend the time driving to and from places with my brother. we usually don't spend a lot of time together but when we do it is always the best. 

once i got home i started to get ready to head over to my friend jessica's families house when my phone started ringing. it was my friend nate telling me he was on my front porch and was going to ride with me over to their house! i was excited to see him because i wasn't sure if he was going over there or not. he came in and sat on my bed while i held up different dresses and outfit combinations to wear. we decided on a floral dress, a maroon cardigan, and knee high boots. i felt pretty as we drove across town to my friends house with my homemade cake sitting on his lap in the passenger seat. when we got to the house everyone was dressed up and looked great. the house smelled of delicious everything and everyone took turns hugging each other and wishing happy thanksgiving's. originally the plan was for the ladies to sit at the table and the men to sit with tv trays because there were ten of us at a six person table but somehow we managed to squish everyone in and all sit at the table together. so around the table sat jessica's parents, her grandma and grandpa, her sister rachel, her brother richard, his girlfriend and my close friend melissa, jessica, me, and nate. i only ate a little bit since i had eaten a light dinner before and all of us sipped on sparkling cider and laughed over old high school memories and funny moments we all have shared. 

after we finished eating i asked if we could go around the table and say what we are thankful for this year. i was a little nervous everyone would laugh at me but luckily they didn't and all ten of us took turns going around and saying what we were thankful for. that was the moment when i first started crying. don't get me wrong, i wasn't sobbing, but i had a few tears fall down my cheeks because in that moment i was so happy to be exactly where i was. with people who truly love me. 

i helped clear off the kitchen table and put away chairs and all of us kids stepped outside to take a break. after a few minutes i pulled melissa aside to talk to her for a moment. ive known melissa for eighteen years and she has been my neighbor just as long. we've had our ups and downs throughout the years and just recently the two of us have become friends again. so i told her i am so thankful for her being in my life again and she said she felt the same way. then we both started crying! needless to say it was an emotional day!

after we went inside all of us sat around the table and started playing games like bs and catch phrase. it was so much fun. my family never played games all together on holidays growing up so any chance i get to play im all for it! after an hour or so melissa and richard had to leave to go to her families thanksgiving. our friend kaeleb got off work and literally got to the house as soon as they were leaving. so me, jessica, nate, and kaeleb all hung out and played made up ridiculous games and ended up falling asleep on each other and taking short little naps. richard and melissa came back and our friend matt and his friend james came over and all of us sat in the family room playing more games for a while longer. i was just happy to be around people i care about and making new memories years down the road we will all reflect on.

around eleven thirty jessica got a call from one of her friends about an after thanksgiving party so she convinced richard and melissa to go with her and me and nate agreed to tag along but we were gonna stay outside in the car. after twenty minutes inside they came out and we all decided to head over to denny's. five hot chocolates and a basket of fries later we all hugged and said our goodbyes and i finally crawled into bed around 2am.

there was so much love that happened that day that at certain moments i had to stop myself from crying because i was so happy. i was hugged on, loved on, and told so many times that i was someone to be thankful for. i've only ever spent thanksgiving with my family or my best friends family so spending it in a different house with different people was such a new experience. 

i never knew at the beginning of this year all of the things that would happen. the new people i would meet. the old friends who would come back into my life. that i would have lived across the country for half of the year and be spending thanksgiving in the house of one of my old friends i hadn't spoken to in two years. there are so many things i am thankful for that i don't even know if i can begin to list them. mostly i am thankful to be surrounded by people who love me. and best friends who still carry me even from hundreds of miles away. i am thankful to be able to drive the streets in my hometown and feel a sense of security only it can offer. im happy to be loved and to love in return. but mostly im thankful for the moments that go by too fast but linger just long enough to savor them. im thankful for a blessed and beautiful life i have been given. and im thankful i have some incredible people to share it with.