Toikey Day 2007

My Thanksgiving this year went remarkably smoothly, except for the Greenville portion, and that was entirely my fault. On Thanksgiving Day, I always go to my aunt's and uncle's house in Rockwall, meeting up with my aunt and uncle, my other uncle, my cousins and my grandfather. My aunt's cooking is superb and it's great to visit with them until the tryptophan takes effect and everyone starts to nod off like junkies after a fix. My grandfather gave me a big bag of pecans, so I'll be making some pies for Yule.

On "Black Fridays", I avoid the stores like the plague (22 years of working in retail will cure you of wanting to shop on the busiest shopping day of the year) and I make the trek to my hometown of Greenville to see my aunts and my cousin, all of whom I love dearly. My elderly aunt is not doing very well and I wanted to visit with her, but her husband, who normally keeps to himself and lets us catch up and go to lunch with my aunt Carol and my cousin Tracy, would NOT STOP TALKING VERY LOUDLY and incessantly. When he wasn't shouting, he was singing or whistling. I had not slept well the night before and wasn't feeling all that great, so after about an hour of being interrogated with the same questions:
1. Where's your husband?
2. Why isn't he with you?
3. Where are you going?
4. Where are we going?
5. Do you want some money?
I was exhausted. I honestly don't know how my elderly aunt puts up with it. He seems on the verge of dementia. My aunt told me that his daughter had had to put a freeze on their bank account because he gave his Social Security number and bank account info out to some woman who called him regarding some "sweepstakes" he had won, even though he had been repeatedly warned not to do that. He also compulsively gives money away to anyone he comes in contact with. He kept throwing mints, pens and anything else that was near at me, exhorting me to "PUT THAT IN YOUR PURSE!"

I didn't get to visit with my aunts or my cousin nearly as long as I would have liked to, because I was so exhausted I was worried about having to drive back. My eyes didn't want to focus, which they do when I need to rest, and my head was starting to spin. I felt terrible, because my elderly aunt seemed so disappointed when I told her I had to go. I love visiting with them and I only got to see them for a couple of hours. I won't get to see them again until next year. My aunt Carol and my cousin Tracy have to deal with him and they have enough on their plates. I wish I had their energy and their patience. I was holding the door open when those virtues were being handed out, apparently.

The rest of Friday went fine. After resting, my husband and I and my sister-in-law went to World Market, which wasn't crowded, oddly enough. Then Adrian and I went out to dinner with an old band mate of his (and friend of mine) and her husband. We had a lovely dinner at the Hare Krishnas' restaurant and then back to my sister-in-law's place for sleeping like the dead.

This morning, Saturday, my other sister-in-law took us out for lunch at On The Border. It was not so great. That place has really gone down hill. It was pouring with rain, and did so all the way back to Austin.

When we got home, Dinsy was waiting for us with two empty food bowls and a cross look on her furry little face. She soon got over it and was purring away with a full belly and a warm spot on the chair. I'm looking forward to sleeping very late in the morning and psyching myself up for going back to work with the idiots. I shouldn't be so mean, I guess, they did give me a turkey. I'm going to cook it for Yule. I have to work on Christmas Eve, so we can't go up north again. Adrian's family are coming down here which will be great! We had such a good time last year. Now that's something to look forward to....

I'll take a clue from my friend Shelly and list the things I'm thankful for:

1. My husband Adrian - He's my best friend, my soulmate, my StudBoy(tm). I've learned far more from him than he'll ever know. He makes my life worth living.
2. My family - the ones who still speak to me on my side, and my husband's siblings. They show me how families are supposed to be: loving, supportive and above all, FUN!
3. My friends Shelly and Phillip - I can't convince them to move to Austin, but I hope we always stay close.
4. My kitty Dinsy - there's nothing like the unconditional love you get from a pet. People who say cats don't love like dogs do are seriously misguided.
5. I'm thankful I do have a job (even if it is with a bunch of idiots) because so many in the mortgage industry lost their jobs this year.
6. My friends Tracye, Jimmy and Machelle - I'm so glad I caught up again with two of them and I hope the other one doesn't forget us. We've been friends far too long for that....