What’s most important to you…

The other day TC and I were discussing many things

One being our budget as we are trying to decide if we can afford to put an addition on to our house…a big beautiful addition filled with new kitchen cabinets and shiny awesome appliances and maybe…just maybe…a man-cave for TC underneath the addition…

Dreams are a good thing right?

We got on the discussion of our “vacations” for this year – aka who are we going to mootch off of…

Easter – my parents in NC…close enough for a quick visit..drop off their girl scout cookies and the added plus is they have a skeeball machine that the girls love to play…although my mother might make me bring our Wii so she can once again attempt to rule at bowling…she is so darn competitive…

June – back to NC cause my lil’ sis is getting married…I asked not to be a bridesmaid as my Size 14 ass and 34 year old body would not look so good next to the Size 2 asses on the 20 something bodies…the girls however are going to be freakin adorable – A-DOR-A-BLE as little flower girls…white dresses and all…

July – off to the IL’s for 4th of July…{note to self…see if I can score some Valium before July 4}

August – a possible roadtrip to Florida…yes we are insane why ever do you ask…we figure a night or two stop over in Savannah for delicious food and maybe a quick trip to the Girl Scout museum for the girls…so they can have yet another patch for their Brownie vest. Wind up in Fl at my grandparents and spend a few days there…Not into trying to do Disney…so we are thinking maybe a trip to Cape Canaveral (when I told the girls G’Pa Bill used to work with Astronauts they got all excited) and a trip to GATORLAND!!!!

Now one might ask whatever would possess us to drive 13 hours one way in a car with two 7 year olds in the middle of August…

Family – my grandparents aren’t getting any younger – even if they are in their 80’s and still play golf almost everyday and the opportunity for my girls to even have a chance to spend time with their great-grandparents is worth it…

Family is also the reason I had to stick to my guns and claim Thanksgiving with my family.

Growing up Thanksgiving was just a day – it was a day we got together and stuffed ourselves…our table was very unusual from year to year as we always filled it with family friends…the most unusual year would be the one where our guests included not only a Catholic Monsignor but also a young gay couple – ah if only my Boy George impersonating great uncle could of made it that year…that would have been one hella’ of a good time…

Anyway for our immediate family Christmas was the special time – the Christmas Eve rituals – the joking and conversation on Christmas morning…

When TC and I first got married I didn’t care about being with my family so much at Thanksgiving but I wanted Christmas…

However 2 years ago the week before Christmas my brother was involved in a fatal car accident…Christmas would never be the same for our family.

Over the past 2 years Thanksgiving has morphed into a whole new meaning for my immediate family…we realize now that life and loss go hand in hand and what Thanksgiving really means to us…Family and being together…so I told TC – he can have Christmas but I am not giving up my new Thanksgiving.