Thanksgiving Year in Review

I need to write things down so I can find them again; like when I need to get a kid to an appointment (does a gracious receptionist at the orthodontia office count as a thanksgiving blessing?) know what I was planning, or remember what I’m thankful for.  So I’m glad I have a blog to see not only what I wrote down, but photos.  I used to get them in the scrapbook, but digital has a search bar.

0925161501aI’m thankful we got K to an art museum and a bunch of Matty’s friends too.

0925161520That I went away with Dan for a weekend with yarn and leaves in the Hudson Valley.

That Ben started his studies at Wentworth Institute of Technology (Mechanical Engineering)

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After visiting campus a few times,And that we pulled off a fun graduation for him.  (I’m really glad that the college application process if over for another 5 years)

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at the same time having a good visit with Uncle Warren while we did; including tea with our princess,

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a day at Castle Island,

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a walk at our favourite local nature preserve,

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and a picnic at Miles Standish State Forest.

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We got to see several cousins and siblings at Dan’s parent’s pretty new home in Pennsylvania, and I got to eat pho, and see some of Betsy’s family.

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It’s been a year of transition – it was funny to have a day like when I had much younger children.  With Ben starting college, I feel like everything should be up a notch, and with older kids, they definitely can pitch in easier around the house.  Yet we often have creative process glaciers (yes, they do often include yarn…) and I’m still working on phonics and reading fluency with K, so we still have a lot of grammar level school to go through.  Matt especially is growing fast, he’s as tall as I am, and saying things like, “Mom, there is a big difference between being mean and establishing boundaries.”

We finished transitioning at church from visiting preachers, to installing Pastor Kitchen.  In all that time the elders and deacons worked so hard, and most of them were also troubled with health and work problems at the same time.  Dan himself led most of the Wednesday night prayer meetings.  (I’m so proud of him)  It was like living in one of those sit-coms where a main character is an essayist always trying to think of what to write about next.  It’s interesting that for Dan, the easiest prayer meetings to organize are the praise ones where he leads a short mediation on a psalm first.  The post election prayer meeting went long, I almost read Dan’s chapter of the novel he reads to K for him just to get her to bed earlier.

I’m thankful for our neighbors, especially Gary from chess club who showed Matt one night how to use his new carving knife (step one, establish the circle of blood.)

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I’m thankful for how everyone took care of me when I shattered a tooth, then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics after having it pulled. It’s been a few years, but I’m still so thankful I got a celiac diagnosis and started to heal from that.  This year I learned that I also had osteo arthritis, and started physical therapy for the knee pain.  The people Houghton Physical Therapy were so good to me.  Betsy and Annie gave me lots of pointers on how to deal with it, I’m grateful for long time friends, and the ease of connecting with them through the internet (even when I’m not sick!)  Yesterday I went for a walk with Ben, and aside from reminding myself to use good form on the stairs, I didn’t need to ask him to slow down or give me his arm.

I need to start the gluten free gravy and onion rings (to put on top of the green bean casserole) Dan and Matt have gone over to my Mom’s house to hoist the turkey onto her grill.  Ben is over at the High School to watch his band buddies play the half time show – happy to see them while not freezing in his uniform.