Note to Self: Don't Go Crazy

Justin & Amanda (NAU 2008) Picture taken at Bif's Bagels

Only one month until they arrive for Thanksgiving. I don't get overly excited about much ... I'm a "one day at a time" kinda girl but I'm finding myself thinking fairly often about my kids coming to visit now that it's getting closer. They made plans back in July and it just seemed too far away back then to think about. I've noticed that time flies when you're busy doing life. Honestly, my life never used to be like this.  I used to wish away a lot of my days but it's not like that anymore. When I knew my kids were coming home for the holiday I was thrilled to pieces but I knew I had to live between that time of knowing and their arrival. In the past, I looked forward to an event and that's all I thought about and the days, months, and even years slipped by. This life I have today is really awesome and I don't want to wish any of it away.

So, what I've been thinking about seems silly, for me, but I think I need to act on it.  I haven't made a real Thanksgiving dinner in about 11 or 12 years. I used to love to be the hostess for holiday dinners and then something happened and I lost my spark along with a lot of other things.  I ended up in Arizona and sat around the beautiful, outdoor dinner tables with my aunts & uncles, dad and Nancy, cousins, and snowbird friends. I remember the first time Gene and I ate Christmas dinner together at my Aunt Glenva's house. It was outside, the sky was clear blue and we were in short sleeve shirts. He couldn't wait to call his daughters who live in rainy Hillsboro, Oregon and tell them how he spent Christmas day.  I'll never forget that first winter Gene moved to Arizona. Every morning he would wake up, peek out the window and then lay back in bed and laugh like a hysterical mad-man because the sky was once again blue. He often got on the phone to his daughters to rub it in about the weather. I don't think he ever quite got over the fact that Yuma, AZ is the sunniest place on earth.  Okay ... back to dinner.

So, I've been thinking that I'd really like to have a nice dinner table set for Thanksgiving.  A tablecloth, pretty napkins, etc.  I don't have any of that kind of stuff because we always go somewhere else for dinner. I'm not a decorator but I have a friend at work who I swear is related to Martha Stewart. I think I'll hit her up for some free advice. I want our table to look nice.  I want to be selective about what I buy to set the table with  because perhaps I'll use it again next year for whomever might come to dinner. I think having a few years off from hostessing is long enough ... it's probably time I give that a try again.

I haven't seen Justin and Amanda since last December, when Justin walked in ceremony to get his undergraduate degree at Northern Arizona University. I flew to Phoenix where dad and Nancy picked me up and we spent a couple of days in Flagstaff. I cannot believe it was just less than a year ago. Watching him graduate was truly a dream come true for me. We're planning a road trip in May with a stop in Flagstaff to see both Justin and Amanda graduate from their master's programs. It seems like a million months away but at the rate my life is flying by ... but really, it's just around the corner. But I'm not going to think about that right now.

They'll be here in 30 days.  Thirty days!  

Note to Self: do not go crazy trying to make everything just right.  Make plans but don't plan the outcome. Enjoy the process. Live your life between now and then ~ don't miss a minute of it.