Thanksgiving

This was our fourth year spending Thanksgiving with Mark's Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbe Jo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As always, we had a lovely time--it is such a blessing to be with family (and to have a short, easy drive rather than battle the crowds and costs of a cross-country flight). This year, Mark's cousins and their families (except the one who lives in Colorado) gathered for the big day with us--we had 17 people, including 6 kids from 6 weeks to 6 years old!

Mark and I were the first to arrive on Wednesday around lunchtime, so we got to enjoy some quiet time catching up with our aunt and uncle as well as preparing for the big meal on Thursday. Mark helped out in the kitchen, too! At first, we had expected some other folks to come in on Wednesday night, but their plans changed (and they came on Thursday around noon instead).

On Thursday morning, Aunt Debbe Jo, Mark, and I met up with Aunt Debbe's brother, wife, and niece for a walk by the river while Uncle Mike went to the Y to work out.

As we were just getting home, Mark's cousin Drew and his wife Christy arrived, so we got to spend some time with them while we worked on preparing the big meal. Aunt Debbe Jo had cooked the turkey a few days earlier, and with all the work we did on Wednesday afternoon, the prep seemed really manageable on Thursday.

The rest of the group arrived around noon: cousin Erin; cousin Grant, his wife Melissa, and their 4 kids; and cousin Mike, his wife Sarah, and their 2 girls. This was our first time meeting several of the kids, and it was really fun to watch how well they all played together. After the big meal, we enjoyed the rest of the day just hanging out. It was hard to catch Aunt Debbe Jo without at least one  grandchild in tow!

Wednesday morning was pretty low-key, with just those of us who were staying at Uncle Mike's hanging around the house. Aunt Debbe Jo and I found time to sneak off on our own and make some wreaths as we've done in years past.

Mark and I were on the road heading back home after lunch, and it was nice to be able to get home, then do all our laundry and grocery shopping and still have a full weekend ahead! We've got two weeks of classes left, and this will be a mad rush to the finish as usual, so I'm trying to soak up any bit of relaxation I can get at this stage. It's also time to really get into the Christmas spirit!