Celebrate and Grow

This Thanksgiving was Mike's first holiday with my family in Virginia. Kim could not be there as she was visiting her boyfriend's family in Tennessee, but hopefully we will reconnect with her sometime before Christmas. My stepdad's daughter and her husband were visiting from Arizona with their two young daughters (they have one more kid on the way) and my mom's sister and her daughter came to visit too. My grandmother was there and my step-great-grandfather, Marvin, even stopped by on Thanksgiving Day with his daughter. Between all of us, we had ages 3 weeks to 92 present (kinda like "The Christmas Song" lyrics) and Marvin said a wonderful prayer of thanks before we ate. 

Mike and I managed to get a cold run in Thanskgiving morning before things got too crazy, but the rest of the day was spent lazing about socializing, watching football, and playing games. At some point, I may have insisted on a photoshoot. (Although, it was likely my mom or Courtney as they are even more fond of photoshoots than I am.)

My Mom & I

Mike & I

My cousin Kristin, Courtney, & I

I like how the blue light from the TV makes this pic look artsy. Courtney, Najeem, and Baby Ashton.

So thankful for this guy.

One of our most time-honored Thanksgiving traditions: Courtney cutting the cranberry sauce.  

Mike trying to convince my my stepdad's granddaughter that his games are fun.

Bonding over portable electronic devices.

Pepe: my favorite.

There is a story behind this picture that I will let Mike tell on his blog.

Mike and Baby Ashton.

 On the day after Thanksgiving, we were so fortunate to be able to meet up with Mike's mom and sister in town at a local restaurant for lunch. Mike and I will be headed down to North Carolina for Christmas, but it was nice to be able to see some of both of our families for the Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully his sister Rachel will be able to make a trip up to DC before then too!

Good looks run in the family.

I am back in DC now resting from the holiday (sometimes that's necessary) and getting ready for a month full of traveling. Today, Mike and I helped Josh move to another apartment in the city and it was really kind of fun. You know you have great friends when moving is anything but a miserable experience.

I'm excited for all of the traveling and get togethers we have coming up (Williamsburg, Virginia again, North Carolina, DC, Southwestern Virginia), but am also (as I'm always concerned with this time of year) trying to find time to meditate on the reason for this season of celebration and giving. I'm trying to remember that the holidays are a hard time of the year for many many people. They still are for me sometimes, but I know there is so much I have that others do not. 

Advent starts tomorrow and it is always one of my favorite 'seasons' of the year because it tends to be the one where I am in the most spiritually reflective mood. The holidays, the end of the year coming up, my birthday in January...things begin to feel cold and dead outside and sometimes I have to really give myself a pep talk before walking out the door in the morning. But I'm grateful for this time. I'm glad to have this opportunity to reflect even when I don't know exactly what I'm yearning to reflect on. Yearning. Frustration. Impatience. Exhaustion. These feelings don't necessarily jive with the Christmas-obsessed person I become every December, but they are an undercurrent to the carols, the culture of consumption, the parties, the glitter, the candy, the sometimes saccharine sweetness of the season. That's why Christmas is sometimes bittersweet and I hope to appreciate both aspects of the season in the way Shauna Niequist puts it:

"When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow."