Thursday, November 28, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving! I was able to enjoy a low-key day with my significant other, Donald; his immediate family; and two of our children, Marcus and Mika. My mother-in-law is still in a rehabilitation facility since her spinal surgery, so we went to have Thanksgiving lunch at the facility dining room. Our other daughter’s, Megan, schedule did not allow her to attend such an early event.
Donald’s immediate family consists of his brother, his sister-in-law, and his mother. The seven of us had reserved a private dining room because the tables in the common area did not accommodate a group our size. The facility was offering a turkey or brown-sugar ham option. I was going for the stuffing and green-bean casserole. I enjoyed the green-bean casserole, however the stuffing had cubed potatoes in it and the bread and potatoes did not taste good together.
My son was late (as usual), but he still arrived in time to be grilled by my sister-in-law. I do not think my sister-in-law is noisy; I think she is simply genuinely interested in what is going on in people’s lives. I was glad my son and mother-in-law were there to keep the questions about my treatment from going too deep. My sister-in-law calls my mother in-law “Mom’ and I call them both by their names. I like my in-laws; however, they are Donald’s family in my mind.
Marcus has been dating a woman for about a year who has recently upgraded from “lady friend” status to girlfriend status. I know a few details about her, and I have never met her. I do not think she and my son are very serious based on the conversations we have had. I did not know her name until my sister-in-law asked Marcus for it when she was asking him why he did not bring her. She was out of town with her family. That is another one of the differences between my sister-in-law and me; I do not need to learn Marcus’ girlfriend’s name until I meet her, or my son tells me they are serious. Neither has happened.
Mika was so excited to go to Thanksgiving this year because last year she was sick. She was doubly happy when I told her I was going since I had missed so many events last year. Mika really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. She mostly enjoyed monopolizing her Oma’s (grandmother) attention. The staff had given Mika a coloring page which she convinced Oma to color with her. When that was done, Mika drew a gameboard on the back and Oma helped color the gameboard too.
We only stayed about two hours, but it was nice. I have not seen Donald’s family for several months and Mika loves basking in Oma’s attention. We do not have Christmas plans yet. Hopefully, my mother-in-law will be back in her new apartment readjusting to independent living.
We stopped by Megan’s new house on our way home to drop off some requested tools, and I was able to see her new house (the garage anyway) for the first time. Megan was not home, so our visit consisted of Donald going inside, opening the garage, unloading the tools, and coming back again. Mika woke up as we were leaving and asked if we were at big sister’s house. I am not sure if Marcus has been there, so I may not be the last to see it.
My piece of advice to you is gather occasionally. I would very happily sit at home alone or with my family each and every holiday and think it was a perfect day. Today was a pretty great day with extended family. Fairly soon I will not be around for these days, so I should make an effort and show up while I still can.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Happy Thanksgiving! I was able to enjoy a low-key day with my significant other, Donald; his immediate family; and two of our children, Marcus and Mika. My mother-in-law is still in a rehabilitation facility since her spinal surgery, so we went to have Thanksgiving lunch at the facility dining room. Our other daughter’s, Megan, schedule did not allow her to attend such an early event.
Donald’s immediate family consists of his brother, his sister-in-law, and his mother. The seven of us had reserved a private dining room because the tables in the common area did not accommodate a group our size. The facility was offering a turkey or brown-sugar ham option. I was going for the stuffing and green-bean casserole. I enjoyed the green-bean casserole, however the stuffing had cubed potatoes in it and the bread and potatoes did not taste good together.
My son was late (as usual), but he still arrived in time to be grilled by my sister-in-law. I do not think my sister-in-law is noisy; I think she is simply genuinely interested in what is going on in people’s lives. I was glad my son and mother-in-law were there to keep the questions about my treatment from going too deep. My sister-in-law calls my mother in-law “Mom’ and I call them both by their names. I like my in-laws; however, they are Donald’s family in my mind.
Marcus has been dating a woman for about a year who has recently upgraded from “lady friend” status to girlfriend status. I know a few details about her, and I have never met her. I do not think she and my son are very serious based on the conversations we have had. I did not know her name until my sister-in-law asked Marcus for it when she was asking him why he did not bring her. She was out of town with her family. That is another one of the differences between my sister-in-law and me; I do not need to learn Marcus’ girlfriend’s name until I meet her, or my son tells me they are serious. Neither has happened.
Mika was so excited to go to Thanksgiving this year because last year she was sick. She was doubly happy when I told her I was going since I had missed so many events last year. Mika really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. She mostly enjoyed monopolizing her Oma’s (grandmother) attention. The staff had given Mika a coloring page which she convinced Oma to color with her. When that was done, Mika drew a gameboard on the back and Oma helped color the gameboard too.
We only stayed about two hours, but it was nice. I have not seen Donald’s family for several months and Mika loves basking in Oma’s attention. We do not have Christmas plans yet. Hopefully, my mother-in-law will be back in her new apartment readjusting to independent living.
We stopped by Megan’s new house on our way home to drop off some requested tools, and I was able to see her new house (the garage anyway) for the first time. Megan was not home, so our visit consisted of Donald going inside, opening the garage, unloading the tools, and coming back again. Mika woke up as we were leaving and asked if we were at big sister’s house. I am not sure if Marcus has been there, so I may not be the last to see it.
My piece of advice to you is gather occasionally. I would very happily sit at home alone or with my family each and every holiday and think it was a perfect day. Today was a pretty great day with extended family. Fairly soon I will not be around for these days, so I should make an effort and show up while I still can.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.