A First Thanksgiving

Not THE first Thanksgiving…just our first Thanksgiving! Equally a big deal, right?

I am trying to decide how honest I should be here on the stress levels of a couple’s first thanksgiving….

I think a less-than-honest blog post would be cuter, but a true blog post would be more enlightening. The good news is that Marcus & I are still married, still very happy & still very Thankful. Oh,  I’m just being dramatic, y’all…our Thanksgiving {high stress levels included} was FANTASTIC. Here is how it went down

Last 5ish months:  Constantly wonder how Marcus & I should handle holidays since both sides of the family are local. Semi-obsess over it. Interview other married couples. Nag Marcus about it incessantly. Make a decision. Change your mind. Repeat. Twice.

Last week-  decide that you will have two thanksgiving dinners despite doing that the year before & ended up feeling rather sick at the end of the day. And exhausted. But isn’t that how everybody feels at the end of thanksgiving day anyways?!

Wed night-  get grumpy with new husband over your own indecisiveness over what to cook for the various dishes you are bringing to the thanksgivings. stress out about it a little bit. Then stress out about it a lot. Then ask God to give you a new personality. Next, go the grocery store at 8 pm to get ingredients so you can get some of the cooking done the night before. Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead.

Thur am-  immediately panic that you didn’t cook anything last night. Make pumpkin pancakes for a sleepy husband who has been very patient with you. The grumps make a reappearance when they turn out kind-of crappy. Pack up half your kitchen {not kidding} to go cook at my parent’s. Scramble to make corn pudding, pumpkin bread, apple pie & pie crust {thanks for the help, Kathleen} and a pineapple pretzel salad. Not a lot or anything too difficult but seemed quite the task to a girl who has only been cooking for a couple months. Rush through some Danley Family traditions. Feel guilty for not already being at your in-laws. Feel like you are missing out on their Thanksgiving morning & want to hurry up and join them. Once you are in the car on your way over with your baked goods, have a couple heated words {& by heated, I’m not talking sweet nothings} with your husband because you feel like you are being a crazy person. Then mourn leaving your parent’s house.

Thur afternoon- arrive at in-law’s with baked goods. Feel relief that you aren’t the last ones there. Enjoy football, family, cute babies, food prep & a bit of down time. Feel guilty for those earlier heated words with your husband. Feel guilty for ruining your first thanksgiving. In the midst of those feelings, feel so at home & happy with in-laws. Eat a very, very, delicious meal with them. Realize you don’t want to leave. The tryptophan sets in as your husband reminds you that it is time to have thanksgiving dessert at your parents. Feel guilty for leaving in-laws & not helping with dishes..

Thur evening- hold hands with your husband as your drive back to your parent’s for dessert. Go for a walk with family on a perfect Thanksgiving night. Feel energized again, and eat pie upon settling into the couch at mom & dad’s. Promptly fall asleep during the annual viewing of “Home Alone.” Drive home bleak eyed and full bellied at 1030 pm with your cleaned dishes & leftover cooking ingredients.

Thur late at night- think about your day. think about how good you have it. A loving & merciful God, A holy vocation, two incredibly loving & gracious families, old traditions, new traditions, jobs, health, the warmth & security of our own home, always enough to eat. And as if those physical blessing were not enough..we have the hope that God will continue to work on us. To make us less insecure, more confident in who He made us, less guilt-ridden, more sure in His mercy, less stressed, more thankful.

Fri morning- wake up completely overwhelmed with gratitude. I guess I was just running late this year

    Better late than never :)

Happy Thanksgiving blog friends!