Thanksgiving 2010

My parents were here visiting for a week and a half and we, as usual, packed an awful lot into their visit.

First, my nephew (who lives in Manhattan) came out for Thanksgiving and there was a truly ferocious Chinese Checkers tournament:

My dad is the reigning champion and apparently unbeatable at the game, but we do like to give him a run for his money every so often. (Note that Jane is deep into her story and writing furiously on her laptop. She wrote well over 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo this year; it just wasn't all on the same story.)

Then, our friends Mike and Sherry, and their daughter Jesse, came over and we had Thanksgiving.
Followed by more Chinese Checkers and some Poker:

And then a lot of pie.

On Saturday after Thanksgiving, Mike, Sherry and Jesse joined us again as we headed out east to cut our respective Christmas trees, one of my favorite traditions of the year.


Even though it was bitter, bitter cold

and we took so long dithering over which tree that we got sniped on our first choice. Which turned out to be fortuitous because the tree we ended up with was SUCH a great tree.



Please let the record show that I tried all day to get some semblance of a holiday photo but this was as close as I got:

(Looks like I"ll be sending out a card with the puppy on the cover again THIS year.)

So, then we took a trip into New York City to see The Lion King, courtesy of my parents, who gave us the show as our Christmas present this year.  It was phenomenal.  I've never seen a show like that--just a totally innovative way to stage the story, using puppetry and really spectacular (but simple) sets.

Why yes, Ana is EIGHT FEET TALL.
Then we did some birding, decorated our tree
Edward Kitty is helping to take care of that pesky bubble-wrap problem--might have to click to embiggen to see.

decorated our Gingerbread House


and celebrated Coop's birthday



And then my parents left (twice, actually, since the first time, their flight was cancelled and we got to have them for a bonus night) and I sent them home with a CD of 197 pictures, not one of them with me in it.

Which isn't that unusual because I am almost always the photographer and I like it like that.  But it's even LESS important than usual today because I have THIS.
THIS, my friends, is one of the most amazing pictures on this planet, and do you know why?  Because a group of my on-line friends got together and sent it to me, for no other reason than that they...well...LOVE me.  I thought at first it had come from Tara For Whom I Knitted Socks because we had discussed this artist (Lauren Marems) and specifically this print because, um, it's a woman with two orange cats and I'M a woman with two orange cats.

So I gushed all over Facebook and I told Tara she really shouldn't have done something so extravagant but how much I really love that print.

And she said, "Oh, but I didn't! I was but one in a large group of people who love and admire you who felt you deserved a little something special to remind you how much you mean to all of us. Enjoy. And every time you do, you have to say, "I am special. And I am loved." And you can't follow it up with anything snarky. Those are the rules. ♥"

Which made me cry.  And blush.  And laugh.  And feel, in general, like the richest, luckiest woman on earth.  To think that a group of women who have never met me in real life would do something so generous and kind is just...well...it makes me...

My heart is so...

Well.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Comments

Bullwinkle said…
awwwww ... that is so sweet of them. You have, and deserve, such lovely friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Anonymous said…
Seriously? we ALL haven't met you in real life? Too cool!
S
Lynn said…
How cool is it that we both have friends named Sherry who are married to a Mike? Even cooler is the fact that some of your friends gave you a "proof of affection", but not in the Victorian sense.
ccr in MA said…
Blog-friends are real friends. It's a misunderstood phenomenon.

Happy Thanksgiving! And happy birthday to Coop, of course.
Joni said…
Well, I TRIED to meet Barb in real life, but as soon as I decided I was moving to Texas, she moved to NY
Mokihana said…
Awesome picture.... that is just the most amazing artwork. And two orange cats,too. What special friends you have, Barb!!

Loved the Thanksgiving adventures!
Susan said…
Looks like a grrat holiday. And what a wonderful picture, made more special that it came from friends.