Thanksgiving recap

Thanksgiving seems like three weeks ago already, doesn't it? The Target commercial they're playing, where the couple waves goodbye to their friends saying, "The turkey was wonderful, as always!" and then they close the door and immediately turn around into their house, which is fully decked out for Christmas...? Have you seen that one? It's perfect, right? I feel like that's exactly what has happened. There was no transition. Just, BOOM, Christmas.

We're deep in it -- we're looking for our Elf on the Shelf every morning, the tree is up, and I've been to Michael's twice already. Doesn't get a whole lot more Christmas-y than that.

Anyway, let me tell you about our Thanksgiving, because it was really nice. We went to DH's parents' house in Savannah, and had dinner at 1:30! One! I never knew the position of the clock could make such a difference, but I'm here to tell you IT CAN. I think the one o'clock hour is the perfect time, actually. At 1:30, the parade had just finished. I hadn't had time to think "Gosh, I'm hungry," yet. I hadn't had time to wish there was a cheese ball and some Wheat Thins out on the table (or to stuff myself with them before dinner even started). I had had a Coke Zero to tide me over. The kids were playing nicely. My BIL and SIL arrived. At 1:30, it was lunchtime. A logical time to eat.

We finished around 2:30 I guess, did the dishes, and had time to chill out for a bit. At 4:00 I was ready for my pie (apple, a la mode). Then at 6:30 it was the perfect time for a turkey sandwich! Ta-da! See how that worked out?

On Friday, we took off to the beach! One thing we never take advantage of in Savannah is the fact that it's on the coast. We're usually not there long enough to make a day of it with swimsuits and buckets and the whole ordeal. But this time, since it wasn't swimming weather anyway, I just wanted to go out there and SEE it. There's a huge public pier, where the kids RAN all the way to the end, chasing pigeons and seagulls (just like in the movies). Then there's the flat sand of the beach, stretching for days. We collected handfuls of (broken) seashells, perfect in the kids' eyes, and AJ even pulled up his pants legs to wade in the Atlantic. KT wanted to "dig for pirate treasure." I can't resist sharing a photo. I loved breathing in the salty air, and I'm just not sure there's anything more restorative than a sunny day near the water, you know? It seemed to bring out the best in all of us. Especially afterwards, when we stopped at a little hamburger dive for a cheap lunch on their patio, complete with giant chocolate ice cream cones. I really feel like we made happy memories that day.

On Saturday, we set out on our own without the grandparents, who had some other tasks to attend to. I hated to miss out on time with them, but I was also happy to have a little time just to ourselves. Historic Downtown, of course, is where all the tourist action is, so we forked over a lot of cash to ride on a horse-drawn carriage through brick-lined streets and statues. I remember visiting lots of museums and historic sites when I was a kid -- in Austin, Natchez, Vicksburg, New Orleans, New Mexico, old Mexico! and Springfield, IL, among others -- and I think our kids are old enough now to get the educational benefit from that kind of thing. It was awesome. AJ sat up front with the driver and felt all special. KT managed to stop talking (mostly) and let the tour guide tell her dumb jokes. And we had lunch afterwards. (I am pretty sure the key to my personal enjoyment is scheduling these things right around 11, so we can have lunch after. Clearly, french fries are important to me deep down in my heart.)

We drove home Saturday night, after dinner. (Leftovers for the win!) That somehow felt special, too. A last hurrah, or something. The hectic pace of packing up. The kids running from BIL who tickled them without ceasing. (Something which I could seriously complain about... but... whatever. They seem to enjoy it. To the point of SCREAMING a lot. Sigh.) And we were so glad to skip dumb metro traffic on Sunday.

All in all, I'd say it was a near-perfect holiday.