The holidays are here!

Family, friends, food, frustrations. The holidays are a time of celebration and being BUSY. It's nice to just be, to sit and count your blessings. To reflect on family traditions. Here are some of ours:

- Driving to see family. Each year, I think "ugh, next year I am NOT driving". But 364 days later, the car is packed, I am frazzled, and we are on the road.

- Eating. And eating. And eating. Annnnnd EATING. Enjoying every tasty bite and feeling somewhat guilty after grazing all day. Our family tradition seems to be eat "one" big Thanksgiving meal, then pick at the leftovers for the next several days.

- Counting down the days until the big game (i.e. Carolina versus Clemson, for all you non-Southerners). Every year, I tell myself that I am not going to stress over the game and I'll be happy with whoever wins. And every year, I realize how ridiculous this is. I am a Gamecock- born and raised in Columbia and having gone to USC. I try to keep myself busy and distracted every year during the game (note the time I am typing this...) but I find myself- stomach clenched, yelling at the television- once again.

- Laughing with my brother, Dave. NO ONE on Earth makes me laugh harder than him; If I could shrink him and carry him around in my purse wherever I go, I would do it, just so I could smile each day. Alot of his humor involves our past together: places we've been, "accidents" we've had (see below), or movies that bring back memories. Last night, we discovered Pee Wee's Big Adventure on tv. Much to my husband's disappointment, we decided to watch it. He was so annoyed as the movie progressed; Dave and I were so entertained. We recited almost all the lines together, as Chris kept himself busy and prayed for the remote :)

- The holidays also remind me of certain memories, like the time that we set the trash can on fire on Christmas morning. Yes, you read that right. Dave and I were playing outside with a neighborhood friend and we decided that it would be fun to light a firecracker and throw it into the big green, PLASTIC trash can outside my parents' home. Well, you can guess what happened. Suddenly, big orange flames were pouring out of the can. Our neighborhood buddy ran home and Dave sent me inside to get Bubba- our youngest uncle who would probably have concocted this ingenius plan had he not been stuck at the "grown up table" eating. Bubba slyly escaped the dining room and came to the rescue....with a garden hose and a cooler. As he instructed us to fill the cooler with water, he stood with his hand on the garbage can top and tried to contain the fire. I'll never forget looking up and seeing a woman jogging by. Bubba wished her a Merry Christmas and waved as flames and smoke poured out of the trash. Ahhh, memories.

- One holiday tradition that I do not enjoy: leaving my parents. I love to come home, see our doggies, and get settled once again. But leaving my mom and my daddy? It is like torture. They walk us out to the car, help us load up, and wave goodbye. My heart actually hurts as we drive away. (This is actually an improvement. I used to cry every time we'd drive away. Now, I can USUALLY hold back the tears.) This Thanksgiving, I am beyond thankful for them. They play so many roles: Mentor, Counselor, Friend. They are the best parents and even more amazing as Grands. I pray that Chris and I show Trafton just a fraction of the wisdom and patience that they have shown me as parents.