Birthdays and Football and Plenty of Things to Be Thankful For...

It has been a week, folks.

Between the trip to Georgia last week and our Thanksgiving travels, I'll be happy to not even see the inside of my car for quite some time. In fact, I think I'll hole up like a hermit for a few weeks and just see what life is like at this house we're paying for each month. I could also walk to the other house we're paying for each month...but it's empty and it keeps me up nights so it's probably best that I just hang here!


Wednesday morning we loaded up the ol' Family Truckster and headed due south to the inlaws. Loaded down like we were gonna set up base camp for a strategic military operation, we slowly made our way there and even got to intersect with Keith's brother and his family to grab lunch along the way. Between Keith and his brother Jay, there are 6 offspring. So, Keith's poor parents didn't know what hit them when the 10 of us came barreling into town. The next morning we added his older brother plus wife and child, later that afternoon his younger sister, her hubby and two kiddos and then an aunt and grandma. Altogether there were 21 of us.

I kid you not, if Valium were an over the counter option...................

But, I will tell you this. Yes, it was crowded and yes there were probably times when Keith's folks were simultaneously glad to have us all there and wondering if it was time for us to go yet...with kids bickering over whose turn it was to throw the football or twenty of us all in the kitchen trying to get a drink at the same time... but we were there. together. A family that is spread across the Southeast and we were all converged on this small southern town at one time.

It was a miracle to say the least.

We sat out in the chairs and swings under the arbor covered with its intertwining rose vines and caught up with each other's lives. WE talked about jobs and kids and school. We played a few rousing games of touch football (WHY can I not throw a football correctly???) and we laughed. Alot. And, as crazy as it was trying to grab a spot in the shower line or screaming as the shower water turned icy cold as someone washed the dishes, I loved every minute of it.

Yes, really.

Because in my everyday hectic life, there are phone calls to return and appointments and busses to catch and homework to do and laundry to finish and...and....there was none of that. It was just a group of people related by blood or marriage spending time together. For that, and for each and every one of them, I am thankful.

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While we were at the inlaws, we celebrated Jacob's FIRST birthday! How is that even possible? Wasn't it yesterday that I was sitting in my living room watching Deal or No Deal and the phone rings...."you're having a baby in three weeks...and it's a boy!" From that moment (Nov. 9) on, life has certainly been a whirlwind.

Our brother and sister-in-law had a little girl just 4 days after Jacob was born so we did a joint 1st Birthday party for them Friday evening. Two babies, lots of family, gifts and, of course, the birthday cake for each...it was so much fun. I'm finishing a post about Jacob's first year and will get that up this week,

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And then, we loaded up the truck and headed to Tuscaloosa in a driving rainstorm for the 2008 Iron Bowl. Luckily, just a light mist made itself home on us all day and we never dealt with a hard rain after we arrived at our tailgating site.

We had a great time hanging out with our tailgating crew for the last time this year [insert sad face here!] and then we walked over the the stadium. I could not have been more nervous. Playing our arch rival who has NOTHING to lose when we are the number one team in the country trying to make it to a National Championship game.

But, as it turned out, we had nothing to worry about. With a final score of 36 to NOTHIN. Zip. Zero. Zilch...it could not have been a better game. I was hoping to win by a point and we ended up shutting them out. It was beautiful. The stadium was electric and not a single Bama fan left. We ended a six game losing streak in an intense rivalry and had a great time doing so!

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Now we're back. And, we're decorating for Christmas and getting back into a groove here at home. It snowed like crazy here today but didn't stick. Oh well...it sure was pretty coming down!

Wishing you a good post-Turkey Day week!