Thanksgiving this year was weird. I looked forward to it for three weeks... all the time we had off from school (three days) seemed so mesmerizing. Time off was great, I haven't had that much time off since college, but it was stressful. We went to the ranch again with my family( now numbering somewhere in the 40s.) To say the least, it was crowded. All the kids are growing up, need more space, and there are more responsibilities are you get older. For example, my family clan is always responsible for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. So... that means we spend Wednesday night in the kitchen and all day on Thursday, and another couple of hours cleaning up. That's fine, I'm glad to help, but it seemed to taste so much better when I wasn't cooking it.
I guess I'm just still kind of figuring out my adulthood position in life. I feel so sad when I think about all the childhood memories I have at the ranch. I mean, I feel happy because I have so many good ones, but it seems like as you get older, some places just lose their "specialness." Maybe I just get upset because I think that during family times, family should spend time together. Both my sisters left early to be with their boyfriends. I guess I understand, but... there is so little time to spend together now, even when we live in the same city.
On the upside, I feel like Shawn is a little more comfortable around my impenetrable family. Imagine an indian coming into a cowboy camp. Or a Muslim stepping into a Baptist church... I think they just had to get used to him. Or maybe he's just gotten used to the country, rifle wielding, pie eating, right wing conservatives they are. Not bad, just the way they are, and different than the way Shawn grew up. I'm sure it took some time getting used to it... for both sides.
On the extreme upside, there are three weeks of school until Christmas. And not enough time to get anything done. But that's okay, I'm just glad that this semester has flown by so quickly. Now, I really feel like I have the hang of things. Yes, there are still some days when those 4th grade boogers get the better of me, but I feel like I know what to do. I feel more confident. I feel more in control of the situation- and that always makes me feel better. Despite the fact that they draw beer bottles on their papers, write about playboy in their journals and eat squirrel soup for dinner, I do, as a matter of fact, feel better about it all now. :)
