AuburnChick's Adventures

Happy Almost-Thanksgiving, y’all!  I’m very impressed, but not at all surprised, that Joyce put together another fun list of questions given her precious company this week.  ❤ ❤ ❤

Thanks for visiting, y’all, and have a wonderful holiday!  Oh, and if you’re new to this, link up with Joyce to play along!

1.  Tradition…how tightly do you cling to tradition when it comes to holiday gatherings and celebrations? For instance do you always do the cooking, never eat at home, always go to grandma’s, never miss the parade, always watch football, never change the menu, always eat at 2 PM, etc.? Have you ever celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving away from hearth, home, and family? How did that feel?

I used to cling to tradition like crazy.  I am a creature of habit and do not do change well; however, my life became rather chaotic from the moment that Rooster announced that he was enlisting in the Air Force.  I quickly learned that I couldn’t hold onto traditions quite as tightly; rather, I’d have to adapt.  So, I’m trying.

As far as traditions that we’ve observed down in these parts, the Mr. and I have hosted Thanksgiving ever since we lived in Miami.  Our family used to drive down, and I’d do most of the cooking.  When we moved closer to the family, we continued to have them over.  That changed last year when I had my ankle surgery four days before the holiday, and the Mr. and I spent that week alone, except for a quick visit from Chicky.

This year, the Mr. and I are on our own, unless Chicky drives up, which I’m still not sure of.  I won’t be cooking this year either for various reasons.  It will be a rather nontraditional day for us.

We always watch football on Thanksgiving, so that won’t change.

The only Thanksgivings we haven’t celebrated at home have been the ones when we were on cruises.  What a fun way to celebrate the holiday!

As far as Christmas, we have, for the most part, gone to the Mr.’s parents’ house.  The only exception was the year that Chicky had knee surgery.  We spent Christmas getting her back on her feet.  It was very strange to be away from the rest of the family.

Last year, we were fortunate that Rooster and his wife were able to be here.  Actually, they had their big wedding right before the holiday and spent the week after visiting us and her parents.  It was heavenly.  I knew that this would be one of our last years observing so many of our Christmas traditions.

This year, the Mr. and I will be home, with Chicky, because he is on call, and I’m having another ankle surgery on the 21st.

It’s a year of firsts for us.

2.  Help...is it easy for you to ask for help or are you a do-it-yourselfer? How is that a good/bad thing?

Well, prior to this past year, it was difficult for me to ask for help because I am definitely a DIY kind of gal.  After breaking my ankle, I had to rely on everyone for everything.  Then, the Mr. got super sick in January, and the asking kept on going.  I’ve tried not to ask for help too often because I don’t want to be a burden on anyone, but the good thing has been that I’ve learned that most people really will help if asked.

3.  Abundance…what is there an abundance of in your kitchen?

I have an abundance of flour – so many types of flour.  I am so grateful that the internet is a plethora of vegan recipes; however, I often plan to make something, buy the flour, and then forget which recipe I’d bought it for.  The struggle is real, y’all!

4.  Name…the smallest thing you’re thankful for? the biggest?

The smallest thing I am thankful for is having the week to nap . . . every day . . . (click the photo to play)

The biggest thing I am thankful for is a loving, gracious God whose plan for my life is perfect, even when I don’t understand the reasons for some of the things He allows into it.

5.  Key...What do you think is the key to living a more grateful life?

I think that the key to living a more grateful life is having a humble attitude.  When we get too big for our britches, we become ungrateful and begin to take things for granted.  Things can change in a nanosecond.  This is a lesson I’ve learned this year both with my struggle to recuperate from my ankle injury, my husband’s illness, and the passing of our beloved fur baby, Molly.

I am not strong on my own, and I sure as heck cannot do life with the grace of my precious heavenly Father.

6.  My Random Thought

I could make a list of all the things I am thankful for; however, I’m sure they’re the same things that most of you would include as well.

Instead, I’ll share this adorable video, which I took the other night.

This year has been one of the toughest I’ve ever had.  As mentioned above, I lost my buddy, Molly, this summer, and my heart just hasn’t healed yet.  I don’t know if it will ever be the same.

However, I am finding so much solace with my two boys.  I recently splurged and bought two more dog beds, which stay in my room.  I’ve been leaving the door open in the afternoons, after the Roomba has run, and the other night, I discovered that they’d gotten tired of waiting for me to go to bed.  They took matters in to their own paws.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: Wednesday Hodgepodge |