Have a "Grateful" Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a time to be "grateful" for whatever has filled and warmed our hearts this year. I feel very fortunate, thankful, blessed, and all the other words that make me happy I can sit down at a Thanksgiving dinner table surrounded by all of my grown kids, my granddaughter, and my new grandbaby that Justine(Bryce's wife)is pregnant with. We have kind of a tradition of going out to eat on Thanksgiving. All of us work so much, it's become a nice tradition. We go to this Irish pub, Omally's in Old Towne Seal Beach. We go out because that way we can just sit down and relax and enjoy each others company without stressing over cooking and cleaning up. I know personally I am very thankful we are able to do this. It hasn't been a easy year for many, including myself. I'm hopeful for the new year, for Barrack, and a brighter future for all of us.

And if you are wondering why there is a picture of bricks with this blog, well here's the deal. My parents bought their house, brand new in the early 50's. With the appliances, it cost $9500! After I was born, they brought me home to this house. I grew up in that house, and myself and my kids spent many Thanksgiving dinners at that house. After my parents passed away, Katie and Vinnie bought the house. This past year they re-modeled and took out the old, original fireplace. The bricks in the picture above are from that fireplace. The bricks sit in my office on a work table behind my desk. Sometimes it's just nice to look at them and remember the past, like tonight. Believe me, our Thanksgivings at my parents house were never perfect. My mom really wasn't too good at cooking the turkey. My sister and I use to call it "turkey dust", it was pretty dry, as in no liquid to even make gravy with! It was okay though, it helped me become a vegetarian! But it was never about what we ate (obviously) but who was at the dinner table to spend time with. So, with all that said, its nice to have stuff from our past, like my fireplace bricks, to bring back fond memories. I hope you all have a "grateful" Thanksgiving tomorrow! And, BTW, I still won't be eating any turkey tomorrow!!