Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I was able to drive down to Houston to spend the long weekend with my Grandfather, and we've been having a great time. Yesterday we spent most of the day over at my cousin's home, with a few other Evans cousins over as well. There were 28 people at dinner (8 adults and 20 kids), and I don't think I've ever seen so many mashed potatoes/ rolls/ people piled up in one kitchen before. It was great fun.

The majority of kids are under 12, resulting in a tremendous amount of energy pent up after the meal, so a walk/ bike ride/ scooter ride/ skateboard ride/ stroller ride to the park helped to burn a little bit of that off. We returned home for a short pilgram play. Several of the kids wanted to dress up for the occasion and there were limited costumes, so we had the required pilgrims and indians, but to add a little zest to the evening, we also were treated to a knight from the crusades, a pioneer, a fireman/construction worker, a samurai warrior (with swords), and what I think was a storm trooper, complete with light saber. It was truly excellent. And that was followed by pie- pumpkin, pecan, apple, cherry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, peanut butter, key lime, ice cream, cheesecake, and probably some other kinds that I can't remember. I had pieces of the pecan and the key lime, Grandpa had pumpkin, and they were all delicious.

Interwoven between all of the activities was lots and lots of talking. It was great to spend time and have the chance to visit with cousins that I haven't seen in years. It's always fun to see how much we have in common, even though our lives have taken us in many different directions. It was great to see their kids growing up. And it was great to be reminded that I'm part of a wonderful family. Now I'm even more excited for Christmas and the chance to see some of my own sibs and nephews (I'll have to wait for spring to see my nieces!)