I may not be updating for a few days, since I am going back to DC for the holiday, so I thought I would make this my Thanksgiving themed entry.
Tonight after work the ever-wonderful K and I will hop on Jet Blue�s reasonably priced and leather seated red-eye flight to my hometown. I am so excited (well, not so much for the flight, although I do enjoy their personal TVs). But I am looking forward to being home. I wish I could stay for much longer (we�re coming back Saturday evening.)
It should be lots of fun. The big excitement of this holiday is the meeting of my recently discovered illegitimate half-brother. (There�s a Jerry Springer sentence if ever there was one). Some background. I am the youngest of five girls, and all but two of us have different mothers (my mom is my dad�s fourth wife). So this whole situation is not quite the shock it might have been for a different family�I knew my dad got around. (ew). Anyway. About a year and a half ago this man, Bob (his actual name, as initials are getting quite confusing) called up my dad and said that he (Bob) thought he was my dad�s son. Turns out his mother is a woman my dad dated between his second and third wives (or slightly overlapping with his second, depending on whose version of this story you believe) who got pregnant but never told my father. She apparently didn�t even tell Bob until his 40th birthday. Anyway, so my dad has seen him quite a few times. He didn�t tell the rest of the family until about a year after he first heard from him (my family members are a bunch of freaks in so many, many ways). And now he and his wife and son are coming for dinner. I am interested to meet them. It�s funny to think of my father having a son, since for so long he just had five daughters.
So we shall see how that goes. My mom is quite stressed about the whole thing.
There was all this Bob controversy having to do with the wedding. After we discovered the existence of Bob, one of my sisters wanted to invite him to the wedding. My dad, at the same time, started saying he was absolutely not going to invite him (wasn�t quite ready to introduce his illegitimate son to his friends, I am assuming). No one, of course, asked me what I thought. There was a lot of quickly escalating fighting (one of my family�s favorite forms of communication). In the end it was dropped, if never really resolved, although he�s not being invited. (He says he doesn�t mind and wouldn�t have been comfortable anyway).
So there will be the meeting of Bob to look forward to. Also a bridal shower thrown by a high school friend and a trial of my wedding day hair. All fun activities.
A brief rumination on Thanksgiving. Here are the many things I am thankful for:
1. My wonderful, handsome, love of my life, K. I have no idea how I got so lucky to have be marrying him, but the word thankful doesn�t even begin to describe how I feel about him.
2. My family. They drive me crazy on a fairly regular basis, but I wouldn�t trade them for anything. And this year I am especially thankful for the safe arrival of our newest member, little Rose. Good luck tiny one. Hopefully most of us will have mellowed by the time you realize the kind of family you were born into.
3. My friends. A wonderful group of women. Most especially DM, Miss. Rome, and HB.
4. Our furry dog-child Loki, who I believe is the finest specimen of canine-ness around.
5. Books. My life without them would be much grayer.
6. Trashy TV/magazines/movies/pop culture in general. I am not ashamed to admit I love it. It�s an always-welcome break from my busy head.
7. Flannel sheets, and a generally cozy bed. I am glad to be reunited with it every evening, even if between K and Loki I am only allowed 1/8 of it.
8. Pie. Which I hope to eat lots and lots of this weekend. I could actually do a separate list just for foods I am thankful for. Chocolate, cheese, and Diet Coke would figure prominently.
9. My upcoming wedding. There have been times when I said that I wished we eloped, given the yelling and tears that planning it has sometimes entailed, but as it gets closer I think it�s going to amazing and romantic and that it will be a memory I always cherish.
Lots of other things, too, but I will refrain from busting out with a little �raindrops on roses� montage.
So, to any of you reading this (which could be a sum total of no one, but no matter) I wish a happy turkey (or tufurkey day, if you are so inclined) to you and yours.
Reading: A pile of magazines on the plane
Craving: Pumpkin pie
Thinking: I hope I sleep on the plane
Student teaching begins - 2005-02-20
Three more days!! - 2005-02-07
Weekend recap - 2005-01-31
Oh the hate - 2005-01-26
Yay for staying home! - 2005-01-24