Happy Thanksgiving

I have had a wonderful day with family and friends. My mother and I cooked all morning and enjoyed our tradition of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on a TV in our kitchen. My dad and brothers enjoyed their epic tradition of the Sapulpa Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is a football game at the high school field in town that a bunch of guys in their late twenties started playing over twenty years ago. Over the years their sons started coming and their friends. My dad was one of the original founders and my brothers have been able to go since about age 10. They love it. Mom and I excitedly wait for them to come home and before they even get up the stairs to the kitchen they are usually heralding their win or accomplishments in the game and commonly (as they did today) chanting about being men. My dad has been known to break ribs in this game the last couple years and Mom and I were pretty nervous about some injury occuring as he is about to turn 60 years old. But he prevailed on the winning team with no injuries this year though I did end up rubbing my older brother's back for a good 30 minutes after they got back due to a strained muscle, but all in all not very many injuries this year.

As a family we always have dinner at our friend's the Plinsky's house in Jenks, OK. Tim and Karen are my parents' closest friends from their years at JBU and have stayed such over the years. Their daughter and son-in-law (also JBU grads) and their three kids are always there. Their nephew and neice (also JBU grads--notice a trend?) and their two baby girls were there again this year and I loved to reconnect with them and try to establish that I do have more young friends around this area than I realize. They food was amazing and 4 year old Mia took me on a run, literally, around the neighborhood afterward so I enjoyed 2 pieces of pie because of my effort. It was a great day with family and friends that are our family as well. I'm very thankful for these times in my life!