THANKFUL for the 26 days of thanksgiving

Well here we are! Finally the big day! And you know what, I am thankful for Thanksgiving! It's nice to know we have a day where we can get together with family and loved ones and enjoy eachother's company and eat until we can't breathe anymore.

I just got in from a 2 hour bike ride with my dad, trying to get in some early morning cardio before the big meal starts, and although I know I probably only burned 500 of the 3,000 calories I'll likely consume today, it does make me feel a little bit better.

As I've gotten older, but not quite old enough for my brother or I to have children of our own, I've noticed that the Thanksgiving gathering has gotten smaller. Obviously, we need to remember our loved ones that no longer can celebrate with us, but there's also the extended family that now celebrate with their new family.

Something else that's changed as I got older is the traditions. I remember growing up, the day after Thanksgiving, my dad would take my brother and I on a hike in the Blue Ridge mountains. It was something I always looked forward to. We would get to invite friends, or sometimes our cousins would come too, but it was a nice tradition to work off the extra food we ate the day before. Another tradition I remember is after the big meal, we would always get together and play board games. Now that we're older, the day after Thanksgiving is spent golfing, and the board games of choice have changed to poker. But still, the general idea of tradition is there, it's just changed to keep up with the times.

Here are some pictures of Old Rag Mountain in the fall. I'm at my parents house, so I don't have access to pictures of our table or us playing poker (specifically, me winning poker!)

As far as food is concerned, obviously it's pretty much the same on everyone's table, and I'm sure your mom is a great cook, but mine's better! :) It's funny how turkey is supposed to be the centerpiece, but I think it tends to get pushed to the side among all the other delicious side dishes!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Enjoy  your meal and time with your family!