Turkey Picker

I had a really great Thanksgiving today.

You might not have guessed that would be my final opinion of the day if you had been around this morning. The Weirdo and I went out with my brother and sister last night. My sister lives in Philadelphia, which is a bit of a drive from Atlanta, so I don't get to see her very often. In addition to the usual Thanksgiving traditions we wanted to go out drinking while she was in town. So we started with dinner and some surprisingly good beer, and then it was coffee and drinks at a cafe. There was a nice moment at the cafe, when we were all sitting around the table laughing and talking way too loud. We were out in the city with people we love having a good time. It was exactly how I pictured "Happy Adult Life" when I was young. Took a great picture with my brother and sister outside the cafe.

Then it was off to the bars. I drank way too much, and at some point my brother started pole dancing. Ended the night at this odd little bar that we will almost assuredly return to with Bestie & the Firefighter. Can't really explain it, but the beer was cheap, the dance floor was full, and the music ranged from Sweet Caroline to Thriller.

It was a consciousness-in-spurts car ride back to my parent's house, where the Monkey was sound asleep and I quickly followed suit. Four hours later the Weirdo was awake, tired, and irritated at her husband's hangover. We got home and I went back to sleep. She later told me that while I slept she watched all the shows on the DVR that we normally watch together because she was mad at my uselessness. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I reminded her of the numerous times I have taken care of things without complaint when she drank herself into oblivion or caught some nasty cold. We pretty much dropped it, though in my head I silently crowned her the Double Standard Queen of Hypocrisyland.

Once I was back among the living we went to my parent's house for Dinner # 1. At the start of the feast my dad went around the table asking everyone what they were thankful for. The Weirdo said "Sober husbands" and fired the death look at me. No she didn't - but you believed it, didn't you? As my dad went around the table he, as a joke, asked the Monkey what he was thankful for. Maybe it was because my dad spoke to him, maybe it was because everyone at the table was looking at him, but immediately upon being asked the question the Monkey held up a piece of tomato and shouted DAAAH! Not even two years old and his comedic timing is perfect. What a kid!

After dinner the men tossed a football back and forth in the front yard while the women sat on the patio talking, sipping drinks, and yelling at us when the ball came too close. The Monkey was running all over the yard, and I had one of those mental pictures burned into my head for all eternity of the Monkey running across the yard smiling and shouting, the wind blowing his hair up and away from his face.

In the early evening we left my parent's house and went to Dinner # 2 at the Weirdo's parents' house. The feast there was great too, but was enhanced by the multitude of children. There was the Monkey of course, but also a two and a half year old, a one year old, and a week old infant. The Weirdo and I love kids. We get excited talking about the future and a crazy house full of kids running around. When our kids are older we want to have Cousin Camp at our house during the summer. Where the idea of roughly eight kids in your house terrifies most people, the Weirdo and I relish the thought of it.

At one point I stepped outside for a smoke. The kids were inside running and making messes, the adults were tending to the kids and talking and enjoying time together. I took a moment to really appreciate how much I loved the Weirdo's family. My family, I corrected myself. They are my family every bit as much as they are the Weirdo's. The thought occurred to me that if something unspeakable happened, if I lost the Weirdo, I would still be there on Thanksgiving. I would be picking up that cute little one year old and making funny faces at her. I'd be looking at toys on sale with the two and a half year old. I'd still be the designated turkey picker - which is the incredibly important job of picking all the meat off the turkey after dinner has ended. I would be there with the Weirdo's family - my family - because I wanted to be there. I finished my smoke and went back inside just in time to discover the Monkey had an absolutely foul smelling diaper.

And so, like I said, I had a really great Thanksgiving today. I try to learn something new every day, and maybe today's lesson is this: whether you're out drinking, playing football, or turkey pickin', Thanksgiving is about being there with your family and remembering just how lucky you are to have them.