Evermore Grateful

 We are evermore grateful for all we've experienced this past year, the challenges that caused us to dig deeper and gather strength from places we didn't know existed, the joys that made our eyes shine bright with tears and caused our hearts to spill over with a love we didn't know was possible.  Heartfelt thanks to our family and friends who lifted us up and carried us along when we wanted nothing more than to curl up with a soft blanket in a cozy bed in the hope that the land of dreams would make it all go away, who celebrated birthdays and anniversaries and christenings and home comings with abundant joy, who embraced our new normal without losing stride.  To Channing for his bright spirit and being the most dazzling example of unconditional love one could be witness to.  To Sophie for opening our hearts and expanding our horizons.  For a little person, she certainly knows how to stir up inspiration of epic proportion.  For all of it, we are giving thanks.


In celebration of this day, we started with breakfast on the coffee table while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Sophie would occasionally stir from her cocoon on the couch as Channing excitedly exclaimed "wow!" over and over and over, delightedly jumping out to point out Mickey Mouse or Snoopy as they filled the television screen.  He waved over and over to the celebrities on the floats and the kids in the stands.  I ached for a way to bottle his enthusiasm and laughter, wanting to hide it away so the moment could be relieved thirty years from now.

I found proof that falling asleep to Thanksgiving Day football does not require consuming mass quantities of food before hand.  As this was the state of things in our living room before we got dressed and joined Michael's parents for dinner at Kozy's in Edina.  

For the first time, we were not among the throngs of pre-Thanksgiving dinner shoppers loading up on green beans and sweet potatoes and trying to determine what size bird is enough to have leftovers but not enough leftovers to be still eating when Christmas rolls around.  We lingered and lounged our way through most of the day today choosing to let someone else do the cooking and, even better, the clean-up.  Kozy's had both a limited dinner menu and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  All of us passed over the turkey for delectable bites such as filet mignon, salmon and sea scallops.  Pecan and pumpkin pie were boxed up and carried back to Flynn's for dessert and a little Wii action.  Sophie dined out for the first time too.  She left Kozy's just as full and happy as the rest of us.  

Walt had more than his fair share of help as he tried to negotiate his way through the Wii Fit Plus obstacle course.  

Seems that Cassie had been busy one evening as the high scores all belonged to her.  That is until I brought out my A game and kicked her butt in the marching band.  I imagine there will be a rematch over the course of the weekend.  She'd better watch it.  I've got some mad band nerd skills.  I'm just sayin'...