This weekend is a weekend to be thankful for. I try to be thankful all year, and not just reserve my thankfulness for only the holidays, but there's something about Thanksgiving that just makes me a little more grateful for the blessings in my life. It's a day to spend with family and friends over the loveliest of meals. A day to take in the gorgeous change in the season and admire the colours and bounty that nature has to offer. It's a time to reflect on memories of loved ones past, and have a heart full of gratitude for the loved ones still present. It's a time of warmth and love. Many will be busy about in kitchens, cooling pies warm from the oven, trimming the house with bits of fall, and rushing through the house one last time to make sure everything is just right before the guests arrive.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you that these lengthy preparations don't matter and that the time we spend worrying about the details would be better spent with family ~ it's part of the holiday! I myself will be spending the better part of today cleaning, setting up and decorating for my guests tomorrow afternoon. It's part of what makes the season more special - a tidied house filled with all the loveliness of the season. My guests are important to me, and I want to make the time we'll spend together as lovely and beautiful as possible. That usually means a few hours of good cleaning, straightening and touching up!
I do have one special thing planned for today. In a little while, I will be off to pick up my dear friend Jess, who is my longest friend, sister and cousin twice over (!! - it's a very interesting story that should keep you guessing!). Every Spring and Fall we like to embark on a drive - a sort of welcoming of the season. Today will be our fourth annual Fall Drive. The schedule goes as follows: We pick up Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks for the beginning of our trip. Our first stop is to the local farm and bake stand (Whitty Farms) for the most delectable butter tarts for the road. Next, the most scenic drive through the country side as we wind our way through the Jordan Hollows all the way to the historic Balls Falls. There, we spend a few hours browsing through the annual Thanksgiving festival and craft show. Finally, on our way back home, we make one last stop at another farm stand (In On The Pines - we like to spread the love and experience each stand and not just one in particular!) to pick up our Fall Decor! Before we head out, I plan on popping into the market downtown to pick up some fresh flowers for the house tomorrow. My mom just stopped by to pick my son up for the afternoon and brought with her a pail full of the biggest green hydrangeas you've ever seen! They'll look ravishing with some cream roses! Tomorrow, after church, Thanksgiving dinner will be had at my mom's house with my side of the family. Afterwards, they'll go wandering across the country side for a while and then make their way over to my house for dessert and coffee (along with leftovers - a family tradition). Tomorrow, Ryan planned a wonderful fall hike for us in the States in a State Park. I'm not sure of the details but I'm sure it'll be breathtaking. We may even get in a bit of Columbus Day shopping! Next weekend is Thanksgiving dinner, which I host each year, for my husbands side of the family and the weekend after... a Harvest Dinner with our friends! It's a busy October, that's for sure but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Anyway, I'm off! It's the most gorgeous of Fall days today and I can't wait to get out and make the most of it! Photos will most definitely be following soon after.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
