Giving Thanks...

I woke up just before 10 am. Feeling...ehh...a little more at ease, since the late night text convo with Kat. Heh. Reassured. I know I go literally crazy at this time of year...that's not a shock. But to know she's there...to listen to it...& rearrange it for my brain to comprehend...makes a helluva difference. *smiles*

So...I did something out-of-character for me this morning. I still haven't fallen into the Thanksgiving greetings everyone is passing out but...I did my version of it. For those closest to my heart (Kat, Ben, Manda, Stacy, Kelli, Judy & Tanya), I left a little message on their FB wall...thanking them for being in my world. Heh. *blushes* Those are the people that I count on at various times...to lift me up, to save me, to let me be *me*...they ARE my world. I decided they needed to know it. ;-)

Then mom called. She guilted me into coming over there by telling me their roommate, Scott, wasn't gonna be there cuz he had to work. That Chuck was still coming (from Ft Lauderdale) but his brother wasn't coming with him after all. And she had ALL this food...& nobody to eat it!! hahaha Yeah. Fine. Ok.

Right after that, Judy texted me. Invited me to go with her & the whole clan to the massive family gathering that was gonna be happening at 1 pm (a guesstimated 50+ people were gonna be there). Told her that mom had just guilted me into going to her house. ;-p But thanked her for thinking of me.

Left here at 11:30 to go to mom's. Chuck was there already when I got there. She had really just started cooking everything. Right after I got there, got a text from Ben. Was short & sweet. Just said..."Huggs". One simple word. And it freaking MADE my day!! haha How pathetic is that?! ;-p I spent some time with the chickens. Not real chickens! Sandhill cranes that mom & Bud have pretty much domesticated. Broke Chicken (she has 1 leg that is half gone) & her son. Fed them peanuts on a couple different occasions. They'll take them right from your hand. Unless you've been that close to wildlife...you just have NO idea how satisfying & calming that is!! ;-) We finally ate around 2 pm. Everything was YUM!! Turkey, ham, dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes & gravy & yeast rolls. For dessert, blueberry cream cheese pies & pumpkin pie. I had to bring dessert home with me. Couldn't eat it there--too stuffed!! lol

I got home at 4, so completely ready to crash...haha!! But I'm resisting! If I were to nap, I'd be awake most of the night & I gotta work tomorrow!

Texted with Manda back & forth for a while. We made a pact. She's not gonna let me slip into my hole this year. lol And I'm working on not doing it either. But it's not something I can achieve by myself...not being alone. It makes me super crazy emotional. Kat got a bit of that last night. And I don't WANT to go through this...or put anyone else through it!! :/ But I still need help with it. *sighs*

Now I'm just watching movies til it's bedtime. I feel good. My Thanksgiving was full of the people I care about & I've thanked them for being there. BIG difference from how it was supposed to go...me, holed up in my house, watching movies all day, speaking to no one, shut off from the world basically. And I would've been very unhappy. I would've felt unbearably alone & feeling really sorry for myself. And missing certain people excruciatingly so. I'm very thankful that's NOT the day I had...& I owe that all to my mom, Judy, Manda, Ben & Kat. ❤ ❤ ❤