thanksgiving

This holiday started out as typical for my family...but contained some surprises and ended as a true East Texas Thanksgiving! We can mark November 27, 2008 as the Thanksgiving when Nana had the complete meal ready for eating before noon...she was actually waiting on everyone to arrive vs. the normal early afternoon presentation of lunch. She had worked hard and it was delicious! Our feast's centerpiece was the Greenberg's Smoked Turkey. This is a Tyler tradition. Oprah made this a national treasure a few years ago when she listed it as a favorite thing..the long lines got longer! Also, we savored dressing, carrot souffle, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, two versions of green bean casserole, corn, rolls, a pumpkin roll, and two cakes. Of course all of this was topped off with sweet tea. You couldn't ask for anything more from our Southern cook.

As we slowly moved to the living room...the newspaper was unfolded and the sales adds were dispersed around the room. For the past several years, Becky and I have gone to a store to browse and mosey after lunch. This year a new location popped up. It was the incentives and needed gifts at Gander Mtn. that lured us. So we headed out Hwy. 69 for our first shopping experience in this outdoor world. Before long we were pros! We were speaking camo language as if we knew what we were talking about. Real Tree. Mossy Oak. We knew it all. If Glen and Chris were going to hunt and wear the attire, Mitchell couldn't be left out. It was obvious that he needed a new camouflage t-shirt for Christmas. Then the twist of fate...Becky and I found ourselves making personal purchases of hunting attire! Yes, you read that correctly. I left the store with my very own hunting camo. I excitedly told Dempsey about the adventure and that we had "really gotten into the spirit!". He said, "Spirit of what?"...Gander Mountain. East Texas. Thanksgiving. Camo. Nana wondered what had happened to her girls. Becky and I laughed together! Isn't that what family time is about?

So, here we are back at the house proudly displaying our new clothes. If you look closely, you will see the Cowboy game in the background. After all, it was Thanksgiving in East Texas.

This is Izzy. She is my sister's crazy dog, the next best thing to a great-grandchild at this point!