Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today we're hoping to have a good meal, give thanks for our many blessings, and manage to have a nice day. I'm going to rush off to sing at mass (BTW, can someone explain why we have official collects for civic holidays? National patron saint feasts I get, but this just seems weird.) before I do that, have some JEI fun with The Zelie Group!

1. Do you have to cook for Thanksgiving? If yes, what’s on the menu? If no, high five!

We have been assigned to bring the yam dish for Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's side of the family who lives about two hours south of us. I'm still trying to develop a taste for for sweet potatoes, but we're bringing this one.

Our big cooking day was really Sunday when we had our friendsgiving (YAMMsgiving with our young adult group). We made turkey, people brought sides, tons of the leftover wine and cheese from Swing Dance the night before. Good company, good food, plenty of drink and plenty of babies - what's not to love?

"Turkey? I eat it in my mouth?"

2. What famous person would you like to invite to your family Thanksgiving?

Easy, the Pope. Specifically, I think it would be fun to invite a couple different Popes. I figure many of them never got to meet each other, nor did they know who the future Pope would be even if they did meet.

I'm thinking Francis, JPII, Leo XIII, Pius X, John XXIII, and Peter.

Everyone but Francis has, probably, already met each other in heaven so what kind of insights would they have? It would be the best Thanksgiving dinner ever!

3. Excluding family, health and basic needs met - what are 3 things that you are thankful for?

That's right, all the safe responses to this question are excluded!

Ok here I go:

Friends who roll with it when I message/text/email/call/accost at a party with something that starts with "hey, crazy idea, but...." So many of the things I do (Swing dance events, liturgical year parties, etc.) start from getting friends on board with my crazy idea. Somehow I have ended up with a lot of introverted friends who can handle my extroverted intensity. When we work together awesome things happen!

A body that is strong and able to keep up with what I ask of it. I've just past one year of being back to dancing, and now I'm adding acting on top of that. I have days that start at 6:45am and end with class or rehearsal getting out between 9pm-10pm most weekdays. It can be hard, but it's what I love to do. I'm so blessed that I can push my mind and body and have it be a reasonable expectation that I will be able to meet my goals.

Part of this is also I'm so grateful to have had encouraging and constructively critical friends, ballet teachers, directors, and fellow dancers and actors who have helped me push myself in helpful ways (and not crash and burn.)

A husband who has worked with me to create a way of living that allows us to pursue our dreams and still have time as a family. It would not be possible for me to go for auditions, attend rehearsals, go to conferences, or ballet class if not for my husband. We've worked it out that he leaves for work early, which gives him time for a run, and allows him to get home about 4:30pm most days. We're able to have an unrushed family dinner and have a good hour and a half, or more, before I have to leave for rehearsal or class. We collaborate to make dinner happen, and I am confident that the kids will be perfectly fine going to bed with him in charge.

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Your turn! Answer the week's questions in the comments or link up your own post.

1. Do you have to cook for Thanksgiving?  If yes, what’s on the menu?  If no, high five!

2. What famous person would you like to invite to your family Thanksgiving?

3. Excluding family, health and basic needs met - what are 3 things that you are thankful for?

Next Week we're talking hospitality!

1. What's your go-to "someone's coming over" recipe?
2. You have 5 minutes to tidy before guest arrive. What are your tidying shortcuts?
3. What sort of music sets the mood for the perfect gathering?