Post-Thanksgiving report
So I went to my parents for Thanksgiving.
This is news because, due to various issues, I have barely been speaking to my family for a number of years, let alone attending holidays.
Well, this year, EVERYBODY was coming, including my dad's sister, who is eighty and flew out from Illinois. I've been trying to reconnect with family, so I felt it was necessary/a good idea/important to go home. This was going to be a total of 17 family members.
I drove over and back, which I've done before and it is a long drive (5-6 hours) and slightly boring. My car has no CD or tape player, so I took the precaution of bringing my little boom box with a stack of CDs and batteries. It made the drive much easier.
I should clarify. My parents live in Medical Lake, which is about 20 minutes west of Spokane.
I drove over Wed and got there in time for dinner. Everyone from out of town was there and my adult niece, Sarah turned up too. Dinner was good and I had a nice chat with a few family members.
Thursday after I had breakfast and showered, I played with my four-year niece, Amanda. My brother moved to Norway for grad-school, stayed for work, and eventually got married and had a daughter. Amanda does not speak any English, so my brother has to translate for her. The three of us played hide and seek for awhile, and then my other siblings from out of town turned up.
The various food preparations moved along, and as usual, we ended up with enough food to feed five more people. The pies my mom initially made (gluten and dairy free) went wrong, so she and I made two more pies. There was one turkey smoking in the Green Egg and one went into the oven. In addition to gluten-free stuffing, we made regular stuffing. Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes were made. Also green salad, fruit salad, a number of rolls, two kinds of relish and gravy. Three additional types of pie and gluten-free brownies also arrived. Oh, and a ham.
I managed not to over-stuff myself. My parents, who live in their house alone, have extra refrigerator and freezer space in the garage. All the leftovers went there. If anyone ever starves at my parents house, it will be their own fault, not for lack of food.
After dinner, some people watched TV, some people chatted. I was a bit bored since the neither TV nor the conversation interested me. Eventually, people trickled away and I went to bed.
Friday was fairly quiet, but I did go over to visit an old high-school friend for a couple of hours. Two other old high-school friends turned up and it was a pleasant reunion.
Friday night my parents started talking about ordering in, but with all the leftovers, my brother Jim took over and fixed dinner. My sister and I were coloring with Amanda, who seemed to enjoy our company even if we made no sense to her.
We ended up watching National Treasure 2 for the evening's entertainment.
Saturday people were heading out, including me. My mom of course, had been complaining about me leaving starting on Thursday. I don't think she realizes how irritating that is. Jim made bacon and eggs for everyone. I think he gets bored, even though he had a lot to do with looking after Amanda. I also played more hide and seek with the two of them.
I made my escape while my parents were taking Aunt Margaret to the airport. On the drive home I reflected on my experiences. Over all, it was fine, but a bit boring. I realized that when I wanted to talk to people, I was usually the one asking all the questions. I'm not sure if people are reacting to my pulling away from my family, or what. However, I remember having trouble carrying on conversations from years before. I remember previous holidays where I felt bored and isolated while with my family. Holidays with my friends I remember as lots of interesting conversations and no TV. I know I'm not always so good at holding a conversation, but I do my best.
I know my parents missed me, and possibly some of my other siblings did too. Considering how disconnected I've always felt with my family, I still find that a weird thought. I think part of the problem is how hard it is to carry on a conversation. How else do you connect to someone. Yes, part of it is just spending time together, but if you don't talk, how do you find things out?
I don't know what any of this really means. I am glad to be home and so are my kitties.
This is news because, due to various issues, I have barely been speaking to my family for a number of years, let alone attending holidays.
Well, this year, EVERYBODY was coming, including my dad's sister, who is eighty and flew out from Illinois. I've been trying to reconnect with family, so I felt it was necessary/a good idea/important to go home. This was going to be a total of 17 family members.
I drove over and back, which I've done before and it is a long drive (5-6 hours) and slightly boring. My car has no CD or tape player, so I took the precaution of bringing my little boom box with a stack of CDs and batteries. It made the drive much easier.
I should clarify. My parents live in Medical Lake, which is about 20 minutes west of Spokane.
I drove over Wed and got there in time for dinner. Everyone from out of town was there and my adult niece, Sarah turned up too. Dinner was good and I had a nice chat with a few family members.
Thursday after I had breakfast and showered, I played with my four-year niece, Amanda. My brother moved to Norway for grad-school, stayed for work, and eventually got married and had a daughter. Amanda does not speak any English, so my brother has to translate for her. The three of us played hide and seek for awhile, and then my other siblings from out of town turned up.
The various food preparations moved along, and as usual, we ended up with enough food to feed five more people. The pies my mom initially made (gluten and dairy free) went wrong, so she and I made two more pies. There was one turkey smoking in the Green Egg and one went into the oven. In addition to gluten-free stuffing, we made regular stuffing. Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes were made. Also green salad, fruit salad, a number of rolls, two kinds of relish and gravy. Three additional types of pie and gluten-free brownies also arrived. Oh, and a ham.
I managed not to over-stuff myself. My parents, who live in their house alone, have extra refrigerator and freezer space in the garage. All the leftovers went there. If anyone ever starves at my parents house, it will be their own fault, not for lack of food.
After dinner, some people watched TV, some people chatted. I was a bit bored since the neither TV nor the conversation interested me. Eventually, people trickled away and I went to bed.
Friday was fairly quiet, but I did go over to visit an old high-school friend for a couple of hours. Two other old high-school friends turned up and it was a pleasant reunion.
Friday night my parents started talking about ordering in, but with all the leftovers, my brother Jim took over and fixed dinner. My sister and I were coloring with Amanda, who seemed to enjoy our company even if we made no sense to her.
We ended up watching National Treasure 2 for the evening's entertainment.
Saturday people were heading out, including me. My mom of course, had been complaining about me leaving starting on Thursday. I don't think she realizes how irritating that is. Jim made bacon and eggs for everyone. I think he gets bored, even though he had a lot to do with looking after Amanda. I also played more hide and seek with the two of them.
I made my escape while my parents were taking Aunt Margaret to the airport. On the drive home I reflected on my experiences. Over all, it was fine, but a bit boring. I realized that when I wanted to talk to people, I was usually the one asking all the questions. I'm not sure if people are reacting to my pulling away from my family, or what. However, I remember having trouble carrying on conversations from years before. I remember previous holidays where I felt bored and isolated while with my family. Holidays with my friends I remember as lots of interesting conversations and no TV. I know I'm not always so good at holding a conversation, but I do my best.
I know my parents missed me, and possibly some of my other siblings did too. Considering how disconnected I've always felt with my family, I still find that a weird thought. I think part of the problem is how hard it is to carry on a conversation. How else do you connect to someone. Yes, part of it is just spending time together, but if you don't talk, how do you find things out?
I don't know what any of this really means. I am glad to be home and so are my kitties.