Thanksgiving!

A couple years ago the Thanksgiving tradition spun out of the predictably concrete. It used to be fairly reliable that the three of us (mom, dad, and daughter) would go to the big family feast; this would either be held at my aunt and uncle's house, or my grandparent's house (depending on who was going out of state and who would be home). It was also pretty predictable who would be there: which cousins, which grandparents, all determined how large the group would be. I have a reasonably large family, so I'm used to big (and sometimes rowdy) family gatherings.

Three years ago (it seems like yesterday), we had a smaller more intimate group (I got to see a few cousins I hadn't seen in years). But that day was followed by my cousin being rushed to the hospital a few days later. I remember it seemed like weeks and months while the family flocked and retreated, all waiting and hoping and praying. I think it was about two weeks later that he died. The entire event caused some wounds to open that wouldn't heal quickly, and some old ones to be torn raw. We'd like to say the family has recovered since then, but some unforgettable transgressions were made for some, and the dynamic changed.

Then, my parents separated the following year. I don't remember thanksgiving being that much different from "normal;" if my memory serves me well, we all went to the typical, big family dinner. But the year after, last year, the family dynamics had changed even more. New rifts caused the family's surface tolerance of each other to fracture again, and we were split into a number of oddly shaped (sometimes overlapping) groups. Mom and I had thanksgiving with a family friend and HER family, a truly unorthodox occurrence for the both of us.

This year seemed like a come-back to the boisterous feast that I remember so distinctly from childhood. This time I spent most of the day with my dad; I stopped by his apartment around 11:30 to help him finish the sweet potato dish (mashed sweet potatoes and bananas, with maple syrup, and toasted pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon dusted on top. Freaking to die for). As a fully transitioned vegetarian (and infrequent pescatarian), I brought a vegan quinoa and butternut squash dish (which goes very well with mandarin oranges). It was such a blast cooking with Dad; we used to do that sort of thing, but now that I've begun experimenting with more extensive cooking, I can be more helpful in the experimentation process (it was my suggestion to toast the pecans, and add brown sugar and cinnamon).

Then he and I drove to my aunt and uncle's house for a blast from the past. 23 people and too-much-food later, it was just like old times. My family has allowed for my vegetarian needs rather amazingly. My aunt made a portion of the stuffing vegetarian, and my grandmother left out the bacon from the green bean casserole. So I definitely didn't go hungry.

Later on I traipsed over to Mom's to make cookies and kick off the season with a couple Christmas movies. Excellence!