This year we opted to spend Thanksgiving day with Grandpa Dave & Grandma Margie at their place on Harstene Island. The plan was to have dinner at about 1:00pm on the Island, along with Aunt Rachel, Uncle Steve and Great Grandpa Joe... plus whoever else might show up.
The day started out innocently enough with an 8:55a.m. departure from Mt. Vernon. Awesome. We had 4 hours and 5 minutes to make the 160 mile / 3 hour trip. Piece of cake.
We decided to bring both dogs with us, knowing that they would spend most of the day in the car. Since the Ornamental Dog Union is still in negotiations with the Island Living Dog Union we figured it wasn't safe to let the two groups mingle without close supervision. Plus, we would be able to monitor Josie's leg condition to prevent her from gnawing on it all day like she would if left at home.
Despite a malfunctioning DVD player, things were going surprisingly smooth... until we made an ill fated decision to take a mid-trip break at a McDonalds near Tacoma.
Somebody ordered pancakes.
With syrup.
To Go.
Somebody managed to spill syrup all over themselves.
In the car.
On the Freeway.
A big fit was thrown.
Then, traffic stopped.
The fit... didn't.
Next stop: 9-1-1 Clothes Shopping at Walmart in Shelton, since nothing else was open.
T went in the store and picked out some clothes that would enable Syrup-girl to make it through the day.
Syrup-Girl tried on the clothes, but they were a size too big. T went back in to exchange them for a smaller size.
Somewhere between the front door of the store, the kid clothes section and the Customer Service Desk, T managed to lose the receipt needed for returning the clothes. She called me on the cell phone to let me know the situation.
Legend says that she wandered around the store, retracing her steps to find out where she lost the reciept. Eventually, the receipt was found. Coincidently, it was found right below a really nice sweater that just happened to fit-just-right, be just-what-she-needed and just had to be bought.
A short while later, T appeared with the resized clothing and we continued our trip to The Island.
We arrived 5 minutes late (but no one complained... thanks Rolfs!).
The next few hours included an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner and entertaining conversation. The girls enjoyed playing on the beach with the Island Dogs, and Steve. They also enjoyed playing Crazy 8's.
Due to Tanya's peanut and celery allergies, dining out, or dining at other peoples houses always involves some degree of risk for us because we can't control the ingredients or gauge the cross-contamination risk. The holidays are particularly risky because it's often nuts and celery galore.
After dinner we had a few tense moments as Tanya started coughing, which is one of our indicators that she may be having an allergic reaction. After using her inhaler and downing some Benadryl, the symptoms, luckily, seemed to diminish. We all had flashbacks from a few years ago when we spent my birthday in the ER due to a restaurant unexpectedly using peanuts in a dish that we didn't expect to have peanuts.
Eventually the Island Dogs all went their separate ways and the Ornamental dogs were ushered into the house for a little social interaction and leg stretching (not leg raising). This was Katrina's first visit to the Island. I think they enjoyed exploring the house, meeting Aunt Rachel's dog Rudy and gnawing on some Island-Dog-sized bones.
We began our homeward-bound journey at about 6:30pm or so (uneventful) and managed to meet up with Aunt Rachel & Uncle Steve at Shari's restaurant in Tacoma for a lite-late dinner (and some pie).
From there we made a quick visit to see Rachel's new house before making the final drive back home (again, uneventful)... arriving about 11:10pm.
Friday (11/27/09)
Tanya and I battled a few crowds trying to get a good deal on a card table and chairs... but we lost and came home empty handed.
There is a lot more to the card table shopping story that I'll share with you another time (Tanya couldn't find the car in the parking lot and I rescued my damsel in distress).
Afterwards we spent some time cleaning out the garage and catching up on other projects that keep getting pushed aside for other projects.
Saturday (11/28/09)
The Sears Dryer Repair man came to look at the new dryer which makes an unexpected thumping noise. All the time. Yes, this is the dryer we bought a couple weeks ago. He said it's not unusual and it should go away in a few months.
Mikayla and I went to see the second movie in the Twilight series: New Moon.
A framed Christmas family heirloom fell off the wall and broke two other Christmas Heirloom decorations. We were very sad to lose these two irreplaceable pieces but are relieved that the third can be re-framed.
Sunday (11/29/09)
Mikayla was an acolyte at church while Tanya helped organize the Christmas Program rehersal. After that we spent a few emotionally charged hours putting on Christmas lights. It was great to have some help on this project... and it was great to do it without getting rained on for once. Thanks Tanya.
This evening we enjoyed the Mount Vernon Christmas Parade in downtown Mount Vernon. Tanya, Mikayla and I watched the parade procession while Alexia enjoyed being a parade participant with her Girl Scout troop.
** Girl Scout cookie pre-sales start in late January -- Mark your calendar! **
So... it's been a busy weekend.
Maybe it's just me, but two day weekends are never long enough.
Four day weekends, apparently, aren't long enough either.
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and recognize all that you have to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~E
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