Thanksgiving in Seneca

This year we were with my family for Thanksgiving. We left on Monday afternoon and the girls were quickly whisked off to "Pictures with Santa," a fundraiser for Rotary which my dad is President of. They all wore ugly Christmas sweaters and what they didn't realize was that it was at a local pizza place and the Clemson students were not on break yet. So in they walk, only to be faced with a couple dozen college guys staring at them. Ha! The pictures were cute and worth it. 

For the next few days we read books, played games, went for walks, did carboarding down the hill, decorated the bunk room for Christmas, went shopping, watched movies and prepped Thanksgiving day food. I worked with Channing, Paige and Anna to make all of the pies. Yum! The girls always make a list of things they want to accomplish while they are with their cousins and they definitely made a dent in the first couple of days. 

My brother arrived Wednesday night and then it was full on Thanksgiving Day fun. Anna, Paige and Patrick were able to go out on their Thursday morning run which was the first time they have run since taking their break. I think the girls were getting a little twitchy. We watched the parade while Dad managed the turkey and a few sides in the kitchen. What I love about our meal is that everybody contributes a dish or two and by the end it's a delicious feast! If you don't cook anything, you do dishes. So it's a wonderful way for everybody to lend a hand. The meal this year turned out really good and we were all stuffed. 

That evening we did Reindeer Games which Paige was in charge of because she won last time. Fortunately, her birthday murder mystery had some fun games for participants to do so Patrick used those to help her create the games this year. They were a hit and everybody had a great time! Dad ended up being the winner so we will plan for next year. 

We also opened presents that evening. This year I suggested we all draw a name and then get that person an advent calendar that they can enjoy for the month of December. It turned out really cute and was an easy way to take care of gifts for everybody without things getting crazy. 

On Friday, Aaron took the girls to Zootopia 2 and they did a little Black Friday shopping. I was a little disappointed because that's what I typically do with the girls, but I know they had a good time. I did much of my online shopping for Christmas and it feels good to have a lot of that marked off my list. 

We headed back home to Teddy on Saturday after viewing some fun decorated Christmas trees for charity. Visiting my family has some very fun moments, but there's also a lot of hard. I'm learning how to navigate these difficult times while being anchored to my faith and compassion without being upended. It's been a journey of growth and I think one of the biggest things I'm thankful for during this season is my identity as a daughter of the King. Remembering Who loves me and to Whom I belong has been pivotal in not being swept under by the currents of navigating brokenness. 

Thanksgiving Break Fun

We're on Thanksgiving Break! Woohoo! Even with some time off, there's lots to be done and of course, fun to be had along the way. I've been getting us ready to go to my parent's house for the holiday so we can come back ready to finish out the semester. Fortunately, the Christmas decorations have been up so that's one less thing to do. Now if only those leaves would magically assemble into piles in my yard!

Friday night, Anna joined her buddies for Katie's birthday. They went to dinner at Tupelo Honey Cafe and then to see the Christmas Lights as Segra Park. It also happened to be 70 degrees. When is this cold weather supposed to arrive?! 

We also went as a family to see Wicked for Good which we have been looking forward to since Wicked came out last year. It was good but we definitely preferred the first half because it had much better music. I'm just glad we could go together for our little movie tradition. Patrick didn't get the memo that you have to wear either green or pink. Yeesh!

Early this morning, Paige and I headed to breakfast at Chick-fil-a and then over to the DMV to obtain her learner's permit. She had passed the test at the school earlier in the week and I had been collecting all the necessary paperwork to take with us. Our closest DMV closed recently and we had to go to Winnsboro today, but the crazy thing was we were the only ones in there! So it took no time at all and thankfully, I had everything we needed to get her permit. She promptly came home to take an official spin around the neighborhood and Patrick added her to the insurance. It seems we are now a family of drivers!

And now we're off to Seneca for some time with my family. 

US Senate Youth Program Interview and a new driver!

Gracious, I can hardly handle all these things lately! We are surely blessed (in good times and bad), but the Lord's favor has been good these days. 

Today was Anna's big interview for the US Youth Senate Program. Patrick and I have been working with her all week to prep. I was asking her typical interview questions and helping her come up with stories that would give evidence to support her answers. Patrick walked her through several topics on government, civics, policy and the like. By Thursday she felt good to go and was confident in her abilities to have a conversation about things she knew. I helped Anna pick out one of her suits to wear and we made sure to look the part. 

We arrived at The Palmetto Club with lots of time to spare thankfully and met with the SC Department of Education hosts. Of course, they figured out really quickly that Anna was Patrick's daughter and thankfully, they all really like him. It's always funny to see the dawning of realization on who Anna and I are related to. Then we hear all the great stories and nod and smile. Ha! 

Anna was poised, gave good handshakes and then was escorted to the interview. I felt like it went so quickly and while she was there, I chatted it up with the SCDE people. Soon enough she was out. Her immediate reaction was that it went well and then we went outside and that's when she started second guessing all of her answers. I told her that's perfectly normal after an interview and I was sure she did great. 

We gathered back inside after a little bit and had lunch with the fellow finalists and their families, SCDE people including Superintendent Weaver and our invited guests. Anna asked Ms. Blocker to come as she was her club sponsor and wrote her glowing recommendation letter. We chatted with another candidate and her mother who happened to be from Seneca. Small world! The luncheon was great-the students each received an award, Ellen Weaver spoke and they took more photos. I even had a chance to say hello to Ellen and mention Patrick's class that she had just visited. It was nice to put a name and face together. 

We don't know when we will hear back about the selection. All we know is that the DC office needs to know by December 1st so I am assuming it will be soon. Until then, we will just wait it out! I think we are all at peace and realize what a special privilege it was for her to even be there. I know she really enjoyed it. Watching her navigate an overwhelming situation with poise and confidence, shining as herself was really cool as a mom. When I spoke to an SCDE employee who was on the interview panel, she had a glowing review of Anna and even texted Patrick later to say so. To hear such praise is certainly reward in itself. 

Meanwhile, today Paige took her learners permit written test so she could start practice driving. Emily was able for her to arrange to take it at school instead of the DMV and I was grateful for the convenience now that they have moved the DMV to another town. She had prepared for several weeks and took tons of practice tests. I am happy to report she passed and now we get to take the paperwork to the DMV for the actual permit. What a huge milestone for her! She emailed in the middle of the interview process so thankfully I didn't have to wait until the end of the day. 

All of this exciting stuff was relayed to Patrick who is in DC for NAGB until Friday evening. In some ways, I was glad he was there and Anna could have the space to be Anna and not Patrick's daughter. He's doing some important work and of course, we heard all about how vital he is in SC which is always awesome. One interviewer even commented how Anna was a smaller, female version of her dad. This isn't the first time I've heard that! So we'll stay tuned until we hear any news. 

Teddy will just remain unphased and steal my chair, whether I am in it or not.....

And to finish in random pictures, this week I made a ton of cranberry relish for Thanksgiving and giving away. Plus Anna was featured in our local paper. She and the top guy runner from Blythewood made the Shrine Bowl team. We also got this awesome pic of her photo finish at state. Anna: I'm going to barf! Other girl: oh nooooooo!