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Thanksgiving was just the best this year because the whole Flunker Family came down to Dallas. This was my parent’s first visit to the city and it was so wonderful to spend the holiday with them and Kari.
Although city life and driving are essentially foreign to the north woods of Wisconsin, my folks did a great job of navigating their way through the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving holiday and day after.
For over 20 years my sister and I have spent Thanksgiving gathered around my grandmother’s table with all the uncles, aunts and cousins. So it wasn’t quite the same to have only the immediate family here without our normal tradition. However, we did get to throw around the football like we Flunkers normally do; although step for step, I’m never much faster than Kari.
On Thursday we had the whole Thanksgiving smorgasbord! Emily and I went shopping earlier in the week for the best turkey with all the trimmings. I had the bird in the oven by 10:30am, and by 4:30pm it was ready to serve. We really do have an awful lot to be thankful for.
The next day the girls slept in as Dad and I headed up to church to finish decorating our stage for the season of Advent. I don’t know how I could have got the stage set without his help; it sure is nice to have family there to help. Then Kari, Mom and Emily drove up after briefly hitting the shops, and we all got smoothies before heading back down to Dallas to help with the homeless ministry that evening.
Saturday was all football and fun before we ended the day at Reunion Tower (the big bright ball in downtown Dallas) for dessert. We also carved out the afternoon to spend walking around the Dallas Arboretum. It was so much fun to take pictures and enjoy the beautiful weather along with the bright colors of the Arboretum’s flowers.
By Sunday it was time to say goodbye and resume life as normal. Dad and I dropped Kari off at the airport by 5:00am and then we all made it up to church before saying farewell after lunch.
Thanksgiving is probably the best holiday to have family around, and being with everyone sure made the city feel smaller. It sure is a lot quieter here now, but it reminds me that I’m most thankful for a loving family and although time and distance may separate us, we really never that far apart. Thanks Mom and Dad and Kari for taking the time to come and visit!