Did I REALLY eat all that Turkey?

No, I did not. And, I didn't eat all that stuffing. And, I didn't eat all that pumpkin pie. In fact, I didn't eat all that much.

You know what...despite the fact that my Lapband did not allow me to eat large quantities of Thanksgiving fare, I actually had a wonderful holiday. Or, should I say....a very wonderful holiday weekend. It was all very exhausting (aren't they all?) but good nonetheless. We ushered the festivities out last night with another rollicking food fest. Yum. Yum. Hopefully, I'll recover soon. But, I don't see that happening today! Today is about trying to restore some order to the house, getting Vince packed up and out the door and then probably feeling a little blue as he pulls out the of the driveway. After I watch his car make the bend, I'm not sure if much else will get done besides feeling blue. But, just in case I need something to get my mind off of Vince's long drive through the mountains and the fact that I will be missing him so, there's still piles of dirty dishes and wine goblets in the sink and soiled linens piled high on the table. And, there's tons of leftovers in the fridge to be dealt with. I could definitely keep myself very busy for many hours....
As evidenced by the fact that I am blogging and not attacking those tasks....it's not exactly how I wish to spend my time right now.

At the moment, I just want to take this quiet time to reflect on the weekend that was. The kids are both tucked in their warm beds and Carmen headed out to work a little bit ago. So, for now---it's just me, my tea and my thoughts. Well...and those pesky dishes in the sink....

So, here's what I am thinking....
As much as Thanksgiving is about the food, Thanksgiving is not about the food. Well, it is about the food. But, it's about cooking the food from old family recipes written in pencil on tattered scraps of paper and doing the dishes while chatting away and making big kitchen messes that last longer than the leftovers. And, it's about creating memories and traditions and drinking wine and playing games and telling stories and giving thanks together--around the dinner table. It's about sitting next to your children year after year and then suddenly realizing that you are now sitting next to young adults---not children at all.

And here I always thought Thanksgiving was just about the food. After all these years, I'm finally catching on. And, all it took was a little extra tweak of my Lapband. How was I to know that a Lapband would open my eyes to a whole new meaning to Thanksgiving? I mean...let's face, I was just looking for a way to solve my obesity problem.... I guess I got more than I bargained for....