Thanksgiving in Georgia...

I am sitting in the hotel room thinking back over the past three days. Chad, Chase and myself came to Georgia to spend Thanksgiving with Mindee and Jeff(Chad's sister and her husband), Chad's parents and SURPRISE, Chad's oldest sister was here on a Medical reason and was also able to come to Georgia and we spent Thanksgiving with her also. We missed visiting with her whole family but having her here was a blessing! This was the first time that we had Chase and his 2 cousins Thomas and Ryan together.

We arrived in Georgia about 2:00 EASTERN time Wednesday Aftertoon. We checked into the Hotel and rested and freshened up. We then drove to Mindee and Jeff's home. It was very lovely. The first day, the boys played outside and had a good time. They played and fought and all was well. Later we went in and the boys played inside. Chad and Chase went up the stairs to see Thomas's and Ryan's room. They had Thomas the Train tent beds. Chad left Chase upstairs and told me to go and look at the beds. I started toward the stairs just in time to see my baby step down and head into a full roll down the stairs. He went head down, then started rolling sideways. SCARED ME to bits! My legs were shaky and I had anxiety for a little while. Chase did get up crying but was otherwise unscathed. We had sandwiches, vistied and went back to the hotel for the night. Chase didn't feel so great. He coughed and ran a little fever through the night. We gave him some Motrin for the fever and some cough medicine for the cough. The second day was Thanksgiving. Chase had run out of diapers and we were running late to get to Mindee's. We finally found a Walgreens that opened at 9 am. We bought diapers and headed to Mindees. Mindee worked very hard on dinner. Chad and Jeff had gone golfing that morning. I felt a little awkward and out of place at first. Sometimes when I am around a lot of people without Chad, I feel lost. I don't know what to say and hope I don't come across as rude. As the time passed, we all visited. Chad and Jeff came in about 2:00 or so and we had dinner close to 3:00. We had Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, beans, and pies. I am sure there were a few other things too that I can't list off the top of my head. It was very DELICIOUS. Mindee did a fantastic job. The kids played and fought and did well together. Chase didn't go outside on Thanksgiving due to his cough the night before. He hung out inside. He did play with the toys and enjoyed himself in spite of not being able to go out. We had nice visits with everyone. We finally headed back to the Hotel and slept! Chase slept more sound with only minor coughing. Again, he ran fever and we gave him Motrin. He seemed better in the morning. Friday morning, I called my parents. It was their anniversary. They have been married 41 years. My mom filled me in on their Thanksgiving day. I was thrilled to hear that they had a big bash and everyone showed up for it. She was thrilled too! She repeated the story about 3 times before we got off the phone. I know she was excited. We drove to Mindee and Jeff's. Mindee had planed a really nice trip to take to Stone Mountain. Again this day, Chase did not go outside so his Grandmother watched him as Chad, Stacie and I walked through the plantation "self" tour in the park. There are some historical homes that sit in the park, some original homes and others were transplanted into the park from the mid 1800's. There was some very interesing history. Signs were posted with herbal and natural remedies on how the Cherokee Indians treated illnesses. It was very educational and inspiring. It left admiration to those who paved a road for us in the present time. After Stone Mountain, we drove back to Mindee's. We all ordered a Chili's meal, took pictures and Chad and I headed out for the hotel. We had such a great time. It was wonderful to see family and visit. Now we are preparing for our long trek home. Although we had fun, I think I am ready for home.