Sophia's Thanksgiving Challenge

So, I missed the challenge over the weekend, and I think I'll catch it up now... Sophia gave me alot to think about with this one!!

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1. A childhood Thanksgiving memory. 2. A family Thanksgiving tradtion. 3. Five things you're thankful for...besides family, friends and health. Give it some serious thought and be specific.

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1) A childhood memory huh? For years, every year at Thanksgiving my Gran Nona would make this fruit salad, nothing but a gazillion mini marshmallows, some fruit cocktail and a container of sour cream. I always looked forward to Thanksgiving and knowing Gran would have it ready for me, and the marshmallows would absorb some of the sour cream and get all puffed up and soft. Yeah, thats my favorite memory, fruit salad from my Gran. Now I'm passing that love down, making it for my kids every year, and they love it too!

2) A tradition. Hmmm, this one stretches me a bit, cause well, wouldn't the fruit salad have fallen under tradition too? Maybe I just have fruit salad on the brain. For the last two or three years I've been doing our own tradition, giving each of the kids their own "area" of dinner to make. Savanna is fond of buttering and spicing up the turkey (I want to stick the butter up the turkeys butt mom! Even making her uncle Jase eat said turkey butt because you know, she buttered it extra special for him and he loves her like that), Jakob helping to break up the cornbread for the dressing and doing a whole lot of stirring, Amos and Keenan, well, they haven't picked a favorite thing to do yet, they just choose something and go at it. It's not much, but it's something they'll always remember and they have fun with it..

3) 5 things I'm thankful for... Wow, and we don't want our normal answers. Ok, I got some.

A) music.. Yeah I know, thats an odd answer, but let me be candid here, I'd die without my music. Yesterday I was organizing the music on my computer, making my new playlists, and I realized that 4 out of every five songs I clicked on, they had some meaning, someone they equated too. Music carries such strong emotion, there's a list I have titled angry, one titled Trai, one for Hunter and Tyler, one labeled sad, one thats my favorites. Music is a huge part of me and I need my life too have that soundtrack, I love that soundtrack and I'm thankful I have "The Blues Man" (Hank Williams Jr) with Trai, "My Immortal" (Evanessence) with Tyler and "Breathe" (Anna Nalick) with Alecia...

B) My Mom. Yeah I know Sophia said not family, health, etc, but mom is so much more than family. She's supported me when I needed my ass kicked, cried for me, worried for me, laughed with me. We share Nip/ Tuck, Nascar and a love/ hate relationship with reality tv. But we also shared the death of my boys, her being the only person there when Hunter fought his 4 day fight and lost, Her being the one I frantically needed when Tyler died, when my marriage(s) fell apart and everythying else in between. She was also the first one to encourage me to love Trai, to let me know I needed not judge appearance, but give the boy a chance, and damn am I glad I listened.

C) The Last Year. Yeah, I'm thankful for the last year. It's been amazing. I finally got some closure to many years with Bobby, to the marriage, to the marriage ending, to everything involved with me and him. And I got to do my book, My "Always Remembered" in honor of my babes long gone. That book and my need to do it was what set me on the publishing path. And great friends, damn have I made some. Shyloh, at 60 years old is one of the best friends I'll ever have, always looking out for me, and I NEVER saw that coming when I met him. And then there's Trai, so much reason to be thankful for the last 8 months with him. All of his help, his concern, his love. For a boy that hadn't let anyone love him and hadn't loved anyone in 6 years, he sure knows how to make a girl feel loved, just with a glance and a smile.

D)The internet. Yep, I'm gonna pull some wird ones on you here. Without the net I'd have missed my book chance, I wouldn't have met my best friend ever Alecia, I couldn't check on everyone I love on Myspace, I'd be missing my nephews whole life, with him so far away I have to live it in pictures, but hey at least I've got that. Thank goodness for the net huh?

E) And my last one. Wow, let's see what we can come up with here. Thinking, thinking, thinking (smell the smoke yet?) I'm thankful for my life, all the way around. Yeah, I've loved some and lost some. Kids, husbands, boyfriends, family and friends. But I still have a wealth of love and people in my life. My mom, Trai, Shyloh, Dave, Alecia, the kids, my dad, my sister, my cousin Jennifer (who is like another sister to me). Yeah Life Ain't always beautiful (thanks Gary Allan), but it is a beautiful ride. I've had love given to me, I've been taught new things this year (riding a motorcycle, and loving it, tattooing, what it takes to make a book, how to deal with the struggles that face me with Amos, How NOT to kill an ex husband) and I'm thankful for my life. Cause it's messy, tragic even sometimes, but it's good to me, and I thank my stars for the love and support I have...