Feeling Thankful

The last few days literally flew by. We had all kinds of events planned at school, so my students' schedules were totally out of whack. With all of the excitement at school, by the time Wednesday night rolled around, I was ready to relax. Charley and I watched a movie, and Charley went to bed early. For some reason, on holiday breaks, I get the inkling that I should stay up late because I'll get to sleep in. I don't know why I always do this... It never actually happens. Charley was up at 6a.m. and of course, upon waking up, I instantly regretted staying up until midnight. Oh well, live and learn, right? Ha!Anyway, as Thanksgiving rolled around, I thought about all of the things I have to be thankful for, and there are just too many to list. I suppose I could go with the generic and say I'm thankful for family, friends, a job I love, wonderful co-workers, a great home, etc...The list could go on. But I won't bore you with that. Let me fill you in on our Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving was really nice this year. Charley and I went over to my dads' house around noon, to socialize a bit before eating dinner around 4. One of our long-time family friends from England was in town to celebrate her first Thanksgiving, and I wanted to make sure Charley and I had plenty of time to visit with her. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon with family and friends. My dad cooked the turkey, several sides, and dessert. I was responsible for the mashed potatoes. Now, historically I've been pretty good at making mashed potatoes, but it's been awhile since I made them for a group. I wanted to make sure we had enough...Well we did...We probably had 5 pounds of mashed potatoes....And went through more than I would like to admit! Anyway, they were pretty good, so I was relieved that my contribution to the meal wasn't a total flop.

After dinner, I noticed Charley starting to get little red bumps around her lips, the way she does when she is around peanuts. There were no peanuts in sight, though, and all she'd eaten were potatoes, turkey, and cranberries. I figured it must've been a reaction to the cranberries, and smeared some cortisone on her face. The bumps went away, and we all sat around the house for awhile. Around 6:30, I suggested that we check out some of the Black Friday deals. Now, there was a time (pre-Charley), when I was a pretty heavy Black Friday shopper. I'd go out in search of big deals, early on Black Friday. Well, many shops were actually open last night, so I figured since we weren't doing anything, that we should check them out. So, my dad, his friend, Charley, and I went shopping on Thanksgiving. It felt kind of weird to be out shopping on a holiday, but it was kind of fun. We didn't go super early, so we missed the crazy lines and the rush of people at Target and Old Navy. But it definitely was an adventure...I got some great things for Charley, and a couple of things for myself...but leaving Target with only 5 (small) items...we looked kind of silly. People were walking around the store with multiple carts, breaking up into groups to get everything on their lists, carrying all kinds of electronics around the store...It was quite a sight. Charley took it upon herself to run around through the aisles, perusing the stores, while I attempted to simultaneously look around and chase after her. Let's just say, chasing Charley definitely won in that contest. Actually, I should probably be grateful for that. She probably saved me from spending a ton of money on things we don't need. Ha!

When I ask her to pose for a picture, this is what I get...

When we got back from our little excursion, Charley asked for some more turkey. She hadn't eaten that much at dinner, and I was certain she was still hungry. Besides, I knew she wouldn't sleep on an empty stomach, so I brought her some turkey. Within minutes, I noticed that the little red bumps were appearing again, and this time her lips were beginning to swell. I asked my dad what he'd seasoned the turkey with, and he said it was just olive oil, salt, and pepper...all things that Charley has been totally fine eating. But there was no denying it...the turkey seemed to be the problem. We were at my dad's house, which is about 45 minutes away from my home, and although I had an Epi-pen, I really didn't want to use it if I didn't have to. So, again, I slathered cortisone on her face, and raced to Walgreens down the street (thank goodness they were open),  to pick up some Benadryl. By the time I got back, the cortisone had already begun to reduce the bumps and swelling, but I gave Charley the Benadryl just to be on the safe side. It helped her fall asleep, too...Lucky me! Once she went to sleep, I started looking up the brand of turkey we'd eaten, to see if there were any additives listed that she could be allergic to, and I couldn't really pinpoint anything specifically. It looks like I'll have to take her back in for allergy testing. Yuck! Poor kid. I had the same thing done to me when I was 4, and I still remember it vividly. "It will only itch if you're allergic," the nurse told me, before she started pricking my back with small vials of allergens. I'm sure she didn't anticipate that my entire back would be inflamed for days afterwards...but it was! I'm just hoping that Charley doesn't have the same experience!

Rocking a new sweater. She's so grown up!

This morning, we woke up at my dads' and enjoyed being lazy around the house. We went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, and then I took my English friend, Lily around the city. We drove through Edina, where I grew up, then into Minneapolis, St. Paul, Como Park...It was actually really fun to drive around and show her what a Minnesota city is like! We haven't seen each other in at least 5 years, too, so it was nice to catch up a little bit. By the time we got back to my dad's house, Charley and I were exhausted and really ready to get home. So, here we are. It's been a busy couple of days, but we've both enjoyed it. I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and has a great weekend!