Thanksgiving Wrap Up

Thanksgiving looked different this year. The men in Darrin's family have been going to Missouri for 50+ years on Thanksgiving weekend. They have some land in Missouri and every year they have shooting, axe throwing, and knife throwing competitions. You have to be 13 to go. Miles had a cast last year, so they made plans to go for the first time this year. 

Darrin and Miles went to his family's Thanksgiving at his cousin's house in Kentucky. They were able to eat with his mom before the two of them and his dad left for Missouri. 

Carson and I stayed home and went to Cracker Barrell with my mom. 

We enjoyed our simple lunch together.

After lunch, we took Marmee home and Carson and I chilled at home for the rest of the day with nothing to do. He watched a lot of TV and I read all day. I finished Happy Place by Emily Henry. It was a little slow, but I was completely sucked in for the 3 days in took me to read it. 

Darrin, Miles, and Pa had a good time together. 

They stayed at the local motel which Darrin said was nice. The motel was full with his family, 35 people total.

Miles was frustrated he didn't do better in the competition, but the rest of the people do this kind of stuff a lot. We reminded him that he practices other things a lot, but this can still be fun. 

It was up on a mountain and pretty cold. Miles said our packing was good. We didn't have all the hunting and cold weather clothes, so he layered up with baseball gear :)

There was a cousin that is Miles' age, so they had a good time together.

Memories were made. I don't know if they will go every year, but I would not be opposed. I love spending time with Darrin's family, but I also thrive with downtime. It was nice to spend time with my mom and have a loose schedule for three days straight. I was able to get some little things done around the house too. I just never seem to have that kind of time. 

On Saturday morning, I told Carson that I had a surprise from him. He put on his shoes and jumped in the car. We pulled up to Lowes and walked in to the pick up lockers. I scanned the code and when the door popped open and he saw an inflatable Santa, he said, "NO WAY!!!"

On the way home, he said, "I'm almost going to cry." He has always wanted one and kept hugging him.

We didn't tell Darrin and Miles. We just let them pull up to a 12 foot Santa. They loved it. 

We finished off the weekend with church this morning. Carson loves his buddies.

After church we set up for Christmas. I like my tree better this year since we redecorated the living room. 

We had nachos on the counter for dinner. It was a big hit and completely gone in less than 10 minutes. 

Big news around here...Darrin starts a new job tomorrow. He is still a territory manager, but it's a new company and a different product. He'll be selling HVAC units and parts to companies that sell & service them. His territory is much smaller which means less driving. He doesn't really mind driving, but so much time on the interstate can be tiring (and dangerous IMO). After his first 1.5 years in sales, he's learned some things about what he likes in a sales job. He thinks this new company will be a great fit. We're are excited for him and know we will do great.