Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was fun and also a little weird. Tradition has given way to make-shift celebrations and focusing on friends more than family. I don't know if it's the lack of little kids to add that sense of joy and excitement to holiday festivities or if I am just getting old and cynical.

However, that's not to say that this Thanksgiving was bad. On the contrary, I had a chance to go to Hotel Hulme and share in the delectable eats that Jenny cooked up for her friends, family, and their loved ones. She is a true giver in the sense that she is so generous with herself in making sure that she keeps in touch with us all and by coordinating opportunities for us to reunite. I love that about her. Not to mention that she can really cook a mean meal.

Sadly, I had to leave Jenny's before I got to the real deal dinner but I did get a chance to sit quietly with my family and share a meal prepared dutifully by my mom. I don't know how she does it but my mom can whip up a meal from practically nothing and make it taste delicious. I wish I inherited that gift. It made me thankful for the reminder that living with my family is a blessing. Admittedly, at first it was a blessing in disguise but now I realize that I have so much left to learn about them and from them before I go off on my own.

After dinner, I headed off to Katie's house. I was thankful for our friendship amidst chatting about new devices we can patent and drinking soy foam. I love the fact that we can be real with each other and reflect. We've know each other for almost 4 years. Crazy! How lucky for me to have such a dear and loyal friend. Aaron added to the mix and entertained us with some witty conversation for a bit and we called it a night.

Driving back to Orange County, I couldn't help but think back on the last year and take note of the many life changes that happened. Like a lot of folks, I am in the midst of some major shifts in who I am and who I want to become. I am thankful that I have had this past year to learn a great deal about myself, the essence of family, faith and love. I hope to temper the remembrances of the past, good or bad, with what's coming next. I am curious what the future has to bring but we all will have to wait and see.