Gobble, Gobble.... Sob, Sob.

Before you begin this post, I'm going to ask that you push the
"play" button found below.

( This is definitely one of my more melancholy-
homesicky-will-only-feel-better-by-
torturing-myself-with-sappy-songs posts,
and it needed a fitting soundtrack.
It was written with a heavy heart and under such circumstances
I thought it only fair that I engage in some musical warfare:
You know, so that you can feel kinda crappy too! )
….

If there is, or has even been,
such a thing as familial starvation,
I'd be the first to admit that I am
suffering through it's pangs.

In other words: I miss home.
I miss my Parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews,
and I even kinda miss the holiday chaos.
There is something to be said for spending time with
people who feel obligated to laugh at your jokes and tolerate
your children simply because you share a similar genetic makeup.

As this Thanksgiving Day approaches I can't help
but wish that I'd be one of the sets of many
hands helping to prepare my Mom's amazing
multi-course meal. The menu hasn’t changed
much in my 32 years and my favorite dish continues
to be our family's sweet potato casserole.
(A dish that up until our move to Tennessee
had always been my contribution.)
And I regret that, once again,
I can't be there to place it on the table.

It's been a long 5 years since I've been able to
share a Thanksgiving dinner with my parents.
I've been a trooper thus far, but for some reason,
this year, the separation is hitting me harder
than usual. What's worse is that my heart
seems to be experiencing some navigational malfunctions.
The reality is that my family will gather for dinner
some 1900 miles away in Saratoga Springs; at my
Parent’s current home. But my heart longs
for everyone to find their way back to the yellow
house on Marlberry Lane; their former home.
The home where our last complete family
gathering took place. I could rattle on and on
about all of the reasons why I hold
such a tender place in my heart
for the Yellow House, but I'll digress.
Suffice it to say, it was awesome, tangled
with happy memories and I miss it dearly.

In closing, I can only ask that, this year, as you sit down
to dinner together, please know that I wish with
every fiber of my being, that I could be there
with you!! And after dinner, when you play
"Hoowheat" and Balderdash, place an honorary
glass of eggnog and bowl of candy on the table in my place!
In exchange, I’ll remember all of you as
I’m scarfing down my sweet potato casserole!

The Nina, the Pinta and the my wild imagination.

In Fourteen hundred and Ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...
in some REALLY dinky boats.

Betcha didn't know that part did ya?

Well, if you did, pat yourself on the back. because I, for one, did not.
For all of the talk about Columbus, I just supposed he'd have been
the type to stand on the deck of a massive, imposing Spanish war ship,
the wind whipping him the face as he clung to the helm! Admittedly,
that sounds a bit more like Jack Sparrow than Columbus, but you get my drift.

Turns out, Columbus, like most men, craved speed.
And big, massive war ships of his age, weren't big on speed,
but small agile ships like the Nina and Pinta WERE.
(The Santa Maria was the largest of the trio and was a cargo ship.
A big, heavy, slow cargo ship.
No suprise that Columbus always hated her.)
And to even further debunk my Columbus preconceptions,
there were no helms. Just a giant rudder type thingy t
hat the crew would have to maneuver to keep the ship on track!

For all of my initial shock-and-awe,
I can't deny that our homemade field trip was so incredibly fun!
Knoxville graced us with blue skies and cool breezes,
and naturally, Kellie and her kids were the best company!

Two of my sailors:
(Brooke did not want to wear a hat. Imagine that!)

The entire crew: Brooke, Dominick, Memphis, Samantha & Diana
Brooke and Dominick listening to me rattle on about Columbus.
Don't let their expressions fool you, they were captivated!
Diana and Samanta on board the Pinta.

Brooke watching the ducks swim past. (shudder...)

Ropes, Riggings & Other cool stuff:

The kids in front of the Pinta:
After our tour of the ships, the kids played in the waterfalls:


Brooke standing on the Volunteer Landing tile:

We ended our field trip with a picnic right on the water.
And of course, because we were in Knoxville, Kellie and I took full advantage
of the great shopping and bribed the kids into submission with some good ol' Krispy Kreme: