Our family has the Thanksgiving tradition of circling around the table and sharing at least one item for which we are utterly and entirely thankful in that very moment.
For years and years, this practice involved both laughter and a great deal of tears.  I believe my family and close friends share a special bond and we all realize how truly blessed we are in this life.
With up to 25 individuals at the table some years, this practice definitely took some time, and inevitably led to an awfully cool, to downright, cold turkey dinner.
Yet somehow, the temperature of the food never really mattered.  It was simply the experience – the joy and thanksgiving of family and friends – that was truly so awesome.  (Oh, and the occasional tossing of a Great Harvest whole wheat roll down the length of the table to wake up a snoozing guest at the other end could be considered rather awesome too).

This year the crowd at the dinner table was much smaller.  Intimate and honest, and still very awesome.

Having missed the closeness of family last year at the holidays, a list of 10 items of awesomeness related to the special holiday was a piece of cake…or maybe a slice of pumpkin pie!

1.  Family.  I never realized how important these utterly crazy and lovable people are to me until they were far away.

2.  Blue Sky.  There is NOTHING like Colorado blue sky.

3.  Sunshine.  There is NOTHING like the Colorado sunshine (okay, maybe the Colorado blue sky).

4.  Crisp Mountain Air.  Amazing and awesome in every way.

5.  Laughter.  The sound of giggles, chuckles, and belly laughs – coming from little children and grandparents alike.

6.  Big puppies.  My sister’s family has BIG dogs.  Hunting dogs.  They’re great.  I love them.  (Messy, hairy, and dirty, but I still love having them around).

7.  Brussels sprouts.  Yes, not just at Thanksgiving, Brussels sprouts are amazing.

8.  Sledding.  There never seems to be enough snow anymore at Thanksgiving, but growing up and racing down the snow covered switch backs of the mountain roads on the rails of a Flexible Flyer while the turkey roasted in the warmth of The Cabin will be a memory I will always hold dear to my heart.

9.  Gingerbread Building.  Now that I have a niece with which to play, we have created a Thanksgiving tradition of building a gingerbread house together.  Perfectly imperfect.  Melty, drippy, frosted and sweet.  It’s awesome.

10.  Leftover Turkey Sandwiches…on a Great Harvest whole wheat bun, topped with a dash of cranberry sauce, and a thick slab of Swiss gruyere cheese.  This is SO awesome!  (Don’t forget the “moist maker”).