That One Time Mamaw Forgot Thanksgiving



WHY YES, that IS my face on a sexy pilgrim riding a giant turkey! Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!  I have to admit, I've never really LOVED Thanksgiving.  I mean like Thanksgiving, what's not to like? A day off from work, hanging out with my family, and eating tons of delicious food sounds like a good time to me.  It also means that Christmas is just a month away! WOOOO! BUT it's just not my favorite holiday. The past few Thanksgivings have felt like running a marathon for Matthew and me!  We have big families with tons of places to be.  We bounce around from dinner to dinner, picking at our food and feeling super rude when we have to say "Oh, no, we just ate" or "We can't, we have another dinner." Matthew absolutely hates it, and each year I have to remind him that he had better get used to it!

One thing I am thankful for this Thanksgiving is the lack of "I'm thankful for..." status updates.  I am so pleased to report that I have not seen any posts this year! Kudos to all of my Facebook friends! If you've been posting them, I probably haven't seen them because you have been unfollowed. #sorrynotsorry It's the only way that we can remain friends.  You understand.  My timeline is now flooded with "I'm thankful for you, friend" videos, which is better! I can tolerate those...for now.  Facebook can be so clever sometimes!

I am thankful for so many things! It's probably very similar to what you're thankful for, so I'll spare you the details.  This has been a really fun year with tons of great memories, so I feel especially thankful! One thing I am specifically thankful for is my Mamaw (pronounced "ma'am-maw" not "mah-maw).  I don't tell many Mamaw stories in my blog, which is preposterous because I tell them all the time in real life!  Mamaw is Helen's mom.  As you can imagine, they are two peas in a pod.  Someday, I too will join that pod.  I need you to get an idea of who my Mamaw is, and what she is like before I tell you any stories.  My Mamaw, Ruth Gandee, is now 87 years old.  She stands 4'8" ish (with shoes and hair).  She refuses to take any type of medication, not even Advil or a vitamin (which is sort of remarkable).  She putters around the house in slippers and a housecoat.  She has rocked the beehive hairdo for as long as I can remember. She wore her first pair of pants in 2011.  They were little girl capri pants, but they fit her as pants. And last but not least, she is SUPER ornery.

Helen worked at USDA with Joe McMillion for about 25 years, give or take a few.  In that time, Joe got to know my Mamaw very well.  Probably more than he would like to know!  He will sometimes bring her a Tudor's biscuit for breakfast or Checker's burger for lunch, and he makes sure to call her every so often to check in on her.  One year Joe called Mamaw to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving, as he usually did, and from what I can remember the conversation went something like this...

Joe - "Hi Mamaw, how are you? Happy Thanksgiving."
Mamaw - "What? Laying on the couch watching TV!"
Joe - "Oh, I thought you'd be getting ready for your Thanksgiving dinner!"
Mamaw - "What dinner?  Thanksgiving is tomorrow, Joe..."
Joe - "Um, no, Mamaw, it's...it's today..."
Mamaw - "OH GARSH!" *slams down phone*

As you know, Thanksgiving is a holiday that is all about the food...('bout that food, no diets.  I couldn't resist.) Anywho, yes, it's also about being thankful...but mostly the food! ;) It's about the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, casseroles, breads, pies, etc.  I should add, it is NOT about CRANBERRIES - gross.  Well that year was just a little different.  We all showed up about an hour after Mamaw had her little conversation with Joe, and NOTHING was ready.  It was like something you would see on an episode of The Middle.  There was little Mamaw in her slippers, housecoat, and apron.  She hadn't showered and looked as frazzled as she could possibly be.  Her hair sticking up and out.  She had flour on her face. The works!  As people started pouring in, all hands were on deck in the kitchen.  After some strategic planning and some quick cooking, we managed to finish cooking all of the side dishes, but we still needed that bird!  We waited, and waited, and waited some more.  I think we even toyed around with the idea of ordering pizza to hold us over until dinner was ready.  It was a very, VERY long Thanksgiving day, but a memorable one, nonetheless.

I now work with Joe at USDA, and each Thanksgiving, we can't seem to make it out of the office without talking about "The Thanksgiving that Mamaw forgot it was Thanksgiving."  Thank goodness Joe called that day, or we may have been eating peanut butter and jelly sammiches for dinner!

I want to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all take advantage of the wonderful time you have to spend with your families.  Make some memories, and please remember those who are working during the holidays and don't have the privilege of relaxing at home with their loved ones! If you go shopping on Thanksgiving night or Black Friday, please BE NICE! There is no need to get worked up over shopping.  It is supposed to be fun!  Hold doors, say please and thank you, and, for goodness sake, don't hurt anyone! Afterall, Santa is watching! ;)

Okay, I have a lot of free time on my hands these days! SO SUE ME!  I couldn't pick just one! Enjoy! #turkeyjockey :D


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