My Perfect Sort of Day

I love the holidays.

I have the entire week off and so this morning I am hanging in my living room, a candle glowing beside me, and the world is dark outside my patio door. This is my normal routine; however, this time I have no agenda that will propel me out of this chair in the next few minutes to prepare for a regular workday. I can stay here as long as I like.

Yesterday, this questionnaire that one is supposed to have one's spouse answer the questions circled through Facebook. We were driving into town so I asked Roy these questions and one of them was, What is something I love to do?

His answer? Get up really early in the morning to sit in a chair and do nothing.

Pretty much.

And so here I am, early in the morning, sitting in a chair, "doing nothing" and loving it.

As this week is Thanksgiving, we are headed to my sister Jessie's home in Norman, Oklahoma on Thursday. It will be one of those quick trips as we will just go for the day, but I am so excited for it. A couple of weeks ago, Jessie sent out a group text so we could figure out the menu. I quickly scanned it for the word "noodles" because a Thanksgiving in our family without homemade noodles...well, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving at all.

Through the years, we've spent many Thanksgivings apart from my family in Oklahoma. However, no matter where we have been, we've made homemade noodles. If we join friends at their homes? I bring noodles.

I remember when I was a kid and talking to my friends about typical holiday fare, I would ask them if they had homemade noodles as part of their holiday meal. After several friends looked at me quizzically, resulting in an explanation of what that even is, I realized that this tradition is unique to our family. I'm not sure how it got started--or even when it got started. Clearly it is a dish with German roots but beyond that, I have no idea how the tradition began.

Last night as I was perusing Facebook, I saw that one of my friends posted a picture of their 7 foot kitchen island loaded with homemade noodles spread out and drying. "Ready for Thanksgiving!" The photo boasted.

I was shocked.

 What? Who is this??

I quickly scrolled back up to see who posted the photo only to realize?...

...It was my cousin Steven.

Of course.

Meanwhile, I have three days spread out before me to delight in before our cherished Thanksgiving arrives. I intend to read some, watch Netflix some, play games some, and journal some. It is cooler these days so I am hoping to light a fire in the fireplace and listen to its crackle as I make dinner in the kitchen. My mom is visiting, and of course Darian is home; we will enjoy some fun meals around the table together.

It's getting light out now. The sun is beginning to rise and a brand new day is spread before me like a blank canvas. And I am still sitting here doing nothing.

My perfect sort of day.