:: T is for a totally tubular turkey time ::
So, this Thanksgiving was way more than I expected, both positively and negatively. On the negative side of things, I attempted driving home twice on Thursday only to be thwarted by the cruel punch of nature. For someone who is usually always smiling, laughing, and having a great time this was a pretty big blow to my heart. I mean, seriously, how on earth was I supposed to enjoy Thanksgiving without family, football, and food? I mean, I had food...leftover Applebee's and some frozen dinners. But the family and football were right out the door if I had stayed at this apartment. Which, thanks to my need to complete homework, I was bound to end up doing. But then something happened. My church family reached out to me. (On a side note, on top of the fact that I didn't get to make it home for Thanksgiving, my family lost power at some point so they very well may have eaten cold turkey. It's a good thing my mom cooked the turkey the day before!)
I got online when I had returned from my second failed attempt at leaving my apartment and Simeon was there. We talked briefly and when he found out I had no place to go he "made me an offer I couldn't refuse" (no that's not quoting Simeon, that's quoting The Godfather). He asked if I wanted to spend my Thanksgiving with his family! I gotta say, I was a little nervous about accepting such a generous offer. On Wednesday, Simeon had detailed to me the amazing times his family has together at Thanksgiving and I really felt like I'd be intruding on something special. But when I asked him when they were leaving (they celebrate at their grandparent's cottage) he said 15 minutes, so I had to make a quick decision. Once I found out that we could play in the snow I was hooked. :o) haha! I had to go with them after that promise was made.
So, he and his sister Anna came to pick me up and we drove out to the Switzer family cottage. The ride there was so fun! We made it through a familiar town that some of you may remember from a previous entry...Burnips. I did not see the "Beard's Produce" sign this time which was a little disappointing because I was looking forward to discussing what vegetables would look like with facial hair. But, Kermit's Kwik Stop still exists. Anna is a totally awesome woman and I am glad I got to know her more. She's going to teach me how to sew sometime in the near future which I am so psyched about! And she works with the most adorable special needs kids, which I just think is totally amazing. Ever since my dad started working in special ed classrooms I have always been in awe of people who do that kind of work. For the longest time special needs kids actually really intimidated me. I think I was just so nervous or scared that I would hurt them or that they would hurt me that I just didn't want to go near them. But then I remember going with Dad to work one day for "Daddy/daughter work day" and he introduced me to this girl Tamara. I don't remember what she as afflicted with, I think it may have been cerebral palsy. She couldn't talk and even though she was 24 or so she looked like she was 4. I remember looking at her though and seeing her eyes. And I could see that there was someone in there who loved life, loved my dad, and loved this world. I remember Dad introducing us.
"Tamara," he said. "This is my daughter Liz."
She looked at me, almost sizing me up. I know that I smiled nervously at her.
"Tamara," he said. "Say 'hi' to Liz."
She didn't move, didn't speak, just stared.
"Tamara," he said. "If you want to say 'hi' to Liz, smile."
And this is where the miracle happened, the miracle that began to change my heart and drive out the fear I had of these kinds of people. Tamara got the biggest, most sincere, most heart-warming grin I have ever seen a person wear on her face. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it because it was just so incredibly beautiful. Ever since then, that fear has been driven out and I've been given the opportunity to serve special needs people of all different sorts (in Italy no less which was totally awesome). It's amazing how learning something new about a person can bring back this whole stream of consciousness that you forgot had ever been there. But once again I say, Anna is an amazing woman.
So, we arrived at the cottage in good form, with no major traffic infractions (ahem, Simeon did claim to have the right-of-way at one point when he clearly didn't but everyone seemed pretty forgiving due to the snow and the holiday). And when we arrived, everyone was just totally 100% awesome towards me. We all spent some time together just relaxing on the couch, watching the Lions, and talking about all sorts of different things. Then we gathered around a ginormous table and prepared to eat. Simeon's grandfather read out of this book that detailed George Washington's original document establishing the day of Thanksgiving. Then Matt initiated the "What are you thankful for" around the table convo and we shared some serious and not-so-serious answers that made for a fun pre-dinner activity. Prayer was then said and we dove right in. :o) The food at the Switzer household was quite amazing indeed. Some of my favorite McKee Thanksgiving favorites weren't there though. Like mom's awesome green-been casserole and her amazing garlic mashed potatoes. Plus there was no ice cream pie! But there was this excellent yam dish that Mandy had made for the first time and some lemon pie for dessert. Oh, and the homemade applesauce was soooo divine.
:o) After dinner Simeon and I headed out for an afternoon frolic in the snow. The snow was good enough for packing, anyway, and we did manage to start a minor snowball fight. Then we sat on the paddle boat next to the lake and talked about all sorts of random things. For some reason, I don't remember them now. Wow. It already seems like it was forever ago.
Well, after we got sufficiently cold we headed back inside to play Sequence with Matt and then some Chinese checkers. Even though it was only my second time playing the game, I totally wasted Simeon at the game and was very impressed with my mad skillz. But, he retaliated and challenged me to a foosball game which I got totally annihilated in. I guess everyone has his or her own strengths. Just know that if he ever challenged me in Tetris I would totally waste him. :o) AND ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER! haha! (Although Jessie is pretty gosh darn good too)
So, then Simeon and I headed downstairs to make some holiday candy wreaths. I guess it's sort of a tradition with them and they make them every year. His grandma started it all and they look pretty cool. Unfortunately, we never got to finish it but it was a pretty spiffy idea to say the least. Halfway through the wreath-making we determined that it was time to play the Switzer's CRAZY gift game! I gotta tell you, this is the part of the evening where I felt especially guilty and nervous about participating. They do this thing where there are all of these presents wrapped up and thrown in a pile. There are probably close to 100 for sure. Each person has four cards from a 52-card deck and Sims' grandma has another deck of cards. One at a time, she reads out the cards and each time your card is called you get to take a present. She pretty much goes through the entire deck as many times as she has to until all of the presents are gone. Well, after all the presents are gone, she goes through the deck one last time and this is where the craziness ensues. Everyone gets the chance to take a gift from one another at this point. For some reason, no one really wanted to steal from me, so by the end of it all I had more presents in my pile than I did before the whole thing started! Then, once all the stealing is done, we open them up! I got some pretty cool things, like this rad digital clock, some fuzzy socks, and a mini-sewing kit (which will surely come in handy during my future lessons with Anna). On top of that, the epitome of coolness, I got a remote control car. Oh man, it is awesome! haha! Simeon and I put it together and put all of the decals on it and it looks pretty sweet. It runs alright too and is sooo much fun!
After all of this stuff went down, Simeon and I headed out into the snow for one last hurrah before the evening ended. We sat on the trusty paddle boat again and talked about our favorite Thanksgiving experiences, life, and loads of stuff in between. It was pretty freezing out, but awesome all the same. We even ended up doing some snow angels. haha! I gotta say, for all the talk I was making about doing snow angels, when it came time to do it I totally almost chickened out. Sims was totally laughing at me because I couldn't decide whether or not I was going to do it. haha! But he finally talked me into doing it and he made one too. haha! It was great. Snow is totally amazing.
Sometimes I wish I could take the time to examine every little snowflake to see how unique it is, how different God made each one from the other. Like I could put each one under a microscope and it would stay frozen long enough for me to see how it's been woven together. Does it have sharp points along the outer edge, or is it smooth and closed in like a stop sign? Is it pure white or has it somehow been slightly contaminated along its journey to the earth? They say that no two snowflakes are alike, and I believe that God's creative enough to do it. It'd just be amazing to experience it first hand. To examine every little one and see how unique God made it. But it's probably a better use of my time to focus on His people.
After our last snow adventure, we watched the rest of the Dallas/Denver game and then began the journey home. We ate some of the candy wreaths, listened to Sims' "Big Band Christmas" CD that he got during the gift exchange, and laughed whenever the car slid a little around turns. Overall, a pretty rad turn around for a holiday that otherwise looked to be, for lack of a better word, "poopy."
IT'S TILL SNOWING AND I LOVE IT!
I got online when I had returned from my second failed attempt at leaving my apartment and Simeon was there. We talked briefly and when he found out I had no place to go he "made me an offer I couldn't refuse" (no that's not quoting Simeon, that's quoting The Godfather). He asked if I wanted to spend my Thanksgiving with his family! I gotta say, I was a little nervous about accepting such a generous offer. On Wednesday, Simeon had detailed to me the amazing times his family has together at Thanksgiving and I really felt like I'd be intruding on something special. But when I asked him when they were leaving (they celebrate at their grandparent's cottage) he said 15 minutes, so I had to make a quick decision. Once I found out that we could play in the snow I was hooked. :o) haha! I had to go with them after that promise was made.
So, he and his sister Anna came to pick me up and we drove out to the Switzer family cottage. The ride there was so fun! We made it through a familiar town that some of you may remember from a previous entry...Burnips. I did not see the "Beard's Produce" sign this time which was a little disappointing because I was looking forward to discussing what vegetables would look like with facial hair. But, Kermit's Kwik Stop still exists. Anna is a totally awesome woman and I am glad I got to know her more. She's going to teach me how to sew sometime in the near future which I am so psyched about! And she works with the most adorable special needs kids, which I just think is totally amazing. Ever since my dad started working in special ed classrooms I have always been in awe of people who do that kind of work. For the longest time special needs kids actually really intimidated me. I think I was just so nervous or scared that I would hurt them or that they would hurt me that I just didn't want to go near them. But then I remember going with Dad to work one day for "Daddy/daughter work day" and he introduced me to this girl Tamara. I don't remember what she as afflicted with, I think it may have been cerebral palsy. She couldn't talk and even though she was 24 or so she looked like she was 4. I remember looking at her though and seeing her eyes. And I could see that there was someone in there who loved life, loved my dad, and loved this world. I remember Dad introducing us.
"Tamara," he said. "This is my daughter Liz."
She looked at me, almost sizing me up. I know that I smiled nervously at her.
"Tamara," he said. "Say 'hi' to Liz."
She didn't move, didn't speak, just stared.
"Tamara," he said. "If you want to say 'hi' to Liz, smile."
And this is where the miracle happened, the miracle that began to change my heart and drive out the fear I had of these kinds of people. Tamara got the biggest, most sincere, most heart-warming grin I have ever seen a person wear on her face. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it because it was just so incredibly beautiful. Ever since then, that fear has been driven out and I've been given the opportunity to serve special needs people of all different sorts (in Italy no less which was totally awesome). It's amazing how learning something new about a person can bring back this whole stream of consciousness that you forgot had ever been there. But once again I say, Anna is an amazing woman.
So, we arrived at the cottage in good form, with no major traffic infractions (ahem, Simeon did claim to have the right-of-way at one point when he clearly didn't but everyone seemed pretty forgiving due to the snow and the holiday). And when we arrived, everyone was just totally 100% awesome towards me. We all spent some time together just relaxing on the couch, watching the Lions, and talking about all sorts of different things. Then we gathered around a ginormous table and prepared to eat. Simeon's grandfather read out of this book that detailed George Washington's original document establishing the day of Thanksgiving. Then Matt initiated the "What are you thankful for" around the table convo and we shared some serious and not-so-serious answers that made for a fun pre-dinner activity. Prayer was then said and we dove right in. :o) The food at the Switzer household was quite amazing indeed. Some of my favorite McKee Thanksgiving favorites weren't there though. Like mom's awesome green-been casserole and her amazing garlic mashed potatoes. Plus there was no ice cream pie! But there was this excellent yam dish that Mandy had made for the first time and some lemon pie for dessert. Oh, and the homemade applesauce was soooo divine.
:o) After dinner Simeon and I headed out for an afternoon frolic in the snow. The snow was good enough for packing, anyway, and we did manage to start a minor snowball fight. Then we sat on the paddle boat next to the lake and talked about all sorts of random things. For some reason, I don't remember them now. Wow. It already seems like it was forever ago.
Well, after we got sufficiently cold we headed back inside to play Sequence with Matt and then some Chinese checkers. Even though it was only my second time playing the game, I totally wasted Simeon at the game and was very impressed with my mad skillz. But, he retaliated and challenged me to a foosball game which I got totally annihilated in. I guess everyone has his or her own strengths. Just know that if he ever challenged me in Tetris I would totally waste him. :o) AND ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER! haha! (Although Jessie is pretty gosh darn good too)
So, then Simeon and I headed downstairs to make some holiday candy wreaths. I guess it's sort of a tradition with them and they make them every year. His grandma started it all and they look pretty cool. Unfortunately, we never got to finish it but it was a pretty spiffy idea to say the least. Halfway through the wreath-making we determined that it was time to play the Switzer's CRAZY gift game! I gotta tell you, this is the part of the evening where I felt especially guilty and nervous about participating. They do this thing where there are all of these presents wrapped up and thrown in a pile. There are probably close to 100 for sure. Each person has four cards from a 52-card deck and Sims' grandma has another deck of cards. One at a time, she reads out the cards and each time your card is called you get to take a present. She pretty much goes through the entire deck as many times as she has to until all of the presents are gone. Well, after all the presents are gone, she goes through the deck one last time and this is where the craziness ensues. Everyone gets the chance to take a gift from one another at this point. For some reason, no one really wanted to steal from me, so by the end of it all I had more presents in my pile than I did before the whole thing started! Then, once all the stealing is done, we open them up! I got some pretty cool things, like this rad digital clock, some fuzzy socks, and a mini-sewing kit (which will surely come in handy during my future lessons with Anna). On top of that, the epitome of coolness, I got a remote control car. Oh man, it is awesome! haha! Simeon and I put it together and put all of the decals on it and it looks pretty sweet. It runs alright too and is sooo much fun!
After all of this stuff went down, Simeon and I headed out into the snow for one last hurrah before the evening ended. We sat on the trusty paddle boat again and talked about our favorite Thanksgiving experiences, life, and loads of stuff in between. It was pretty freezing out, but awesome all the same. We even ended up doing some snow angels. haha! I gotta say, for all the talk I was making about doing snow angels, when it came time to do it I totally almost chickened out. Sims was totally laughing at me because I couldn't decide whether or not I was going to do it. haha! But he finally talked me into doing it and he made one too. haha! It was great. Snow is totally amazing.
Sometimes I wish I could take the time to examine every little snowflake to see how unique it is, how different God made each one from the other. Like I could put each one under a microscope and it would stay frozen long enough for me to see how it's been woven together. Does it have sharp points along the outer edge, or is it smooth and closed in like a stop sign? Is it pure white or has it somehow been slightly contaminated along its journey to the earth? They say that no two snowflakes are alike, and I believe that God's creative enough to do it. It'd just be amazing to experience it first hand. To examine every little one and see how unique God made it. But it's probably a better use of my time to focus on His people.
After our last snow adventure, we watched the rest of the Dallas/Denver game and then began the journey home. We ate some of the candy wreaths, listened to Sims' "Big Band Christmas" CD that he got during the gift exchange, and laughed whenever the car slid a little around turns. Overall, a pretty rad turn around for a holiday that otherwise looked to be, for lack of a better word, "poopy."
IT'S TILL SNOWING AND I LOVE IT!