Thankful
Today and every day, I am thankful.
I am blessed to call these beautiful souls my little family. These sweet, SASSY, hilarious little ladies and their snarky daddy with a heart of gold are my everything. They are the “Co” in Kendehl and Co. They are my reason for every single thing I do.
Every Thanksgiving we head over to Wenatchee, Washington to spend time with our extended family. Smitt, my husband, grew up here and prepared me from the very beginning that 1) Thanksgiving is his all-time favorite holiday and 2) he would spend every Thanksgiving in Wenatchee come hell or high water, so hopefully I’d decide to join him in that tradition. So, off we go each year!
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Smitt’s annual Turkey Bowl. Each Thanksgiving Eve, his high school buddies get together and drink themselves stupid, followed by a crack of dawn wake-up to head to their elementary school playfield. Then commences the old-man wreckage. Just imagine a whole gaggle of goofy guys in their 30s and 40s running around like they’re still high school hunks playing flag football once a year. They are out there breaking ankles, sweating whisky and generally struggling for dear life. They freaking love it and I sure hope they do it until they are old and grey, scooting around in motorized wheelchairs cursing at each other and laughing until their sides hurt.
After the Turkey Bowl devastation is complete, Smitt and his brothers head home to Top and Jenny’s house. Top is Smitt’s middle brother (Smitt being the oldest, Thai the youngest). As a family of chefs, they cook up a drool-worthy Thanksgiving dinner while Jenny and the little ladies and I hang out watching Disney movies, laughing and sipping wine and bonding as a family.
The Friday after, Annabelle, my oldest, decorates cookies with Auntie Jenny as their annual tradition, and Smitt and I go on a day date. This year we’ll take our two-year-old Chloe and enjoy a little brunch together.
It is the BEST.
This year, Thai and his fiancee Katherine are away in Ireland, where they’ve been working and adventuring for some time. Smitt’s parents are in Thailand, but coming home soon for the first time in two years thanks to COVID travel restrictions - right before Christmas. We’re so excited to see them again and have them close.
My family is in Auburn bickering together over turkey and cranberry sauce today, probably annoying the hell out of each other but still attached at the hip.
Although it’s a smaller Thanksgiving, I could not be more grateful to have these wonderful people to call my own. Near or far, they are my whole heart.
