Well it's Thanksgiving Eve (do people call it that) and I was wondering if any of you have special Thanksgiving traditions!

My family used to go over to Melissa Jill's house and have a big dinner and at the end of the meal my mom would always get out this little basket and everybody got two popcorn seeds to put in it and we would have to come up with two things we were thankful for... My brother and I hated it....I don't know why b/c we had lots to be thankful for but I guess we just wanted to get outside and play ping pong or basketball or something.

...and since I hated it so much I figured I'd ask all of you... What are you thankful for?

Good health. A wonderful wife. Three fantastic kids. The snow outside. Jesus dying for me (remember, his death was sufficient for the sins of everyone, but each one of us must accept it individually). Being able to do what I love -- giving people something they'll cherish. Well, not giving. They pay through the nose for it. Ha ha, just kidding.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that fall on my nose and eyelashes, er, wait a minute, wrong story.

As long as I can remember it has been tradition that we didn't turn the heater on till the day after thanksgiving. Mom goes shopping and dad stayed home with the kids and changed the filter.

Now that we're all grown we have a new (additional) tradition. Rather than hassle with the shopping insanity, my entire family (aunts uncles and especially and the lil cousins) go see a movie. It's usually the kiddiest of the kiddiest movies out. This year we're gonna go see Chicken Little!!!

I'm thankful for jackets and kiddie movies... among other things lol!!

I'm thankful for...

My wife Maria (whom I married 8 years ago on the Saturday after Thanksgiving).
My son Dominic (who was born on our 2nd anniversary...what a great present!).
My daughter Katia.
My son Jonah.
Health insurance.
Glacier National Park.
Laughter.
Buffalo wing sauce.
Good friends, and, of course.........
Open Source Photo.

As far as traditions, we don't have any really...that's kind of a by-product of divorced parents and an impossible to please mother-in-law. Wait, that's a tradition...every year we duke it out with my 2 sets of parents and my inlaws over who's going where when! And the emerging trend seems to be...one year we hit the road and do 3 turkey dinners in 9 days (ugh...) and the next year we end up with an intimate gathering at home with just our family and maybe a stray sibling or two. This year is the stay-at-home year. Hallelujah!!! Pass the gravy...

Jesus
My family and excessivly large extended family!!!
Photography
Our new house
My friends
Vacations
David Jay and OSP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barlowgirl
My clients
America
George Bush!!! (sorry guys!! I love him!)
Our soldiers
Heat in the winter (He he!!)
Music
Well I guess I could go on and on!! DJ I guess I'm going to need somemore of those popcorn seeds!!

For thanksgiving we normally get together with as many family members as possible! Some years we went and fed and sang to the homeless(which was very rewarding ) in a shelter.
This year we are in Pennsylvania for a huge Thanksgiving meal and then a wedding the next day with all like 70 people in my dad's family!!

Haha! I love George too! and the whole Bush Family!

I'm thankful for my awesome husband, who is one of the only people that really understands me .

I'm thankful I live in a country with great sanitation and advanced medicine.

I'm thankful I am free to practice my religeon as I choose.

I am thankful that my body for the most part still functions.

I am thankful that my family is 'saved'.

I am thankful for the gift of a brother I had for twenty one years.

I am thankful that I laugh at things that no one else think are funny.

I am thankful that the Lord has given me a passion to use His gift.

Same here!!!
People say that I will laugh at ANYTHING!!

Thank God for laughter!!(had to add that in so I won't be a thread hijacker!!)

Michelle, Sarah...I'm with you on W!

Funny story...as sort of a favor to a friend I agreed to shoot a renewal of vows a few weeks ago in THE WORST part of St. Louis. I mean it was SO BAD that they actually locked the doors at the church and the reception hall! The uncle of the groom insisted on riding with me from the church to the reception...just so I'd have an escort in carrying my camera equipment (I packed light...tripod and a small case, that's it). Anyway...I had to remove the "I support President George Bush" bumper sticker from my wife's car...I figured I already stood out enough...didn't need any unnecessary attention for my dissenting political opinions in that part of town! (especially when I had camera equipment w/ me...)

I'm thankful for:

My Wonderful Husband, I'm truely incomplete without him.
My Monster Kitty, he's one of my everyday joys.
My great parents (all 3 of them heh)
My mortgage, it means I have a warm home to live in.
Wonderful Friends, new and old.
Photography, the bad and the good.
The internet (featuring OSP!)
Homemade cranberry chutney (where's the drooling smiley?)
All the people that I love and that love me.
Being able to tell them i love them everyday.

...and my cell phone. (What did we do before these things????)

No real traditions. Whoevers around gets together. Its easy that way and no one stresses out over anything. I love it!

heh.. Happy Turkey Day everyone.

Ah!! I remember being so excited to make my very first mortgage payment!!

I'm so very thankful for my Grandparents. They are incredible, God fearing people who have this abundance of memories and knowledge of our family History and just plain ol' regular History as well. They are a flood of information... it's simply incredible. I truly love their senses of humor and the laughter that we all share together as a family. Praise the Lord for Grandparents!

Traditions... we go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a smoked turkey and all the rest of the traditional food. After our afternoon meal we typically watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (this year though, my cousin is getting married and so we made favors for her wedding on Saturday), once the movie finishes and we all wake up from our naps we head back to the kitchen to play games and snack on the homemade pies, fudge, and cookies. We top the day off with pulling out all the leftovers for some informal dining around the table playing dominos.

Ah!! I remember being so excited to make my very LAST mortgage payment!!

SHOW-OFF!!!

YEP! She is all mine now!


[attachmentid=2273]

SWEET!! I'm soooo jealous!

Things I'm thankful for:

A God who rules the universe and yet still loves me
My wife Crystal...I don't know how I'd make it through this life without her
3 of the most wonderful foster kids a dad could ever ask for
A house, cars, and a million other things I don't deserve but have been given by God anyway,

Tradition:
I always go to my uncles ranch...he has a ton of horses
My grandmother died last year so this year was a little different since she wasnt here.
Apparently those Dixie cups that everyone walked around with all those years had beer in them...this year they all just had cans. I dont really know if this a good thing or not. Yea I like a drink here and there but theres just something wrong with that picture to me. They also had jello shots. When did Thanksgiving become a drink fest????
I cant really say anything cuz I had 1 beer but I was really thirsty and all of the sweet tea was gone. I dont like Jello.

Nice! You should have a garage sale!

....I mean a yard sale

I did -- Dan stopped by and bought everything!


Now I can get that nice plastic lens I have been wanting!