Thanksgiving: the Wixom way.

So Thanksgiving is kind of a big deal in the Wixom household...and by "kind of" I mean it is the most anticipated holiday and gets just as much attention (if not more) as Christmas. It's the Holiday about being thankful and giving back. I honestly don't remember a Thanksgiving where we didn't have at-least two guests around our table (usually I don't them...that's just how our family rolls. ;))

So here is what a typical Wixom Thanksgiving schedule looks like:

Tuesday before:

• Make Bread Baskets for Smith, Larsen, and Wixom (and by bread I mean bread, rolls, cookies, mazourkas, jam, something random, etc. Half is usually made by yours truly and my mother, the other is half is by Great Harvest...That is my favorite half.)

Wednesday:

• Deliver Bread Baskets. 
• Layne makes the biggest (and best tasting) batch of Cranberry Relish you have ever seen. 
• Natalie begins the turkey brining process for the best darn turkey you have ever had.
• Claire starts the rolls. 
• Mom makes the stuffing. 
• Bake the Pies (usually 6, including mum's sugarless apple, pumpkin, cherry, and whatever else we feel the need to experiment with that particular year.) . This always happen at night when the familia is home from work. 

The Big day, Thursday:

• 6:15- Wake up (unless you are my padre, who is up by 5.) . 
• 6:45- Head Out to the Race. 
• 7:20- Arrive at location and check in. This is also were you get to put on your new festive sweat (as pictured below.)
• 7:40- Do Jazzercise with the obnoxious warm-up lady...which my family very willingly participates. 
• 8:00-Begin chasing the gobbler 
• 8:15- The 1-milers are back by now. 
• 8:23- The 5k-ers begin getting back (with Robert in the lead.) 
• 8:45- Eat gross breakfast that the coordinators of "Catch the Gobbler" provide. 
• 9:00- Get awards (always Dad, sometimes others from our family.)
• 9:15- Raffle drawing!
• 9:45- Family usually has about 4 free turkeys by now with a few random gift certificates in-between. 
• 10:15- Begin the trek home. 
• 11:00- Begin food prep/shuffling through the shower (note that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is ALWAYS playing in the kitchen)
• 2:00-Thanksgiving Devotional (often accompanied by Polly the Pilgrim.) 
• 2:30-Dinner
• 3:30- Lay around being stuffed (well, half of us (the smart ones) do this) 
• 3:45- Clear the table. 
• 4:00- Head out decided movie (which we arrive to a half hour early thanks to my father's strategic planning.)
• 7:00- Dessert with the Rosekelly's. This consists of all of the family gathering around while partaking of pie, Christina's Snicker-Salad, ice cream, and something random. The kido's (which there are a constant increasing number of) are usually running around making rather loud ruccus. It's a joy :). 
• 9:30- Rosekelly's slowly leave, kids are put to sleep, and the planning of tomorrow begins. 
• 10:00- this is where the after party consisting of Elf, left-overs, and obnoxious behavior usually comes in and lasts for multiple hours. 

Friday: 

• Left-Overs for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
• Black-Friday shopping
• The official opening of the Christmas season. Meaning we set out all of the Christmas decoration, blast Christmas music all day long, make caramel apple cider, and set up my father's Christmas tree (which a whole evening's affair). 

Side note. The first time we did the Catch the Gobbler race, in about 2001, we all hated it and thought it was the worst idea ever.
Now, we all love it and wouldn't dream of not doing it (minus Micah, she still thinks it's dumb.)

To the perks in life

So deciding to go with a different rout with my education, and working my booty off for it everyday, has some definite perks that I didn't think about before.

Such as getting to stay home with these two nephies (some may refer to them as nephews, but I believe nephies sounds much more endearing. Right?) when they are home sick and have a blast...I mean help them get better. *cough*

Sick day with K-dub...(yes, it may have been filled with Swiss Family Robinson and a trip to Cafe Rio, but...yeah, I really don't have an excuse. We just like to party. )

Ernie and I decided that reading Harry Potter all day was the way to go for his sick day. Nope, Halloween candy was involved at all...(except for those three times.)

You've got to love these two.
There is no denying it.

So to bring it full circle: Yay for the unexpected pleasantries life brings because though I wouldn't have known it if I went a different way, I really would have missed being able to spend so much with these little munchkins. They rock my world. 

The Happiest Place on Earth...besides Costco.

Back in early 2010(I was 15) my family (well, part of my family. The (then) single gals and the parents.) took a quick trip to Disneyland and basked in its magic and have a quick get away. We (by "we" I mean mainly me) adore Disneyland and the exquisite charm it has.
So here is the documentation of that wonderful trip.

It may have started pouring...and we
most definitely got drenched. 

Yes, Mickey proposed...for the second time.

You have got to love Disneyland...and family...but mainly Disneyland ;)

Oh gosh, I just love this place. 

This thing called applying for college.

 So I sort of lucked out. All of the colleges I wanted to apply for just had me do either a short, 200 word essay or a personal statements. (Woot, woot!) In-light of the idea that this blog will be turned into a book, I decided to share them so I have them to look back on when I'm old, crippled, and read everything else moderately interesting.

    

Describe a setback you have encountered in your life. Explain how you have handled the situation and what you have learned from it/also used for personal statements.

    In the eighth grade I recognized for the first time the kind of education I wanted, and needed.   Even more, I  realized that the education I was receiving did not measure up. Therefore, I decided to take my education into my own hands. I researched the options available to me, and decided that I would home-school myself. I found a mentor, attended two classes at a local private high school and used the rest of my time studying literature and history, and taking an online course. After that, I went back to the drawing board to figure out what I wanted to do for my following year of high school. I decided first on a performing arts school, because of its excellent reputation and outstanding orchestra program. But I soon found that I needed more , so I was once again back at the drawing board. After nine months of searching, I found a school that was perfect for me. It was academically challenging, offered personal mentoring, and included classical as well as leadership education. I learned a vital lesson--I must take charge of the crucial decisions in my life and then follow up with the necessary actions. 

Tell us anything else you want us to know about yourself that you haven't had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in the application.

I enjoy and love a great many things. But the thing that I enjoy above all else is traveling. I adore the feeling of entering a new country or city and getting to know it--learning a whole new culture and way of living; learning the differences and similarities of the human race. 

While traveling I have discovered that each city and country has its own spirit, a spirit that exudes a rich history and the personality of its citizens.  

One of the countries that I have had this particular connection with is England. From the moment I arrived in the beautiful country I fell in love with its history and culture.

 My dream is to one day travel to Antarctica. Some may say that this an unusual wish but I find it fascinating. Antarctica is the continent that we know the least about so I am so excited to one day visit and get to know the spirit of the land from an unbiased view. I am so thrilled by the idea of going there someday.