It would be our first Thanksgiving on the East Coast and Dan and I decided to make the most of our close proximity to my relatives who live in the Philadelphia area. Last Thanksgiving we spent the holiday with my uncle in southern California. This year we’d spend it with my other uncle and my two cousins in south eastern Pennsylvania.
My sister Jennifer and her two kids (Matt and Maggie) had driven over from Ohio and they, my two cousins and their families, all met at the Malm homestead in Berwyn, PA on Thursday afternoon.
My cousins John and Eric each live within an hour from Berwyn, PA, so it was roughly planned that Dan, me, Jennifer, Matt and Maggie would spend one night at each residence. The first beds to be slept in were at Aunt Sally and Uncle Duane's. Everyone was in attendence by 4:30 and it wasn't too much longer before we were feasting on a fabulous meal prepared by Aunt Sally. Games and conversation followed, as well as a healthy walk around the block to "settle things", having added dessert to already full bellys.
John's family includes his wife Kathy and two boys, Lief and Brenden. Eric brought his wife Kim and two kids, James and Hannah. Add to that Jennifer's family from Ohio, Dan and me, and our hosts and it made for a full and cheerful house. It had been years since some of us had seen each other and in the case of some of the kids, I hadn't ever met them. It didn't take us long to fall into easy conversation and jokes.
Uncle Duane had made a beautiful "document box" for Dan and I as a wedding present. The wood is a wonderfully interesting quilted maple and has a lovely fit and finish. As the hours slipped by it was time for the "locals" to head home. Eric and family headed off, followed shortly by John's. The rest of us wasted little time in retiring for the evening ourselves.
It was a late morning by the time everyone was up and awake. Jennifer made blueberry pancakes and then the group took a quick walk through a nearby botanical park before packing up and leaving for our next destination: Eric's.
After spending a fun time at Eric's, catching up kicking back, most of the group headed out Saturday for IKEA for some Swedish meatballs and some shopping. Not much was purchased after lunch, but it's always fun to wander the aisles of this store. The 236 square foot, fully furnished apartment always impresses me. After Eric and kids went home, the rest of the troupe headed for John's. It was getting late in the afternoon before we arrived, so John quickly gave us a tour of "the farm" while we still had daylight.
The evening went late as we played charades, Taboo and all along the way had a fabulous dinner and snacks and drinks. It was well after midnight when the last eyelid closed and the house fell silent.
