Caramel Pie

So, it's that time of year again....THANKSGIVING!!! I'm always so stoked about Thanksgiving. Always been a great holiday, but I took it for granted and when I went to Australia and spent Thanksgiving day picking Mangos, I realized how great of a holiday it was. And FYI.....Australia does not have a Thanksgiving.....as Leah asked our driver!!! Spend a year without Thanksgiving and you spend the rest of your life enjoying it!!!

I'm making my caramel pie again this year. I've made it the last 4 years, minus 2 Thanksgiving's ago. I was thinking back this morning of my first year of making it. I was working for dad and got off super early and went home and started working on my big Australia picture frame, rather frustrated that it wasn't as easy as I imagined. I went ahead and started drinking some beers because I was pre-gaming for our Thanksgiving Eve festivities. I finally got it done and started boiling the cans of milk for the pie, which takes 2 hours. I get ready, still drinking some beers and boiling the milk. Brandon , Jenna, and Ben are meeting at my house. So, Brandon gets there and is like, Hey, think you can iron my shirt for me...I mean, what do I look like??! A few minutes later, Ben arrives and is like, Hey, think you can iron my shirt for me?? WHAT??? So, here I am, drinking beer, boiling milk for a caramel pie, and ironing shirts!!!! I felt like a true Martha Stewart!!! It was great!!!

The two last Thanksgiving's have been quite interesting and out of the norm, for sure. 2 years ago, Shelby was in the hospital and somewhat unexpectedly got to come home from the hospital the day before Thanksgiving. So, Pop fried a turkey for us and mom ran to the store and got the tubs of vegetables that you just heat up!!! It was a great Thanksgiving and we had a lot to be thankful for! Last year, we were suppose to go to Grandma's for Thanksgiving then go to Scott and Glenda's since Grammy and Grandpa Keith were in town. Well, what do you know, Grammy has a stroke on Thanksgiving Eve and they all end up in the ER/hospital on Thanksgiving. Poor mom missed all of Thanksgiving and spent it in the hospital with Grammy!!! So, I'm excited for a drama free Thanksgiving this year. Write it down...keep your drama away!!!

So, tonight I will not be having any Thanksgiving Eve festivities like I use to back in the day, unless going to Grandma's counts!!! I will be home, or rather at mom and dad's since I refuse to go to my own house since there is a mouse there, making a caramel pie and a new recipe that I stole from Rachael, a pineapple casserole. YUMMY!!

So to you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving! May we give thanks to all the blessings we have in our lives and remember just how lucky we are, no matter what our situation is!