Fall is here!  At least I think it is.  In Oklahoma it’s hard to be sure. It usually comes and goes a few times before winter descends on us with a vengeance and all is gray.

Fall is my favorite season.  I love the cooler weather.  Time to break out the long sleeves and sweaters.  Time to start making pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, and pumpkin everything.  Time for soups and chili.  And, of course, time for hot chocolate!

Another reason I like Fall so much is that my parents usually come up to visit at Thanksgiving.  We don’t get to spend a lot of time with our extended family.  My parents and my sisters live in Florida and my husband’s parents and sister live in North Carolina.  That’s right, both sets of grandparents live over a thousand miles away.  It’s difficult for Todd’s parents to travel very far because of health issues, so they have not been out to Oklahoma since the month we moved here six years ago.  My parents have come every year at Thanksgiving, but that’s the only time that they can work everything out to be able to come.

Thanksgiving is usually a time we look forward to taking off a couple of weeks of school.  (Yes, you can do that when you homeschool. It’s one of the perks of making your own schedule!)  In fact, I often start planning our school calendar with Thanksgiving as the main time I need to plan around.  This year, however, we will not be taking off more than a few days at Thanksgiving.  My parents aren’t coming this year because . . . . . we are going to Florida for Christmas!

This will be the first Christmas that I have spent with any of my side of the family since Todd and I were married.  Seventeen years!  Needless to say, we are all very excited about the trip.  (Okay, I’m not excited about the driving 1200 miles by myself with four children.)

It seems very strange that after nearly a decade of having my parents with us at Thanksgiving, that they won’t be here this year.  Seeing them in December will be worth it, though.