Hooray! Thanksgiving is here, and we are all on a much needed break from classes. I actually have very little homework, so aside from studying, not too much will go on school-wise in my house (well, from my perspective. My husband might actually start working on his medicinal chemistry homework, but I'm not going to hold my breath.)
This is my first holiday season away from home. Don't get me wrong, I've traveled away from home plenty of time to visit other family members during Christmas (ah, the fond memories of my mother walking outside the van with a flash light whilst we winded our way up one of the fog enshrouded Ozark mountains to get to my grandparent's house...over the river and through the woods my foot. We were just trying not to go over the edge of a cliff. Guard rail? What's a guard rail?) However, I have never LIVED away from home...it was always the place to which I returned. It's turning out to be a lot more difficult than I expected.
I think a large part of the homesickness is just that there is so much going on in my family and friends' lives back home, and I feel like I'm missing out in some way because I can't be there. It really all started when my best friend posted this on her Facebook page:
"Need a date next week for Harry Potter."
It just really made me sad because I would have been her date...if I were home.
Then another friend and his wife just had their first baby. Sometime in the near future, there is going to be a Rocky's Friday where he'll bring his precious baby girl to meet the gang...and I won't be there (Rocky's is Rocky Roccoco's, a pizza restaurant chain in Wisconsin.) Maybe we need to see if they have wireless at Rocky's...and we can Skype.
There's also some spectacular family news, too, but I'll go into that at a later date for various reasons.
One income equals only traveling for one holiday...and that means Christmas for us (though my best friend did offer to solicit $5 from all my friends back home so I could take a trip back.) We're heading to Tennessee, which I'm excited about because it's been a long time since I've seen my in-laws (whom I actually like.) And, one of my friends is in New York City right now, so we're going to hop a train to see her tonight, which makes things slightly more bearable.
So, the hubs and I will make our own date out of Harry Potter on Thanksgiving, in between our own turkey dinner and turkey leftovers. I will be thankful for all the good things going on in my life, like having the opportunity to go to school and pursue something that I want. I will be thankful for all the good things going on in my family and friends' lives, even if I can't be there to directly share in them. I will just be thankful.
Because sometimes, that's just the best thing to do.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone.
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