Fall Vacation

As I enjoy my first hot apple cider of the fall, I can't help but think back to my childhood when my parents, brother, and I would head to Flagstaff for the week of Thanksgiving. I so loved the idea of missing the entire school week instead of just the two days, even if it meant taking homework packets with us to Flagstaff. We would spend the week exploring the timeshare, going to the tennis courts to play terribly executed games, playing games of mini golf and spending time at the clubhouse drinking hot cocoa and cider. It was a break from the normal daily routine, with the exception of the homework packets. When we finished the work we had to complete each day, my brother and I would tear off like freed convicts to once again resume the explorations of the timeshare.

More often than not, dad would come up to join us after work on Wednesday, he had to work so would miss the first part of the week. When he arrived, it was so exciting, it was almost time for Thanksgiving. I always knew that when I woke on Thursday morning, the wonderful aromas of a special Thanksgiving dinner would already be wafting in the air. Mom would fix her special breakfast strata and I would eat breakfast, smelling the stuffing and wishing it was already time for dinner. I loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, something I still love doing today, and feeling that special closeness of family on that lovely holiday.