the greatest weekend of my life? perhaps.

Saturday morning, I drove out to Natomas to attend KR's All-Star football game. He's 8 years old and personally asked me to be there, so I sat through the freezing cold and watched as West beat East 6-0, scoring in the last 10 seconds of the game. I watched as KR made a perfect interception. The smile on his face when he saw that I'd made it was priceless and reinforced why I love that kid so much.

After the game, it was a mad dash to get dressed and ready to be on the road to the bay area by 1 pm. I had to attend BS's family's early Thanksgiving celebration! It was a HIT. The food was indescribably delicious, served in courses. First course: tomato bisque soup topped with french bread and cheese. Second course: onion custard (it was amazing). Third course: a fruit salad with a peppery-sweet dressing (one of my fave dishes of the night). Main course: turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, 2 types of stuffing, my homemade cranberries, rolls and an amazing turkey. My cheesecake was popular, as was AS's blackberry dessert (BS's mom)...all in all, one amazing meal! After dinner, we played a Christmas-themed game which was a blast. There were goofy prizes to be won. Here's a photo of one of them:

BS has guages in his ears and the glow-stick-bracelets fit through perfectly. HAHA!

I had a hard time holding back tears. The emotion of the evening choked me up more than I'd ever expected. Last year's holiday season proved a disfunctional mess, and I was looking forward to holidays this year about as much as one looks forward to a root canal. My early holiday meal spent with BS and many of his family members was heart warming, to say the least. I felt a sense of belonging and appreciation that I could only describe with a heart felt thank you, which could never be enough.

After everyone had left and the cleaning was complete, BS and I settled down in my "room" (aka the living room where AS had graciously made up a bed for me so I wouldn't have to dare the 2 hour drive home at midnight). We discussed my gratitude towards being included in the night's event and he surprised me with a question. Since we've been back in contact, we've gone from friends to more than friends to working on "us"...he took our relationship one step further and made us an official couple that night. We're an old fashioned pair, and him asking me was the ultimate sign of exclusivity and commitment. He and I have come so far, and I'm looking forward to making something of the foundation we've established. I haven't been this happy in a long time. :D

I feel like this year has brought me so much to be thankful for. After a tumultous 2 years, I finally feel a joy in my heart I never expected any time soon. I hope everyone in my life knows how grateful I am to have them, I hope everyone in my life knows that I'll always be there for them, and I hope everyone in my life feels as thankful to be alive as I do.