I FOUND IT!!!! I FOUND IT!!!! Here’s the draft I thought I had totally lost (After my trip to IL for Thanksgiving!) I didn’t finish…but here it is! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving was a fun trip to Illinois. It was really nice to be with my family.

Wednesday: Mom and I went to breakfast together on Wednesday mornig. It was fun to sit and chat with her…we haven’t done that in YEARS just by ourselves. That afternoon, we went to the hospital to see Uncle Matt. (it’s so hard to see him like this! Cancer is such a terrible thing!) After we ate dinner, we made Great Grandma Hill’s Anise Cookies. YUMMY! We do this every year when we’re home at Thanksgiving time.

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! We went to Grandma Hill’s house for supper. It was delicious (as always). It was also nice to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Not everyone makes it there for Thanksgiving, but since I’m not there on Christmas Eve, it’s nice to connect with whomever I can!

Friday: We went to the Tree Farm and picked out mom and dad’s tree. We also do this every year. It was fun. The boys had a blast running around. After the farm, we went home so the boys could sleep. We made another run to the hospital. Uncle Matt slept the entire time we were there. We stayed and talked to Aunt Sharon for quite some time. On Friday night, we celebrated my brother and sister’s birthdays (since I am out of town for both of them). It was bittersweet as Hubby and I gave her my mother-in-law’s ring that she always loved. My sister and my mother-in-law always had a special bond, so this just made it that much more stronger. My sister cried, as did we. But, we know she’ll take good care of it and will wear it proudly!

Saturday: We went downtown to see the condo! Mom and Dad have been busting their butts trying to get it all painted and fixed up. It’s beautiful! They even had their Christmas tree all lit up! The boys did not feel the need to nap…even though their parents strongly encouraged it! We had lunch and dinner down there. The guys put up 2 ceiling fans (one in each bedroom)