Cherishable

Way back at the beginning of 2010 I discovered a blog revolution known as "Word For The Year".  The act-and art- of choosing just one word, of giving a name to my own personal box of days if you will, particularly appealed to me because 1) I love words and 2) I'm terrible at New Year's resolutions to the point that I don't bother making them.  But this - this was different.  There are no rules to break with word choosing.  Because it's such a broad concept, most everything fits and that gives me a sense of accomplishment that no resolution keeping ever does.  And I still remember it eleven months later. 

So what word did I choose?

Well, first I narrowed my list down to a handful of uplifting sentiments that might sum up what my hopes for 2010 were after more than two years of change, upheaval and letting go.

Abide, abundance, accept, act, adventure, alive, aspire, begin, bliss, calm, confidence, dance, discover, dream, flourish, forward, imagine, joy, laugh, light, nest, permission, possibility, still.

All perfectly lovely words. 

All things I fully intended (and still do) for these 365 days. 

But in the end I chose cherish. 

For that's exactly what I wanted to do.  To cherish family  (my parents aren't getting any younger after all.)  To cherish my boys while they were both still here in our nest. Big T moved into his college digs in August and I knew that was going to be tough.  I wanted to cherish the days in this house we've been blessed with.  You see, when you're self employed in the home building industry these days, you just never know what's around the next bend.

So when it came time to decide what the Thanksgiving holiday would hold, I threw out the suggestion that our family of twelve should buck convention and take a vacation.  No cooking, no cleaning, no dishes to wash, no leftovers, no black Friday crack of dawn Wal Mart runs (which we never did anyway, just so y'know.) 

This year we had a Mickey Mouse Thanksgiving. 

This year, instead of turkey, dressing and yams, Pierre Herve, Aurelie, Jean Christophe and Stephanie served us lobster bisque, quiche, croque monsieur, gratin de Gruyere, and profiteroles for dinner at Epcot.

This year somebody else did the dishes.

This year Mickey, Snow White, Alice, Cinderella and Prince Charming entertained us in the streets of the Magic Kingdom

 This year we got up early not to shop, but to be at the front of the line for Soarin', Expedition Everest and the Tower of Terror.

This year, for the first time that I know of in her 63 years, my mother rode a roller coaster. 

Will wonders never cease.

She says she's getting a Mickey Mouse tattoo next week.

Giggle snort.

It was crazy crowded.

But for seasoned Disney addicts like my sister and me, it's just part of the fun, trying to outwit and outsmart the novice masses.

And I finally got to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.

It was...

Spectacular.

All in all, a very cherishable Thanksgiving.

Hope yours was too.