I would like to tell about my Thanksgiving Week. My family spent the week in the Great Smoky Mountains. As we normally do, we rented a cabin a mile from the main strip, but still secluded in the forest. We got there Tuesday and the adventure began with the winter weather advisory.

We knew it was going to snow. Actually everyone in the mountains knew it was going to snow. Even the lady that rented us the cabin told us to stock up on groceries because we could be snowed in for a while. This was what brought us to our first escapade of the trip.

Alright my dear reader, I don’t know if you’ve done the math or not, but in case you haven’t, let me break it down for you. 2 days before Thanksgiving + a 100 percent chance of snow = a grocery store that is basically survival of the fittest. My grandmother was sending my father and I on missions around the store to get certain items because with each one, we had no certainty of returning. We got the last orange, the last loaf of white bread, and the last box of hot chocolate the store had; we also had to buy a lot of cheap brands because all the “good” stuff was already gone. On the plus side, grocery shopping got me in shape for Black Friday!

There was a certain gift that was passed around the family during the trip… and by “gift” I mean “don’t-venture-far-from-the-bathroom stomach bug.” My mom was a little queasy on Tuesday, my aunt had it Tuesday night, and when my dad didn’t eat breakfast one morning, we knew he was in for it. I thankfully didn’t receive the gift, but I did get something else: a nice big band-aid.

Caution. The following paragraph describes graphic images and sequences of blood. If you are considered a “lightheart” skip to the next paragraph.
I was playing pool in our cabin on our first night in the Smokies. There was an extra carved edge on the top of the table. While breaking the billiard balls, the back of my index finger made contact with this edge. If a regular smooth section of skin were to graze the edge, nothing would have happened. However, my section of skin that made contact with the edge was the mid-finger that bunches up when the finger is straight. Of course, since I was breaking, it hit with a strong force. That portion of skin somehow managed to get ripped away and tucked in under a section of skin that was still connected. It literally took a deep chunk of my finger and shoved part of it under the skin that what wasn’t taken. Blood started pouring and it certainly wasn’t the most pleasant feeling. Seeing blood doesn’t bother me, but seeing a section of my finger partially hanging off and partially underneath more skin made me a little light-headed.

I bandaged my injury up nicely and enjoyed the winter postcard of the mountains. It did snow quite a bit, but not enough to really get us snowed in, just enough to make us wait a little longer before leaving the cabin on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving day was wonderful. There really weren’t any “What are this?” moments except for the fact that I allowed myself to eat a third of my family’s dressing. I’m not exaggerating.

Black Friday was tiring but fun. See the post below for details.

Except for everyone having stomach issues and my finger catastrophe the trip was outstanding. As always, I didn’t want to leave. It was a great week, even considering the crazy holiday shoppers. That just further reminds me of what I’m truly thankful for.