My First Thanksgiving Back Home

Hi, Everybody!

First and foremost, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you enjoy spending time with your family, friends, and loved ones.

You know, my mom brought it to my attention—this is my official first Thanksgiving back with my Southern Cali peeps! I’ve gotten so readjusted to the Southern Cali life that I didn’t really think about it. If I was back in Memphis, I would be worrying about whose house I should go over for Thanksgiving... and by the way, deciding to stay with Great Aunt Reesie, Great Aunt Donna, or Auntie Gladys is a blessing in and of itself. However, I don’t have to worry about that this year—I’m at home with my mom and dad, and I couldn’t be any happier. At the same time, though, I did call my Tennessee aunties and let them know that I really missed them, but it won’t be long until I return to complete the final year of my tenure as a Rust College Bearcat!

This year, the guest hosts are Uncle Gregory and Auntie Glo, and from what I understand, they have gone all out with the turkey and the trimmings. Seeing as how this is such a great occasion, I figure that I would bring along my camcorder and film some footage for a brand-new home movie. Heck, I even have the perfect title for it—Natasha’s Back, Baby!

Okay, so that’s a horrible title, but it’s the best that I’ve got.

Well, I reckon I’d better close up today’s blog post and get ready for Thanksgiving service at my church, which starts at 10am PST. As a heads-up, y’all ain’t gonna hear any more from me today (for obvious reasons), but I promise that you’ll hear from me on either tomorrow or Saturday. Until then, y’all take care and be good.


Smooches,
Natasha

The Results of Thanksgiving 2013

Hi, Everyone!

Well, we done did it again, y’all—we’ve hit another milestone. Just in the year 2013 alone, this is Blog Post #300. All I have to say about that is simply: WOW!!!

I trust that everyone had a great Turkey Day yesterday—I know I did. Before I begin talking, though, I want to state for the record that I did buy the stuff for my rocky road brownies, but I made an executive decision and chose to make them either this evening or tomorrow. Besides, Cousin Erica and I were too busy helping Cousin Jade bake all kinds of pies and cakes… and for the record, Great Aunt Reesie did make her red velvet cake; she said that she would make another one for me to take back to the campus, so I can share it with Ruby and Theo.

Here’s what I thought was so cool about yesterday evening: As you know, my entire family is Christian, so of course we prayed before we sat down to eat. However, Great Aunt Reesie had a special request—with a big grin on her face, she squeezed Cousin Keith’s hand and said, “Son, seeing as how you’re back home for good, and seeing as how you’re also the only fella in the group, I would like for you to lead the prayer.” Well, Cousin Keith smiled back, then he kissed Great Aunt Reesie on her cheek and said, “Mama Ree, I would love to lead the prayer.”

Suffice to say, y’all, Cousin Keith prayed such a prayer that all of us couldn’t help but shout. He thanked God for helping him with his depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and for keeping him sane while he was away in Afghanistan. He also thanked God for such a loving family who constantly prayed for him until he returned. Finally, he thanked God for “such a momentous occasion—one that I will forever cherish in my heart.”

After Cousin Keith’s powerful, poignant prayer, we sat down to eat, then we shared the things that we were most thankful for. Such as it was with me last year, I expressed how grateful and thankful I was to God for blessing me with several places to rest my head other than my dorm, and not just for national holidays, either. It seems as though every year, I drive myself crazy in trying to decide where I’m gonna spend Thanksgiving or Spring Break, but I do recognize that there are so many who would love to have just one place to spend the holidays, so for that, I am grateful.

Well, y’all, it’s time to close this blog post, but I’ll holla at y’all sometime tomorrow. Until then, y’all take care, and remember that every day is a day of Thanksgiving.

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Onward to Nashville for Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Everybody!

Well, here we are—it’s a beautiful, chilly Wednesday afternoon here in Holly Springs, Mississippi. I’ve already said goodbye to Ruby and Theo, and I have no classes for today, and I’ve got the next four days to myself. Right now, I’m waiting on Cousin Keith to come pick me up; he gave me an ETA of 3:30pm CST. Afterwhich, it’s onward to Nashville… WOO-HOO!!!

In the meantime, I would like to talk about my favorite Thanksgiving memory—I was only sixteen years old at the time, so it wasn’t too long ago. Anyway, this particular Thanksgiving was special to me on account of it was the first time that I ever contributed to bringing a dish. With my creative mind, I decided to make some rocky road brownies… and yes, I got idea from the main ingredients of rocky road ice cream (chocolate, almonds, and marshmallows). Anyway, my mom had forewarned me to make an extra batch, “just in case.” Well, I listened to her instructions and I made an extra batch, and just for the heck of it, I went ahead and made some extra for me, my mom, and my dad. Needless to say, my rocky road brownies were a hit! Everyone in my family made it sound like I discovered a cure for the common cold—heck, I caught Uncle Ronnie eating at least four of ‘em, and he had had two full plates of food! And to further solidify that I did a good job, my Gramma Jewel said that I managed to put both of my feet in my special dish.

And believe me—Gramma Jewel knows all about good cookin’!

Y’all know something, with all this talk about my rocky road brownies, I think it’s time for my Tennessee family to get introduced to my special dish. When Cousin Keith gets here, I’ll ask him if he could take me to Kroger so I can get some brownie mix, almonds, and marshmallows. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make an extra batch for Ruby and Theo when I return back to Bearcat Country—that is the plan, too. Let’s just pray that Great Aunt Reesie and my cousins don’t go brownie-crazy… hahaha!

Okay, y’all—that’s gonna do it for today. I may have a blog post for tomorrow, but just in case I don’t, I want you all to have a very safe, special, and fun-filled Thanksgiving holiday.

Smooches,
Natasha

Celebrating Thanksgiving Before Thanksgiving, Tho!

Good Tuesday Afternoon, Everybody!

And yes—y’all read correctly: Ruby, Theo, and I had our very own Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving celebration!

Seeing as how the three of us officially don’t have classes until next Monday, we decided to go break bread at Pizza Hut. Now, check this out, y’all: Even though we stayed and had the buffet special, we still ordered some take home platters, just in case we got hungry!

Y’all already know that I’m a cornball, so as we dined and fellowshipped (I spent way too much time in church as a child… hahaha), I made it emphatically clear how grateful I was to be a part of such an elite trio. I further commented that I will be forever grateful to Ruby and Theo for helping me with my homesickness last year. Theo chuckled and pointed out how ironic it was that I hadn’t mentioned too much about L.A., other than my conversations with Gramma Jewel. Ruby pointed out that I hadn’t even mentioned Ray Hernandez… and she’s got a point! Matter of fact, it has been a minute since I last heard from Ray, and vice-versa. Well, in any event, I expressed my gratitude towards Ruby Red and Neo Theo, and let them know that I will forever appreciate them.

Ruby then took the stand (in a manner of speaking, of course) and said that she was grateful to have—as she so eloquently put it—“the greatest roommate in the world, and a helluva sista from anotha mista.” Naturally, I humbly accepted the compliment, to which Ruby turned her attention to Theo and expressed her gratitude towards him for being the Jack Tripper to our Janet and Terri… that’s right—Ruby refuses to be associated with Chrissy; she still wants to be known as the Terri Alden of the group… hahaha!

Finally, all eyes were on Neo Theo! He basically said that he was thankful to have two gorgeous ladies who would go to bat for him. He also admitted to us that he was a great big softhearted mush, and he will never forget how Ruby and I stepped up and became the undisputed protectors of his heart… yes, those were his exact words.

Well, lemme tell y’all: If this was one of those sappy sentimental TV sitcoms, y’all would hear that corny-ass soft music, with the closing credits rolling and the studio audience applauding—and I guess that great minds think alike, because we all said at the same time: “The Tripod was recorded in front of a live studio audience!” And then we just busted out laughing.

So, to sum it all up, my peeps and I celebrated the Thanksgiving holidays a little early—but then again, it’s like my Gramma Jewel always says: “When you’re a true child of God, you don’t have to wait until a certain day, because every day is a day of Thanksgiving.”

Until tomorrow, Loves!

Smooches,

Natasha

Gearin' Up for Thanksgiving, Tho!

Good Monday Afternoon, Everybody!

First of all, I would like to thank you all for helping me celebrate my 400^th blog post over the weekend. It really amazes me how I am only a year and a half into my journey as a Rustite, and within such a short time, I have written four hundred blog posts… THAT’S PHENOMENAL!!!

And now, here we are, on a brand-new day, with Blog Post #401, and today’s topic (which you can probably tell by the subject title) is all about how I’m gearin’ up for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays.

This year, I’m gonna spend Thanksgiving in Nashville—I think I may have mentioned that I already conversed with Great Aunt Reesie over the past month or so, and she says that she’s got my room all ready. Y’all should already know that I have a great time whenever I go to Nashville, and this year ain’t gonna be no more different… yeah, y’all heard what I said! Anyway, it’s gonna be a great feeling to hang out with Great Aunt Reesie, Cousin Jade, Cousin Erica, and our familial hero, Sgt. Cousin Keith! All I’ve got to say is: Look out, Nashville—Vipress is makin’ her way back to you, Babe, and she’s got an agenda to fulfill!

You know, I may have mentioned this once upon a time, but I still recall the very first time I spent Thanksgiving out here in the South… then again, there’s no way I could forget it, considering it was just last year; if y’all recall I spent Thanksgiving with my Great Aunt Donna… yes, the same Great Aunt Donna who can’t hold a tune if it had handles on it! But then again, I made mention in a blog post entitled “Highlights from My First Memphis Thanksgiving” that Great Aunt Donna sang a couple of gospel songs, and not one time did her voice crack. Well, I already know that Great Aunt Reesie can hold more than her own when it comes to singin’ any type of song. Don’t forget: I heard her sing “Rappers Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang, and she really broke it down, too!

Well, y’all, I gotta cut this blog post short on account of I’ve got plenty to do. Before I leave, though, I gotta mention that I had my midterms today in my Fine Arts class and my Intro to Humanities class. I think I passed—maybe not a perfect score, but I’m sure that I got at least an A- or a B+. As for my Intro to Social Sciences class, I’ve got a midterm in that tomorrow… and I’m gonna need y’all to pray for me. Matter of fact, let me go ahead and get to studyin’ now, and I’ll holla at y’all tomorrow.

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Already Set Plans for Thanksgiving, Y'all!

L-R: Cousin Jade, Great Aunt Reesie, and Cousin Erica.

Hi, Everyone!

Yes, this is a picture of my Great Aunt Reesie with my cousins Jade and my Erica. This should serve as symbolism as to where I will be celebrating Thanksgiving 2013 this year. That’s right, y’all—I’m hittin’ up Nashville this go-round! If you recall, I spent my very first out-of-state Thanksgiving at my Great Aunt Donna’s last year. Well, I’ve already called Great Aunt Reesie and put in my reservations for this year, and in turn, Great Aunt Reesie told me that she’s gonna have a full house this Thanksgiving on account of—and these are her exact words—“I’ve got my granddaughter coming home from college for the very first time, and this’ll also be the very first Thanksgiving in a long time where I can ask Keith to carve the turkey!”

You know what—I had plumb forgotten that Cousin Keith is back from Afghanistan… for good! To be honest, I’m so used to hearing about him now that I feel as though he never left. I mean, I was there when he surprised Cousin Erica at her high school graduation, but up until Great Aunt Reesie had mentioned Cousin Keith by name, I really hadn’t given it another thought about his eight year absence away from us. Nevertheless, Cousin Keith is back home, and back home for good—and that’s the bottom line, because yours truly said so!

I had mentioned this in my blog posted a little over a year ago, entitled “Greetings from Great Aunt Reesie’s.” I had talked about the irony of me being a city girl, yet getting adjusted to the country life. When I spent my first weekend with Great Aunt Reesie, I instantly found true appreciation to the quiet, country ambience. I’m still crazy about the trees with the sunset-colored leaves. And of course, Great Aunt Reesie’s gorgeous apple tree should be producing fruit right now, and hopefully I’ll get to pick some this go-round.

Well, I guess I had better get going—I’m still trying to decipher this secret admirer mystery! IN the meantime, y’all take it easy, and I’ll holla at y’all tomorrow.


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

Highlights from My First Memphis Thanksgiving

Hi, Everyone!

It’s Friday, November 23, 2012, and I am still enjoying this experience known as “Thanksgiving in Memphis.”

Firstly, I just want to go on record and say that Great Aunt Donna still cannot hold a tune with both hands—hahahahaha! But then again, when it comes to gospel hymns, she can hold her own. Here’s how I know: I was helping her set the table, and she started humming “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand.” I noticed that not one time did her voice crack, nor did she slide into a different key. Heck, I even joined in with some harmony. She looked at me and said, “Tasha, next time you talk to your Gramma Jewel, you tell her that I might not can sang, but I can damn sure hold my own.” I laughed and told her that I would relay the message to Gramma Jewel.

Gee, I wonder what Gramma Jewel’s rebuttal is gonna be… LOL!

I also want to point out that I had a great Thanksgiving Day with my Southern family. Great Aunt Reesie, Cousin Jade, and Cousin Erica came over to help celebrate, and Cousin Mike made a fried turkey—and it was delish. I may have had two and a half plates of food. I must’ve been some kinda hungry, because I ate it all and still had room for Great Aunt Reesie’s red velvet cake. Afterwards, I just threw my napkin on my plate and said that I quit. Heck, I was so full that I didn’t eat anything else the rest of the day. Thank God that Great Aunt Donna had some ginger ale stored out in the pantry.

I also got a chance to call Mom and Dad, both of whom were quick to tell me that Gramma Jewel invited Rebecca over. I even got to talk to Rebecca; I told her to keep my place warm until I returned. She said that she would do the best she could, and then she said that I was “the most fortunate girl in the world to have a grandmother like Vivian Jewel Jones.” Those were her exact words, and I thanked her for them.

Well, look now, y’all—I’m officially hungry, so I’m gonna make a homemade turkey, ham, and roast beef sandwich with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and barbecue sauce. Afterwards, I owe Great Aunt Donna some stories about my first semester thus far at Rust. I also have to tell her how I had to—as Gramma Jewel would say—understand it to punk ass Richard… hahahahaha!

Until next time, y’all take care.

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha