Giving thanks to past and present.. Happy Thanksgiving from Ixtapa

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think Thanksgiving? I think most would say  family. Time of re connection. For me it was a chance to be able to see my extended family that I didn't see for most of the year.

Thanksgiving is a big deal in my family.Before I can explain the significance of  Thanksgiving,  I need to give you a little bit of family history.

 My father, Monroe as he was lovingly referred to by most, was one of 4 Quick brothers. He legally changed his name from George Washington Quick (being born in 1919, you can take a wild guess what day he was born) to James Canfield Monroe.  All the rest of the family, have the last name Quick, except for the 14 children my father, um fathered. Yours truly is the youngest. Yes, you did read correctly, 14.

My Aunt Bobbie and my Uncle Blaine(youngest of the brothers) would host Thanksgiving every year. I'm not sure when the tradition started,taking on the huge feat of feeding the masses but I am thankful that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. Thanksgiving was the day when you were able to see all the cousins,second cousins aunts, uncles, close family friends, from near and far all under one roof.

 I have so many memories that put a smile on my face of craziness that happened on Thanksgiving. I want to thank Bobbie Quick for all the years of cooking amazing food and the many memories you gave all of us by opening up your home.

This is one of my favorites, because you can see my dad in the far right corner with his huge mustache .This happened to be my dad's final Thanksgiving. My cousins and I are in the moment.

As you can see in this picture the tables were always beautifully decorated for the occasion. When I see these pictures I giggle at what we wore oh and we cant forget our hair....

As I've gotten older and circumstances change, the hosting of the Quick's continue to remain the same. Bobbie has handed over the torch so to speak to my cousin Geoff and his wife Arie. Last year was my first year back in CA and introducing Steve and Lucas to the crew. This year I believe the head count is 38 and I cant wait to see the great family photo for 2014!

While I am going to be missing seeing these crazy Quick's, I'm writing today from Ixtapa Mexico.  We are here for the week celebrating  Thanksgiving with the Roger's family. With our new family 5, Steve and I  are fusing traditions and holidays while making new ones along the way. Ixtapa is just that. Changing it up and making many new memories for all. We took family photos yesterday,  here is a behind the scenes look from my phone of all the kiddos 

It is my hope that you all are able to spend quality time with your family this holiday making plenty of memories. If you happen to away from your family during this time of year, it is my prayer that you will be home soon. But in the mean time, make some good memories where you are and keep your loved ones close to your heart.

I want to personally thank you all for your support reading my blog. I am humbled by reader response. It is my intention to continue to write about my life, I am overjoyed that people want to read! I never had any expectations with my blog, so this is beyond anything I could have imagined.  I am looking forward to all that Bliss with Mac brings, but for today, I am thankful  for your support.

All the best,

p.s. we are having a family competition today, ending with a big color powder party on the beach.... photos next week... making memories ......:)