Giving Thanks for my OCD

And for these incredible little people.  <3

For the first time since we've been living together, M and I are going to visit his family for Thanksgiving.

Before you throw your hands in the air, and say Oh, how unfair! there are a few details you should know.

First of all, that's only a five year span.  With this being the fifth Thanksgiving.

Such sweet little monkeys!

We've been to see my family twice- once when it was actually visiting my family for Thanksgiving (a drive only two hours shorter than heading to the Twin Cities), and once when Thanksgiving basically overlapped with Channukah, and we were visiting my family for Channukah in Ann Arbor- easily half the distance to the Twin Cities.

And while we decided long ago that Christmas trumps Channukah for important times to be with one's family, Channukah trumps Thanksgiving.  (Passover trumps Easter, in case you were wondering.)

The Twin Cities are pretty freakin' far, when you're driving in the snow, or dark, or pregnant, or with babies, or with toddlers.  It turns from seven hours to ten hours extremely quickly.  Or rather, not quickly at all.  At a glacial pace.

Rocking chairs are fun!

Every other year we have actually stayed in Chicago.  We stayed in Chicago the year we got married because we were exhausted from the travel involved in the summer that led up to Thanksgiving.  We stayed in Chicago the year the girls were born, because we had two six week old babies we didn't want to take anywhere.

But this year?  Minnesota, ho!

Due to my newfound obsession with planning ahead as much as possible, I've come up with a great way to make this insanely long car trip with toddlers significantly more pleasant.  I've booked us a room, just over halfway there, at a really sweet looking Bed and Breakfast.

Not only will we have a comfortable place to stay, we'll have a REAL breakfast.  We'll be on a lovely farm where if we want to exhaust the girls before putting them back into the car, they can run around and play outside.  Our room?  Actually has two rooms.  We'll even sort of have privacy from our own children.

Not usually what you expect from a pit-stop between Chicago and St. Paul.

Any time spent with these two is the best time- even in the car.

We'll take off mid-afternoon, and then drive all the way to the B&B, where we'll eat a picnic dinner.

And in the morning, we'll finish the drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house, refreshed and ready to chow down.

If it goes really well, who knows?  Maybe I'll book the place again for our trip back for Christmas.

All in all, I feel pretty darn good about it.  :)