I’m leaving tomorrow. Flying out to Georgia to spend Thanksgiving week with one part of my oddly twisted family tree. Being adopted is sort of like having divorced parents. You have to split holidays. Only instead of having two parents split apart you have more…you have extra family.

It’s pretty darn cool.

So tomorrow I’ll leave my adoptive parents here in Texas (they’re spending Thanksgiving with their best friends) and I’ll head to my birth mom’s house to spend a week with that part of my family. I’ll see two of my three half sisters, my nephews, and lots more people that I love.

If I could shape the world to suit me all of my people would live together, in the same town. And we’d spend every major holiday together. Probably in a rented out event hall because there is a lot of us. But it would be great.

But that isn’t happening anytime soon. So now I save money and airline miles and fly out there once a year. (Which is not often enough.)

I love to travel but traveling with Rheumatoid Arthritis has a unique set of challenges. I have to plan for a flare to kick in mid way through my day tomorrow and pack pain meds, braces and such. I have to choose my travel outfit not for looking cute but for taking care of my body. So cute shoes will be packed and I’ll wear tennis shoes. With an ankle brace on each foot. And I’ll fill my checked back with a heating pad, more braces, and more meds.

I carry more RA related things than clothes these days. But it is worth it to get to go see my family.

In other news, I’ve been MIA this month because I’m doing the killer National Novel Writing Month challenge. 50,000 words by the end of the month. I’m writing my fingers to the bone. But I’m getting there. I completed the challenge last year. I’ll do it again this year.

Thanksgiving blessings to all of you out there. I hope you get to spend time with your loved ones in the coming week. And that you get to eat lots of yummy food and take naps. And maybe go for a walk in the crisp fall air. That’s what I’ll be doing.

Blessings and love,
Elise

My b-family. Love this crazy group of folks.