Banana Nut Cakes and ATV's

In my life there are few mornings of peacful laziness where eyes are heavy, body heavy, bed warm, house quiet and dark.  Not many, but a few.  Minutes pass slowly, heater making a lovely white noise that lulls, no alarm clock to ruin it and no boss expecting attendance.

But of course, since when in my life does that mean sleeping in AT LEAST until the sun comes up?  Pretty much never.  Through the forced air heat sounds shouts an awful, growling sound.  What is it?  Since I am so warm, comfy and sleepy and it is still dark, there is only a tiny bit of adrenaline caused because of the dark and the unexpected noise.  So, heaving my body out of the deep mattress and dragging myself to the window, the adrenaline eases as I realize someone is loading their four wheeler into the back of a white pickup.  But, wait, sleeping brain says, is that OUR four wheeler?  Trudge down the basement stairs, look out the window.  No, ours is still sitting out on the unfinished back porch amongst the tumble weeds blown there during the supposed "blizzard of 2010" that brought mostly dried up weeds and only wisps of snow.

Bummer, but good.  Don't have to call cops and report a missing ATV.  But bummer, I'm awake at 6:30 on a Saturday.  Lids still heavy, trudge back to bed, but take the laptop with me.  Read an awesome blog in the D-News by Chad Lewis, Vai Sikahema and Bryan Rowley.  Most inspiring thing I've read in a long time.  Check it out.  Read Chad, then Vai, then Bryan.

Now I remember, big rivalry game today and Hubby's B-day.  Gotta make that banana nut cake I HAVE to make from scratch each year.  Why do I hate making that cake so much?  Cause I have to find the pecans that end up on the bottom of a shelf at the back of the freezer in the freezing garage (literally).  Usually doing so in my bare feet cause I'm still feeling lazy and heavy from  the overindulging of the past two days of thanks-eating and don't bother to find any shoes.  I have to find the cake pans in the back at the bottom of a cupboard I rarely look in.  Then I have to separate eggs!  Who beats egg whites to make a cake these days?  Yes, the joys of making Hubby's day a little brighter.

Big HOWEVER here.  However, the cake is unusually delicious and unique with it's moistness and tangy frosting.  Hubby eats one big piece then carefully slices his way throughout the day and through the cake without realizing he's actually eaten three pieces without knowing it.  I do the same.

I don't think the reality of how good my life is ever really hits me on Thanks-Eating, I mean Thanksgiving Day.  It's usually afterwards like today.  House warm, body heavy, more traditions to follow and ENJOY today.  Glad that 4 wheeler woke me up this morning.  Glad for the quiet reflection moments, the reading the newspaper that's not really a paper anymore, the resolve to "make it a good day."  Glad for such a great life, fun and exhausting family, generous and kind hubby.  Glad I can once again, show him how much he means to me by struggling with that beastly and delicious cake.

But now, FORCE myself out of my luscious, warm bed, stow the laptop, gather up hat, shoes and mittens and enjoy another of those things that I first hate then love!

Frozen road, bitter air, happy dog, here I come!  It won't take much again to make every moment and every experience and every difficult thing a thing of Thanksgiving, even 4 wheelers that force moments of reflection.