Mari & Amanda-you guys are the absolute best! Thank you for EVERYTHING!

REAL Worlders-you guys are awesome. Thanks for all the support and encouragement.

Tune in next week for our annual Thanksgiving marathon!

Show Time (1/1)

Joan's face lit up with delight. "Uncle Steve can see my turkey costume." She was trying to keep her fidgeting to a minimum as her mother double checked the stitching that was keeping her tail feathers in place.

"Yes, he can." Mary fluffed the felt plumage one more time and then straightened the brown bodysuit stuffed with quilt batting that represented the turkey's plump body. The crowning glory was a felt headpiece that held a golden beak and a red poultry waddle. "We'll send him the video as soon as we get home."

"No." The young girl began waving excitedly across the large all-purpose room where her class would present their play. "I mean he can see it now! Hi, Uncle Steve!"

Mary's head snapped towards the back of the room and it was all she could do to contain her own squeal of delight when she saw Steve greeting an obviously surprised Aaron. A few seconds later Catherine came through the door carrying Angie followed by Elizabeth and Joseph who were both beaming. Susan and Ramon Reyes joined the group and exchanged smiles and hugs all around.

"We had no idea you guys were coming," Aaron smiled. "This is a wonderful surprise. But you should have told us. One of us could have picked you up at the airport."

"We're here overnight so we got a rental car," Steve replied. "And as far as keeping it a surprise … " he nodded his head towards Catherine and Elizabeth, "That decision was above my paygrade."

Aaron laughed. "Mary is going to flip out when she sees you."

Susan Reyes smiled at her son and nodded towards her daughter in law who was now waving wildly from the staging area on the other side of the room where parents were applying the finishing touches before their children went on. "I think she's seen them."

As the group turned to wave back at Mary a tired but excited Angie spotted Joan. "Noni!" She began to bounce excitedly in her mother's arms. "Noni ahhh bahh deeee!"

"Hi, cousin Angie!" Joan called in what was definitely not her indoor voice. "You got here in time to see my play. I'm a turkey!" She spread her arms out to her sides and puffed her chest out.

"Bahhh bahhh eeeeee!"

The teacher gave the children the signal to get into their places and Joan struggled to focus her attention back to the task at hand.

It was hard.

She wanted to run across the room and hug all her Hawaii family and tell Angie about her new room and her trip to Disney and how she helped her mother make the turkey costume. She wanted to show everyone the pictures from Halloween and tell them about the letter her daddy was helping her write to Santa. But she and her classmates had worked very hard on this play and she really wanted it to go well. She had three lines and she had practiced them over and over to make sure she got them exactly right. Her teacher had talked to them about how proud their parents and families would be as long as they tried their very hardest. And she wanted her mom and dad to be proud. And grandma Susan and Grandpa Ramon. And now Uncle Steve and Aunt Catherine and Angie and Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Joseph.

She took a deep breath.

She directed one last excited wave across the room then fell into place with the other children.

As Joan's teacher stepped to the microphone Steve, Catherine, Angie, Elizabeth and Joseph slipped into the rows of seats directly behind Aaron, Susan and Ramon. A few second later Mary slid into the seat beside her husband.

She barely had a second to say hello to the visitors before the first Thanksgiving song began.

They were entertained for the next 45 minutes by Joan and her classmates depicting everything from the first Thanksgiving feast to the present day and reminding everyone in attendance that is isn't about the food, it's about the people you share it with.

As soon as they wrapped up, and bowed through not one but two standing ovations, Joan raced across the room to greet her visitors and after hugs and kisses all around, and a healthy dose of excited squealing, immediately asked if she could introduce Angie to her friends and her teacher.

As Steve, Catherine and Angie accompanied Joan on that mission Mary turned to Elizabeth. "I am so happy you made it," she said excitedly. "I know Joan is too. She was so excited when she saw you all come in."

"We're excited to be here." Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with happiness. "Joan's enthusiasm every time she talked about it on our Skype calls was infectious. We started to feel like we were going to be missing the event of the season if we didn't come."

"I'm sorry I didn't officially invite you," Mary apologized. "I just didn't want you to feel obligated. I know Hawaii is much closer than New York but it still involves two plane flights and that's a lot to ask. But I hope you know you're always welcome."

"We do, sweetheart, and thank you," Elizabeth said sincerely.

"As it turns out the timing was perfect," Joseph added. "We're gonna pick another Thanksgiving visitor up at the airport tonight, let her get a good night's rest, then fly the last leg of her trip to Hawaii with her."

Mary looked confused for just a few seconds then her face split into a wide smile. "Really?! Are you serious?! Nonna is coming?"

She clapped happily as Elizabeth and Joseph nodded their confirmation.

"She's going to stay on the island through the new year," Joseph added.

"That's great news!" Mary slid her arm around Aaron's waist. "I'm so glad we're staying the whole week. We haven't seen Nonna in so long."

"Nonna's coming!" Mary squealed as Catherine, Steve, Angie and Joanie rejoined the group.

Joan thrust her arms in the air. "Yay, Nonna!"

Angie copied Joan's movements. "Ahh bahhhh eeeeee."

"Isn't it great?" Catherine joined the squealing.

Suddenly Mary looked panicked. "Where are you all going to stay tonight? We can put Steve and Catherine in the guest room with Angie … Joseph and Elizabeth can have our room … We can sleep on the couch …where will we put Nonna?"

"Someone can use our guest rooms," Susan offered. "My sister and her husband aren't arriving until Sunday."

"Before we get too far down this road … " Steve held up his hand, "We know that you've been so busy with school and Joan's play that you haven't had much time to pack and get ready for Hawaii." He turned to Susan and Ramon. "And we really appreciate your generous offer, but we know you're getting ready to host a lot of out of town company. So, we made reservations to stay at a hotel."

"You didn't need to do that," Mary insisted. "There's always room at our house."

"We know that," Catherine assured her. "But we just thought it might be easier for everyone, especially since no one knew we were coming, if we booked a hotel room."

"You're not sleeping at my house?" Joan asked dejectedly. "Not cousin Angie either?"

"Actually, there's a really neat interactive children's activity center a few blocks from the hotel that one of my friends recommended we take Angie to," Catherine said. "Then after that there's a big pool at the hotel, and a nice restaurant, so were thinking that maybe Joan could come spend the night with us, if it's ok with Mary and Aaron of course. Then you could finish packing and have time to take a little breather before we all fly out tomorrow to start the fun."

"Am I sleeping at the hotel with cousin Angie?" Joanie asked Steve hopefully.

He beamed. "If your mom and dad say it's ok."

"Can I? Pleeeeeeeeease?" Joan implored her parents.

"Are you sure about this?" Mary asked Steve. "She's been so excited about this program she may be a little overamped."

"It will be fine," he assured her. "We'll have a blast."

Mary glanced at Aaron. It would be much easier to pack without Joan there. She would want to take the entire contents of her bedroom and playroom with her.

After a brief second she turned to her brother. "You have a deal. And thanks."

As Joan and Angie celebrated Steve wrapped his arm around Catherine. "Let the Thanksgiving fun begin."

THE END

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