Gen 7 Chapter 5 – Part 2

Marc and I spent every second that we could together as the end of the year came to a close. We would be graduating soon and that meant I would be leaving and we wouldn’t see each other for at least 6 months. We also wanted to make sure we had plenty of things to remember each other buy so we decided to go have some pictures taken. We took some silly, some serious, and of course some romantic ones as well!They all came out so well. I was going to have a whole wall in my dorm filled with wonderful memories. My degree would take a total of two years but every six months we would have a couple weeks to spend together and make new wonderful memories and before we knew it we would be back together again and everything would be perfect!I had already been accepted into the college of my choice, but I had to fill out some paperwork before I could go. I made sure to have this done before graduation later today so that I could relax and enjoy myself. I picked up my pet turtle, Fred and told him all about graduating and going off to college. My parents had gotten him for me after Lady died and while it wasn’t the same I grew to love him and he was such a good listener! I gave Fred a hug and told him how much I was going to miss him! I’m sure he could have cared less but I wished I could have brought him along, unfortunately the college had a strict no pets policy and my parents said he would be fine staying with them while I was gone. After my graduation ceremony I held my diploma in my hand in disbelief. I had finally done it! Now it was time for the next stage of my life and I felt ready to take on the world! I made sure to capture this moment with the love of my life as well so that I would always have it with me when I needed reassurance. Life was so perfect, but my only wish was that Marc could have gone with me to my college. He already had a job offer though and was going to be starting the week after I left. I told him my parents and I were going to be leaving in the morning for campus and I could see how much this upset him. Why I wasn’t sure, I mean we had already talked about it over and over again for the last few months. Seeing him like that made me feel like maybe I should rethink my choice to leave afterall. I knew I had to go though, my parents had already paid my tuition, I was all packed up. I wrapped my arms around him for the last time until I saw him on my break I felt the tears I had been holding back start to fall. I tried to be strong, but once I felt him crying I just couldn’t hold it back any longer.

Gen 7 Chapter 5 – Part 1

On the first day of school I met a new friend, his name was Marc and apparently had just moved to Appaloosa Plains because his Dad was military as well. We talked a little while waiting for the bell to ring and I had butterflies in my stomach suddenly. It was almost the same feeling that I had gotten before I rode a horse for the first time. Very strange…After school there was soccer practice and I told Chelsea all about Marc. “Sounds like someone has a crush!!” Chelsea teased. “Noo, I just like hanging out with him that’s all.” I said blushing. “Uh huh, sure. You keep telling yourself that!” she said as the whistle blew which told us all that practice was starting. I liked soccer, it was fun but it wasn’t something I was real coordinated at. Chelsea was a good goalie though and I admired her athleticism. I had to pick an extracurricular though so I figured I might as well play soccer because at least I could run fast! Of course I ended up playing mostly defense because my offence well, you can see how well I do there! “Good job girls! That’s a wrap for today, make sure you get your schoolwork done and I’ll see you tomorrow.” the coach yelled blowing her whistle one last time. I hung out with Marc every weekend it seemed and spent less and less time on other things that I used to love. I just felt like I needed to be around him, like my whole world had shifted it’s focus and I became blind to anyone and anything else that didn’t have to do with him. Of course we started dating and that only made my obsession worse. I constantly skipped practice and stopped going to hang out with Chelsea so that I could spend more time with him. His other friends were upset as well that he was always hanging out with me and didn’t have time for them anymore. My parents took me out to my favorite little restaurant one night, but requested that I not invite anyone to go with us. That made me a little suspicious, what did they need to talk to me about? My grades were good, so what was the big deal?  After we all got out food my Mom began talking to me about colleges and my future with Marc. “I hope you don’t make all your decisions based on what he is going to do with his life..” she said. I tried to tune her out because every word she said just made me more and more upset. While everything she said made sense I didn’t want to hear it. “Mom don’t worry, I plan to go to college and get my degree in business so that I can run my own stable one day. Marc is planning to get his start on his career while I’m gone and we’ll see each other on my breaks from school.” I explained in detail the plans he and I had made. My Mom just looked at me with a hopeful smile, but I could tell she wasn’t buying into it.That night I stared at the poster on my wall. As much planning as we had made was it all going to work out the way we wanted? Only time would tell but one thing was for certain and that was that no matter what I loved Marc and we would be together no matter what anyone else thought. Also I was going to chase my dream and see it come true, one day I would be a famous horsewoman!

Gen 7 Chapter 4

The summer was drawing to a close and I’ll admit I was a little sad. I had been riding almost every day these past few months and I just wasn’t ready for that to come to an end. I still had a long way to go, but at the same time I was doing a lot better than the first time I had hopped up into the saddle. “Howdy there stranger!” said a voice from behind me. “What are you doing here? I thought you and your Mom went out of town for a horse show?” I replied back, surprised to see Chelsea here.Chelsea explained that her Mom hurt herself and wasn’t able to drive all the way to the show so they decided it was best to just stay home. I wasn’t happy her Mom had gotten hurt but I was happy that she was here. “I’ve got something special planned for you today if you’re up for it.” Chelsea explained. “Of course I am! You know how much I love riding!” I replied excitedly. “Alright then, lets go!” she said, and we grabbed our bikes and headed to her house. Little did I know we weren’t going to her house but to the local training grounds where she already had the horse tacked up and waiting. Chelsea then gave me my first jumping lesson and it was so much fun! I could have done it all day long!But of course as the sun began to set I knew it was time to call it quits for the day. I leaned down and gave the horse a pat on the neck. He had been such a good horse all summer putting up with me when I didn’t know what I was doing and never once getting upset. Back at Chelseas’ place I made sure to give my horse plenty of treats before I went home for the day. He would never know just how grateful I was for the patience he showed me. I know there are many other horses that wouldn’t put up with that, but I needed someone like him to teach me how to ride. Sadly now that I was getting better that meant I needed to challenge myself, which was going to mean finding a more challenging horse for me to ride. For now though I just let myself enjoy what we had right in front of us. My happiness was suddenly cut short when I received a phone call from my Mom. Lady our beloved dog passed away. We had her my entire life and I just couldn’t believe she was actually gone. I told Chelsea I had to get home right away and took of bicycling through a torrent of tears.My Mom was waiting for me at the door, I fell into her arms crying. “Lady was very old sweetheart, I’m sorry but there’s nothing we could have done. She’s in a better place.” my Moms words echoed into my head. As much as I knew she was right it just angered me that she didn’t seem more upset by our pets passing. I spent the rest of that week in my room crying. Poor Chelsea tried a couple times to get me to go riding with her, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it quite yet.Finally my parents forced me to say yes and get some fresh air and sunshine. While I was reluctant at first I knew that it would be good for me in the long run. So I called up Chelsea and had her meet me down at the beach. She had brought the horses along so that we could ride a little later. For now I was content just basking in the warmth of the sun.Chelsea hadn’t brought any tack along in case we decided to go for a swim, leather and water don’t mix very well you know! “Hey, let’s have a race!” Chelsea suggested. “I don’t know…” I began to say. “Oh come on now, don’t be chicken. buck, buck, buck!” she interjected. “Well all right! You asked for it!” I replied giving my horse a kick to get him going.Chelsea anticipated my move and took off just ahead of me. I have to admit that the wind in my hair as we galloped across the beach was just what the doctor ordered! I felt my sadness melt away with every beat of my horses hooves. There’s no denying that horses have a healing quality and I probably shouldn’t have spent all that time mourning over our lost dog, but I felt at the time it was necessary. At the end of the day I felt better than I could have imagined and now I was ready for school to start that next week. Though I might not get to ride quite as often once school started at least I got to spend my summer enjoying myself!

Gen 7 Chapter 3

It was the last day of school for the summer and my Mom and Dad told me I could go over to Chelseas’ house after school. I was so excited because her Mom had just gotten them a second horse and she said we could take them out for a trail ride!After getting off the bus my excitement suddenly turned to nervousness. I had never actually ridden a REAL horse before. Sure I had dreamed about it, read about it, but ever actually done it? Nope! “Come on Gabbie!” Chelsea called after me. I felt numb all over but somehow I managed to pick up my feet and follow her out back to her barn to get the horses ready.  Once we began grooming the horses my nervousness began to fade a little. I absolutely loved being around horses, I knew this was what I wanted to spend my whole life doing! I just wished I had been able to do it sooner. Well, here goes nothing! I slipped my foot into the stirrup, grabbed the saddle horn and prepared to mount. I paused for just a moment to pinch myself and make sure this wasn’t just another dream. Then I took a deep breath and pulled myself up into the saddle. Chelsea was already up and ready to go well before I was. “Relax Gabbie, we’re just going for a little trail ride. You’re going to be fine, your horse will just follow mine the whole time. I promise!” she said. “Ohh okay, if you say so.” I replied, trying to relax once again. It felt so good to finally experience what I had been wanting my entire life. But I can’t deny that it was also the scariest thing I had ever done. Chelsea was right though, my horse followed hers, never once tried to veer off course. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride. Once I let myself relax I felt the excitement come back. Then my brain was bombarded by ideas of what I could do with my life that involved spending as much time as possible with horses. The possibilities were endless, but unfortunately the trail ride wasn’t and before I knew it we were already back at Chelseas’ barn. After we unsaddled the horses and put them out to pasture Chelsea began talking to me about lessons. I had never really thought about it before, but what Chelsea said made sense. She had been riding ever since she was able to walk because her Mom taught her how and now she said she could help teach me. I agreed immediately and I couldn’t wait to get started!So the next day I met Chelsea and we got started. I wasn’t as nervous this time since I knew what to expect but I still had a looong way to go if I wanted to be an accomplished rider. Chelsea directed me on my posture, how to guide the horse and much more. This riding wasn’t as fun as what we had done yesterday, I’ll admit, but it was something I had to do if I ever wanted to become a horsewoman. Just like everything else in life you have to learn to walk before you can run, which is especially true of riding. After about 20 trips around the ring at a walk I was bored! Yes BORED! I wanted to trot, canter, even gallop! But I knew I wasn’t quite ready for that yet! After a couple hours of instruction Chelsea asked me to dismount. As I awkwardly climbed down off my horse I knew why cowboys always walked bowlegged! I was going to pay for all this riding in the morning, but I didn’t care! I was finally getting to do what I had always wanted and I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth!

Gen 7 ~Birthday Party~

Today was my 13th birthday and Mom and Dad planned a huge party with all our new friends from Appaloosa Plains. I was so excited to be starting high school and since it was summer time I was finally going to get to ride Celeste’s horse!!

Mom and Dad had made TONS of food and everyone ate until they were about to bust! Still there was cake and then presents to be had so the day was just getting started!

When everyone had eaten and cleaned up it was finally time for cake! Everyone gathered around and I waited as patiently as I could.

Finally it was time for my big moment, while Dad lit the candles on my cake everyone sang happy birthday and I braced myself to blow them out in one huge breath.

It’s finally official! I am a teenager! I would say that I didn’t feel any different but that would be a lie. I felt sooo much different in almost every way! I was so close to being able to live the dream I had been dreaming my entire life!

When it was time for presents we all gathered inside and I was amazed by the huge pile of presents everyone brought me. I got so many things, clothes, makeup, books, you know grown up type things. While all of it was incredible the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world was still missing. But I didn’t let it get me down, it would happen one day. I just had hoped sooner rather than later.

Gen 7 Chapter 2 ~*Sleep-over*~

Friday came quickly and before I knew it Celeste and I were talking horses and having a great time. She answered all the silly questions I had and also added that when it got warmer she thought her Mom wouldn’t have a problem letting me ride their horse! After we talked ourselves silly we decided to watch some TV. Although I will admit we still did a lot of talking, especially during the commercials! This place was really starting to feel like home now that I had Celeste around. I think she could definitely be my new best friend, although I still missed James.

My Mom baked us a plate of yummy chocolate chip cookies which we gladly gobbled up while they were still fresh! This was probably the one time we both were actually quiet for more than a few seconds!

After we finished our cookies we decided to do some pillow fighting. I had never had a sleep over before because I wasn’t allowed to have a boy stay the night. That was the good thing about Celeste being a girl, we were having a great time until my Mom called down to us to come upstairs and go to sleep.

My room was too small to fit out sleeping bags on the floor so Mom let us use her art studio upstairs. I hadn’t even realized how tired I was until I climbed into my bag and Mom cut of the lights. We both fell asleep almost instantly, the night had definitely been a success. I couldn’t wait to do it again!

Gen 7 Chapter 2

It had been about a month since we moved to Appaloosa Plains and I was starting to get used to the place. I still hadn’t found a new best friend, but I did have a few friends that I’m sure I will have fun with, in fact I was going over to a friends after breakfast today to take advantage of our snow day!

“Hi Ms. Gils-Carbo, Is Celeste home?” I said waving. “Yes hon, she is round’ the back.” she replied in a southern-ish accent. “Thanks!!” I shouted running off to find my friend. This was going to be our first time hanging out aside from in school so I was pretty excited.We both wanted to build a snowman, so we got to work on it right away. While we were building we didn’t talk much, but I didn’t feel the need to talk really. Hanging out with Celeste was a lot like hanging out with James, it just felt right.  

After our snowman was complete then we started talking about school and other things we both liked, mainly horses! Celeste had lived in Appaloosa Plains her whole life and she had grown up with horses everywhere! I was totally jealous that she got to spend time and even RIDE while I hadn’t even so much as ever pet a horse!

“Well you know my Mom owns a horse right Gab?” Celeste said like I was just supposed to know everything about her already! “No I didn’t. Where do you all keep him?” I asked excitedly, maybe it was close enough her Mom could take us over there to see him! “He’s round’ back, if you want you can go see him. He won’t hurt ya.” Celeste replied.

I couldn’t believe my eyes! Look at that beautiful creature! I was so nervous and excited I could hardly stand it. Celeste had given me a handful of carrots to take with me but her Mom had told her it was time to go in for the night so I was on my own. I was assured he was the calmest horse I would ever meet, but I still hadn’t met any so I was I supposed to compare that to anything?

I slowly pulled a carrot out of my back pocket and held my hand flat just like Celeste told me. “He-ey Blue, you want a carrot?” I asked in a cracked voice. My nerves were getting the best of me, he was just so big I was afraid that he could easily hurt me if he wanted to. But instead he just stood there looking for a moment, I almost turned and left because I thought he wasn’t going to come to me.

But just then he took a step forward and lowered his head to my hand. Suddenly all the nervousness I felt was gone. This was the best feeling in the world, I don’t even know how to begin to describe it. I stood there petting him until my feet went numb from the cold. Then I decided it was best to head home, it was getting dark so I’m sure my parents would be mad if I was out too much later.

When I got home my Dad was watching football, which was typical. I sat down next to him so I could tell him all about my day with Celeste. He didn’t seem as excited as I was about the whole horse thing, but he did say I should have her over this weekend for a sleepover. It wasn’t long before I could tell my Dad was ready to get back to the game so I snuck off to the kitchen to call Celeste.

It didn’t take long to get in touch with her and get an answer back from her Mom. I decided I needed to talk to my own Mom now and get things set up for Friday night! It was going to be a blast, I couldn’t wait to talk to her more about horses. I wanted to know it all! Every little detail down to mucking stalls, maybe then I could show my parents I knew enough to own my own horse!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sleepover is going to be a separate part of this chapter and I should have it up soon. I am trying to make up for my lack of posting, but don’t expect a lot more updates until May/June once I’m all caught up 😉

Gen 7 Chapter 1

Moving was probably going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I stared out my window in disbelief. In just 24 hours this wouldn’t be our home anymore, my best friend wouldn’t be a phone call away, and I would be going to a new school.

To take my mind off things I decided to play some tug of war with Lady while I waited for the bus to come. Today was going to be my last day at Longview Elementary and then this evening we would be on our way to Appaloosa Plains.

When the bus finally came I tried to put on a happy face, too bad I wasn’t as successful as I had hoped. All day at school I tried to put the move behind me but it was like the proverbial elephant in the room, hard to make completely disappear.

After a long night of flights and a short cab ride we finally arrived at our new home in Appaloosa Plains. I must say I was taken back by the size of it! Plus Mom had a decorator friend who had furnished the place prior to our arrival. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing afterall!

It was very rustic looking, but fit perfect with the town and it was so much more like a home than our house on base in Longview. Lady had found the box of dog toys right away and made herself at home on the deer skin rug right in front of the fireplace.

My room was the best part of all! It had horses on the wall, the bed, and even my very own ROCKING HORSE! Ok so it wasn’t the real thing but I could just imagine myself riding a real one as I rocked away on it’s back. Maybe my parents were finally warming up to the idea of getting me a REAL horse!

The following morning was going to be my first day at Appaloosa Elementary and both Mom and Dad wanted to make sure I got on the right bus so they were up having coffee while I ate my breakfast. “Mom, I’m a little nervous.” I whispered like if I said it any louder someone else was going to hear me. “Oh sweetie don’t you worry! Appaloosa is a small town and I’m sure the people are very friendly. In no time at all I bet you will have a new best friend!” she replied. But what if I didn’t want a new best friend? *sigh* Guess I didn’t have much of a choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This chapter is a little short, but don’t worry the next will be a longer and I should have it out by the end of the week. I also wanted to let everyone know I have been extremely busy (not to mention stressed) with school and real life lately but I have not and WILL not be giving up on the Groves anytime soon! Though I may stop writing story lines after generation 10 and just update for the other 16 generations. I just want to thank all of my fans for your support and understanding! I hope you enjoy this little update for the time being!

A Very Merry Christmas Special

Snow was falling, and all the world seemed silent. Tonight was Christmas Eve, one of the most anticipated days of the year by all the children around the world, and Longview’s children were not an exception to that rule. Inside kids and parents were both full of excitement and doing their best to prepare for Christmas morning, which was just a few hours away!

“I can’t believe it’s tomorrow!!” Gabbie squealed with excitement. She was helping her mom, Raina, bake fresh cookies for Santa Claus! “Can you get the cookie sheet out for me sweetie?” Raina asked her enthusiastic little girl. While she was glad Gabbie was so excited she was also a little concerned about the present she asked Santa to bring. There was no way she was going to get it, and Raina just hoped that it wouldn’t disappoint her too much.

“Thank you Gabbie for all your help with the cookies, you better get upstairs and get ready for bed though!” Raina said putting the cookies into the oven. “I’m on it!!” Gabbie blurted out and then turned to run upstairs. Not that she wasn’t an obedient child but the closer it got to Christmas the better behaved she had been. Raina had a feeling it was so she would be sure Santa would bring her the one thing she asked for this year.

The cookies were placed next to the hot cocoa, the lights on the tree were on, and everyone was fast asleep. Now it was time for that magical man we all know and love to come and make his appearance and leave presents for all the good little boys and girls. On this Christmas Eve in particular one little girl had her hopes set very high, so high that the fall if Santa didn’t deliver would be a big one. But Santa always got you what you wanted, didn’t he?

While she had trouble falling asleep once she did Gabbie dreamed of the one thing she wanted more than anything in the whole world, her very own horse! She was so sure that Santa had gotten her letter(ok letters!) and was going to bring her one for Christmas. Afterall hadn’t she been helpful and polite as much as one possibly can be?? In her dream her horse was the most beautiful that she had ever seen and when she rode her Gabbie felt unstoppable! Next thing she knew she was waking up Christmas morning!!!

“MOM! DAD! Wake up!! It’s Christmas!!” Gabbie yelled running into her parents room. “But honey it’s still dark outside.” Raina said sleepily, Fin was already getting out of bed, probably because the military had him used to getting up at the crack of dawn anyway. “I know Mom but I just can’t sleep anymore!! And I hate waiting in my room when I know all my presents are downstairs waiting to be opened!!!” Gabbie exclaimed. “Ok, just give me and your Dad a few minutes to get dressed and we will be right down, and Gabbie don’t touch anything until we get there!” Raina told Gabbie as she took off running to the living room.

Finally when everyone had gathered downstairs it was time to open presents! While there were none that looked big enough for a horse Gabbie was still hopeful that Santa had left a note saying her horse was outside or something like that. Afterall he wouldn’t let her down, would he? Nervous, and excited she moved forward to the first box with her name written on it.

Lifting the lid Gabbie held her breath and peeked inside. It wasn’t a note for a horse, it was a doll. Still there was hope, she still had several more presents to open, but one by one as she opened each of them she saw disappointment as she got more and more dolls, and furniture and finally a doll house. She tried not to show that she was upset, but it was a little hard considering she just wanted to go to her room and cry.

She was so sure she would get her horse. Maybe it had been too much to ask for, I mean where would Santa put a horse on his sleigh? Thoughts filled her mind on why she didn’t get what she wanted, trying to make herself feel better, but instead the more she thought about it, the more upset she got!

“What’s wrong Gabbie? Don’t you like your new dollhouse?” Raina asked, knowing what it was that was troubling her daughter. “Well I asked Santa for a horse.. and I didn’t get one. I don’t know why Mom, I was sooo good! Why do you think Santa didn’t get me what I asked for?” Gabbie said, tears forming in her eyes. “Well honey, he didn’t get you a horse because your father and I told him we couldn’t keep one right now.” Raina replied softly “You did nothing wrong..” she continued, trying to reassure her.

“Why Mom!? Please please can we get a horse!! I swear I won’t ask for anything else! You can even give all my toys away to kids who need them! Please?! I promise I will do anything!!!” Gabbie pleaded with Raina but Raina wouldn’t change her mind. She couldn’t change her mind, as much as she wished she could. “Honey your father has something he needs to tell you, maybe then you will understand why you can’t have a horse.” Raina replied motioning to Finley to come talk to Gabbie.

“Gabbie, we weren’t going to tell you this yet, but we are moving away from Longview.” Finley told her. “What?! Where? Why???” Gabbie exclaimed even more hurt than before. “Well we don’t know where exactly yet, but we should find out soon. That’s one of the reasons we hadn’t mentioned it yet, another is because we knew it would upset you to have to leave your friends behind.” Finley answered. Gabbie was simply speechless, this news certainly didn’t help make her feel any better about not getting her horse, but at least it showed her that Santa hadn’t let her down.

So Gabbie decided to set up her dollhouse and try to enjoy the holiday and take her mind off the move, and not getting the one thing she asked for. It helped a little, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t push it out of her mind completely.

Just as Gabbie was about to head upstairs to get herself ready for bed when Raina stopped her. “Hey, I found another present for you that didn’t get put out last night.” Raina exclaimed, hoping that this might at least make Gabbie feel a little better about not getting a horse. “What is it??” Gabbie asked, while she knew it wasn’t a horse, she hoped it was something else that might help heal her broken heart.

“It’s a book about riding.” Raina told her handing over the package. “I thought since you couldn’t ride your own horse, you could study how to ride so when that day comes you will be prepared.” Raina continued. “Oh thank you Mom!” Gabbie said giving her mother a hug. “I can’t wait to go upstairs and read it! Thanks again!” Gabbie raced upstairs. While it didn’t fix everything it was nice to be able to read and imagine what it might be like, and for now she always had her dreams. Hopefully one day in the not to distant future she might have that horse she saw in her dream Christmas Eve.

~~The End~~

Poll is now closed! Appaloosa Plains is the winning town! I have begun work on moving the Groves, so hopefully I will have another chapter out soon! Thanks to everyone who voted!!

A Groves Thanksgiving

Remember this house? Well you should! It’s the house of the famous Ellie Groves! Also fall has arrived here in Longview, and that means… THANKSGIVING time! I know it’s been a while since everyone has seen the Groves, but trust me it should be worth the wait when I get back to writing next month! For now I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving 🙂 

“Hi Finley! How is everyone? Good, well I believe dinner should be ready about 4pm, head over whenever you all feel like it! Love you son.” Ellie said hanging up the phone.  It had been a while since she had seen Finley, Raina and Gabbie who had just started school this fall. 

“Better start cooking!” Ellie said to no one in particular. It was going to be a regular Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings! Ellie may have been a super star but she had enough of her head that she was capable of cooking for herself and her family.

While the turkey cooked Ellie got started preparing the pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie! ‘Milk, eggs, flour, spices…. and what else?’ Ellie thought for a moment.. ‘oh yeah, pumpkin of course!’ As she continued cooking a light rain began to fall outside.

“I hope the kids make it here ok in this storm Baby.” Ellie said to her cat, which she had gotten to keep her company when Lance passed. Just as the words had left her mouth she head the front door swing open and footsteps running into the kitchen.

“Grandma!!!” Gabbie cried out running into Ellies arms. “Oh there’s my big little grand-daughter! How are you sweetheart?!” Ellie asked. “Good! Hungry, where’s the food!?” Gabbie yelled. “It’s on the table, let’s go eat!” Ellie said giving her a wink.

“Wow Grandma this is the best turkey EVER!” Gabbie exclaimed with her mouth full of food. “Glad you think so sweetie. How about you Finley? You like your old Mom’s turkey still?” Ellie asked. “Of course I do Mom, but what I’m really waiting for is a piece of your pumpkin pie!” Finley replied. “Oh yes, I agree!” Raina chimed in. “Ewww!! PUMPKIN??” replused Gabbie. “Well you don’t have to eat it sweetheart, more for the rest of us!” Ellie laughed.

“Mmmm, Mom I don’t know how you do it but this pie gets better with every bite!” Finley said, shoveling in another bite. “Thank you, I’m glad everyone has enjoyed their food. I know I have enjoyed you all being here with me again. This house feels so empty some days.” Ellie replied.

“Thanks so much for having us over Mom.” Finley said giving Ellie a big hug. “Anytime son, anytime! You guys are welcome to come over whenever you feel, so don’t be strangers!” Ellie said hugging him back. “Happy Thanksgiving Mom, take care and call me if you need anything ok?” Finley replied. “Happy Thanksgiving to you too son, and I will. Love you!” Ellie said waving as they left.

Hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Groves! Thank you all for being such big fans of my story! Without you I wouldn’t have a reason to keep on writing! See you all in December!