Rough Draft

Thanksgiving Day Memories

Ever since I can remember my favorite holiday has been Thanksgiving. Some of the greatest memories occurred at my grandmothers house on this joyful holiday. My family would all gather at her house early in day to feast and catch up with one another. This all changed last year when my grandmother passed away at the age of 78. She was a very happy women and an extremely good cook. When i first found out we would no longer be getting together at her house I was devastated, all of the great times I had there flashed in my head like I was there again.

Waking up bright and early on a crisp November day eager to visit family members and eat a ton of food. There was always cars lined up down the street because of such a big family we have. It was always the same walking into her house. The smell of stale smoke, the colorful paintings on the wall, a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging over a long marble table where we all eat. All added to a very comfortable feel entering her home. I always get the feeling of deja-vu every time I enter the house, my aunts are all sitting at the dinner table gossiping while my grandmother is cooking at the stove and all of my cousins and uncles are sitting on the couch watching the Thanksgiving football game.

As we wait for our feast, I usually sit and talk with my two cousins Nick and Avery. The three of us were born in the month of November, 1989 so needless to say we are very close. Nick is short with long, shiny black hair and always had a smile on his face. Avery is very tall with dirty blond hair and a scar under his lip from a dirt bike accident he suffered back when we were younger. We all have the same general likes and dislikes from sports to music.The three of us have been riding dirt bikes together since we were about 8 or 9. I can remember teaching Nick how to shift while tearing up my backyard in the process. Another thing i will never forget is listening to my grandfathers stories of his youth and how things were when he was our age. He is a short, jolly old man with long grey hair. My younger cousins would all sit in front of him while he would tell them his far-fetched stories with a glass of whiskey on the rocks in his hand and a lit Marlboro in between his wrinkly fingers. His stories would always stop abruptly as the smell of a well cooked meal lingered in the air as the meal was complete.

Dinner was always the best part of the day, there was dish after dish of everything you can imagine lined up in an orderly fashion. At the front of the table was the chicken and turkey, my grandmother always made sure to separate the white meat from the dark. Next, was the meatballs and sausage mixed with a savoury red tomato sauce. After that came the squash and buttery mashed potatoes with steaming hot gravy poured on top. As you got further down the line your plate would be piled so high up with food you had to stack everything on top of each other. There was sweet baby corn, stuffing and my all time favorite a spicy shrimp my grandmother specialized in. I can taste the meal just thinking about it. My grandmother always made everything the same it seemed like she had cooking down to an exact science. During the meal you would never hear a peep from the family because everyone was so busy chowing down their meal. After everyone was done we would all relax on the couch and sometimes fall asleep. I knew I would miss her cooking when my grandmother had passed.

I felt like Thanksgiving would never be the same again, but aside from her cooking and the setting it still remains my favorite holiday. The mood is still cheerful and my grandfather still tells his far-fetched stories with the same drink in his hand. For some reason I dreaded the day the year after she had passed fearing that it would never be the same or it somehow would be awkward without her there to enjoy the day with us. But i realized that although the scene may change, your family will always remain the same.

My Personal Essay

It took me about two weeks to decide what my topic for the personal essay should be. I thought about certain points in my life that were important, devistating and life-changing. After thining of these experiences i wrote them all down and took out ideas that were incriminating or ones that i did'nt feel comfortable writing about. I finally chose my topic and started jotting down ideas i can use in my essay. Next step --writing it.