Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! Hope everyone was able to enjoy a little time off with friends and family and eat some good food.

We had my mom’s side of the family over for Thanksgiving and packed 13 people around the table. We had tons of good food and all fell into a nice turkey coma in the afternoon. So no complaints here. 😊

This year, Thanksgiving also fell on my grandma Reiffenberger’s birthday. Not only do I want to give her a little birthday shout out – happy birthday Grandma! – but I also want to share something she said last weekend as well.

My grandma turned 91 this week. She’s been in a nursing home for about 2 years as her health is not where it used to be. She’s in a wheelchair now as she can’t walk anymore, and her strength is so weak she can’t really do much of anything on her own. Her memory is also fading a little bit and when we visit we usually have to repeat ourselves a few times and remind her who people are.

With all that said, my sister and my parents and I went to Sioux Falls last weekend to visit her and since it was her birthday we brought her a few gifts. One of the gifts was a framed photo of her and my grandpa from many years ago. It’s been almost 11 years since my grandpa passed so he’s been gone for quite some time.

As soon as she saw the photo, her eyes lit up and she goes, “that’s my best friend.”

Now her memory may be fading but I know she’ll never forget who my grandpa was. They truly were best of friends and it made me a little teary eyed when she said that. Even after all this time, she still refers to him as her best friend.

I’ve been married to Dan for only four months. He’s my best friend too and when people ask me how married life is I tell them exactly that: I’m married to my best friend. And I’ve already had a couple people tell me the magic will wear off soon and it won’t feel like that for long.

Not gonna lie, it bums me out when people say that. I’m not a fool. I know marriage takes work. I know it’s not gonna be rainbows and unicorns all the time. In the grand scheme of things it hasn’t been THAT long, but Dan and I have been together for almost five years. It’s not like we haven’t had our share of disagreements and spats.

But you know what? That doesn’t mean he’s not my best friend anymore. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with him. Any kind of relationship is going to have its rough patches. But if it’s worth it, you work through the patches together and come out even stronger than before.

My grandma and grandpa Reiffenberger are a really good example of how I want my marriage with Dan to be. They are two of the most caring people I’ve ever known, and not only would they do anything for anyone, but I know they would have bent over backwards for each other too.

Seeing my grandma’s reaction to that photo of her and my grandpa made my heart happy. And it reminded me not to pay any attention to the negative comments about marriage. Marriage is whatever you decide to make it.

I decided when I met Dan at the altar that I was going to spend my life with my best friend. And when I’m 90 years old, I’m gonna say the same thing. I’m very thankful for him and this life we are going to build together.

Anyway, this has been on my mind all week and in this time of giving thanks and being with family I wanted to share. Again, I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and tell all those around you, that you appreciate them.

And say a happy birthday to my grandma if you’re thinking about it! 🥳

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Nelson