Happy Thanksgiving from Pack Orthodontics! Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and express your deep gratitude to those who matter the most to you. We asked each of our staff members to share with us their plans for Thanksgiving day, what they are grateful for, and how they like to give thanks. Read on to learn more about how our staff celebrates Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, our staff are all anticipating some quality time with their families. Hope and Nina will spend time at home with their families. Ashley will be in both Pulaski and Loretto over the holidays with her kids visiting extended family. Morgan will be in Manchester. Denise is traveling to her son’s house in Franklin with her husband, her other son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids. Laura is visiting her in-law’s farm in Christiana. Laurie will stay at her sister’s home in Mt. Juliet with her family.
The best part of Thanksgiving is a little different for everyone. Hope, Denise, and Laurie are all in agreement that all the delicious food is definitely the best! Nina, Laura, Ashley, and Megan appreciate the opportunity to catch up with family members that they don’t get to see too often. Morgan loves that it’s a time to stop and reflect on what she’s thankful for in life.
Everyone has their own unique traditions this time of year! Morgan and her family gather around to give thanks to God for having one another. Denise goes Black Friday shopping with her girlfriends and has an annual black olive eating contest with her youngest son. Nina goes to a tree farm to pick out a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Laura gathers together with her family at a fancy table to share a nice dinner. Laurie makes her granny's pumpkin pie recipe. Ashley helps her grandmother cook Thanksgiving dinner and watches the men and younger boys play slow-motion football in the yard. Megan always watches the Thanksgiving parade with her family.
Is it possible to pick a favorite Thanksgiving side or dessert?! It’s pretty hard to choose a favorite but our staff tried! Denise is a mashed potato and gravy kind of girl, but her husband and sons insist on having sweet potato casserole every year. Nina loves stuffing and green bean casserole. Laura prefers her father-in-law’s stuffing. Hope loves pumpkin pie, Laurie would pick her granny’s pumpkin pie before any other pumpkin pie, and Morgan loves chess pie. Megan is a big fan of dressing and Ashley looks forward to her Aunt Nancy’s dressing-- it’s so good her family fights over the leftovers!
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and share on the people and things in your life you’re most thankful for. Hope is so thankful for her family and their good health. Morgan is grateful this year for new beginnings. Denise appreciates the love and support of her family and friends when she lost her dad. Nina feels blessed for all of the trips she and her family were able to go on. Laura is 6 months pregnant and is excited to finally meet little Lucas. Laurie is always grateful for her wonderful family. Ashley is thankful for God’s grace and her family, kids, and friend’s support throughout the past few months while she starts a new chapter in her life and settles into her new job at Pack Orthodontics! Megan is thankful for her lovely children and the opportunity to start a new side business.
Expressing your gratitude is another special way to give thanks! Morgan thanks God directly through devotion and praise. Denise donates to her favorite charities. Nina sends out personalized cards to her loved ones. Ashley also loves sending out thank you cards and special texts to friends and family to remind them of how much they mean to her. Megan takes the time to text each of her friends on Thanksgiving day to let them know how important they are to her.
As a person gets older, our perspectives tend to change and we may start to appreciate things that we’ve previously had taken for granted. Hope has a deeper appreciation for her mom after taking on the role of “mother” herself. There are so many sacrifices made but an equal amount of incredible rewards to cherish. Morgan is thankful for all her tough life lessons and God's grace throughout all those moments. Denise loves having her grandchildren close by. As the years go by, Nina’s love for her family only continues to grow. Laura feels closer and closer to her family every year, and they are a huge blessing as well as her biggest supporters. Laurie adores her family and now has a beautiful daughter. Ashley has a new appreciation for her health. Many of Ashley’s friends either have parents with serious health issues or are sick themselves. Megan’s children remain the most important to her.
Everyone has a fond Thanksgiving memory from the past. Hope remembers her Memaw cooking an extra pan of dressing just for her because she knew Hope loved it so much. Denise recalls eating at a mess hall with her dad, mom, and sister one year when they were younger. Laura reflects on the time before her parents moved out of town-- they would all dress up and cook a fancy meal, say a prayer, and eat together. They don't get to come into town for Thanksgiving anymore and she misses them dearly. Laurie loves the memory of her granny teaching her how to cook in the kitchen. Ashley simply has too many fond memories to share just one. Megan remembers going to her grandma's house and being with all of her extended family. Being together with family is always so much fun!
We hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about our staff. We are wishing everyone a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving!
