What are you thankful for?

Area residents have a variety of reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving from having all the children home and not overseas serving in the military to having relatives healthy after going through some recent health issues.
While shopping at Rouses Supermarket Wednesday, Tessie Michel of Morgan City said her husband Mike’s Thanksgiving is going to be “family, food and fun.” The family will also go to church and give thanks, she said. There will be plenty of food preparation, Michel said.
“You’ve got to have that traditional dinner, the turkey, rice dressing, potato salad, yams,” Michel said.
They always watch the Thanksgiving Day parades and watch football. All of the men in Michel’s family start talking about going duck and deer hunting, she said.
This Thanksgiving is special because all of her children will be home. “For many years, our sons were away in Iraq. We always had one missing for military service for 10 years,” Michel said. “But everybody this year is going to be home.”
The farthest any of Michel’s family travels from is Lafayette. Mike Michel said the family sits back and enjoys the day.
Thanksgiving also starts the Christmas shopping season for the family, Michel said. “We don’t usually buy gifts until we’ve had our traditional Thanksgiving, and then we start with the Black Friday. All the girls in the family are talking about where they’re going to go for Black Friday and the weekend.”
Nicole Nails Stone of New Orleans, who is originally from Morgan City, was in town Wednesday for Thanksgiving shopping at Stage Department Store in Morgan City with her two daughters, Madison, 10, and Lily, 7.
Her family plans to have a “small, memorable get together,” she said. Stone is especially thankful for her family’s good health “as we’ve had some health scares with my dad.”
Stone’s family plans to have a quick meal with her parents Thanksgiving Day before they head back to New Orleans to celebrate with her husband’s family.
Fred Simone of Abbeville, and Calvin Smith of Jackson, Miss., work for Seacor Marine on an offshore crew boat, and were shopping Wednesday at Rouses for their Thanksgiving meal, which they will celebrate on the job. They plan to cook a turkey “with all the trimmings,” Simone said. Simone and Smith are in town at Conrad Shipyard for Coast Guard inspections.
Dwyla Jones of Morgan City said she plans to cook, enjoy time with her family, and time off from school as a teacher. Jones is a second grade teacher at M.E. Norman Elementary. She is also thankful for her health and her family.
Tim Matthews Sr. of Morgan City, who bought a turkey Wednesday for Thanksgiving, said he “doesn’t plan to do anything but dine with the family.” Matthews thanks God for the help and strength that has brought him to this time, he said. Matthews’ favorite Thanksgiving dishes include wild game.
Larry Montet of Amelia is thankful for his family, grandkids, and he and his wife’s health. He plans to celebrate Thanksgiving the same way he normally does, “Go to the camp and hide.” Montet has a camp by Lake Palourde.
He will eat Thanksgiving dinner at his son’s house in Bayou L’Ourse and fry a turkey, which his family does every year.