Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. I like that it is a fairly stress-free holiday where you just eat and eat and spend time with loved ones. It also helps that I usually get a few days off of work/school. 


As a kid, I would wake up Thanksgiving morning and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on T.V. with my parents as they were preparing something for dinner later that day. I LOVED seeing all the huge floats go by and watching musical numbers straight off of Broadway being performed. It was always exciting too when Santa showed up at the end! That meant that it was officially the Christmas season which was exciting in itself. 
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I always dreamed of being a Rockette in the parade...
After spending the morning watching the parade, we would spend the day with our extended family. We would spend the morning with my dad's side of the family and have dinner with my mom's. I am blessed with a big extended family and always looked forward spending these holidays with all my cousins.

Once high school rolled around things changed. I could no longer spend my Thanksgiving mornings watching the Macy's Parade. Throughout my four years of high school, my Thanksgiving mornings were spent at the high school football game performing in the marching band. Instead of snuggled up at home watching the parade with my parents, I was marching around a freezing cold football field with 150 other band geeks (who am I kidding? I loved it at the time.) Unfortunately, I can't find any pictures of me in my marching band get-up so I'll spare you (as well as any of my high school friends who may be in any said pictures with me.) 


Even though I now roll my eyes at high school me, I really did enjoy those mornings with the band. I was able to spend the beginning of the holiday with some of my best friends and look forward to a delicious meal with family later in the day. Back then, I always thought I would be one of those people who would continue to go to the high school football game every Thanksgiving to catch up with old acquaintances and cheer on the home team. Seven years later however, I have been to exactly zero. I guess the Macy's Parade on my couch is just more appealing than cold, awkward encounters at a football game I don't really care about.


When college came along, Thanksgiving weekend was a time to reunite with old friends and family. Most of us were home on a quick break from school. At this time, my group of girlfriends and I began a tradition we called "Take-Out Thanksgiving." At take out Thanksgiving, we got together the night before Thanksgiving and ordered take out from all of our favorite take out places around town that we had been missing while away at school. It was always a great time to catch up on what is going on in all of our separate lives and to stuff our faces (like we needed that with a big meal the next night!)
the group of us at TOTG '06

...I guess we made pilgrim and Native American hats that year...

a few friends at TOTG '07...look at all that grease...
Around this time, there was a shift in my family Thanksgiving as well. After years of my Mimi hosting Thanksgiving, my aunt decided to give her a break and start having it at her house. It didn't really matter to anyone where Thanksgiving dinner would be held. After all, all that matters is that the whole family is together. However, it is a bit humorous where at my aunt's house Thanksgiving dinner is now held. 

I know you probably can't tell from this picture but this was taken in a garage. Yes, Thanksgiving dinner is now held in a garage. My aunt and uncle converted their garage into a party space and since our family is too big to fit in anyone room in the house, the garage it is! Even though it is a bit unconventional, it works out great. We are now able to all sit at one big table as a family for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Now that I am married, Thanksgiving has changed once again. Hubs and I have decided to alternate years with each other's families. This year we are going to Vermont to spend Thanksgiving with his family. It is my first Thanksgiving away from my family but I am looking forward to it. I love spending time with all of them and I look forward to making new traditions and memories with my new family branch! 

Even though I am generally quite a creature of habit, Thanksgiving has taught me that, it doesn't matter whether or not the same traditions are practiced every year. I have learned that no matter what I am doing, being with the people I love and who love me back is all that matters to me. I truly have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 12, 2010

It's Beginning to Look A lot Like...

ok ok, I won't say Christmas...not quite yet. But it is beginning to look a lot like the holiday season. Thanksgiving plans are underway and it will be here in less than 2 weeks! 


1. Veteran's Day


For those of you here in the United States, (as if I have a large, international following...) yesterday was Veteran's Day. Hubs is a veteran so of course, we celebrated! I had professional development for work in the morning and I brought him home a very special "veteran's day" donut from my training. For dinner, a local restaurant, The Horseshoe Grille had a Veteran's Day special where veterans could get a free entree! Hubs, his friend T (who is also a veteran) and I all went and we just had to pay for my meal! Hubs went all out and ordered one of the most expensive things on the menu, a full rack of ribs!


2. Sleep Talking Man


Awhile back I found a hilarious blog called Sleep Talking Man. This blog is written by a women whose husband says truly absurd things in his sleep just about every night. I think the reason I find this blog so funny is because, I too, have a Sleep Talking Man on my hands. Yes, Hubs is a sleep talker. Big time. While he doesn't say such vulgar things as the STM from the blog, I have heard some gems:


Me: [I wake up to the sound of Hubs rummaging through the closet] What are you doing? [at this point I think he is awake and just looking for something in the closet.]
Hubs: WHAT?!?!?!
Me: [realizing that he is rummaging through my side of the closet so he must be asleep.] What are you looking for?
Hubs: WHAT?!
Me: come back to bed.
Hubs: NO! (he gets kind of angry when he is confused and asleep.)
Me: What are you looking for?
Hubs: THE BRIDGE! (duh!)
Me: What?!
Hubs: THE BRIDGE!!!!
Me: Come back to bed.
Hubs: ughhh [begrudgingly heads back to bed] BUT HOW AM I GOING TO BUILD THE BRIDGE!?!?


Another night I wake up to Hubs crawling all around the bed
Me: What are you doing?
Hubs: I'm setting up the map.


Another night I awake frightened to Hubs yelling "I'M A BEAST!!!" In his defense, he says he had a dream that he was playing video games with his brothers and that is apparently something they yell when to do well.


3. Wedding Pictures


Our wedding was July 10 and we received our professional pictures about a month later. I am just finally doing something with them now. I ordered prints of them all a few days ago and for the past few weeks have been working on parent albums (sorry parents! they're coming!) 






I wondered to myself why, after being so on top of all the wedding planning details, was I slacking in these post wedding projects? I genuinely loved working on all the projects and details that were involved in planning the wedding but these post wedding projects have taken me forever to complete and sometimes seem more like a hassle than a fun project. I've realized it is because I am just enjoying being married. For 10 months of planning we were excited to be doing things for our "big special day." Now, the wedding has come and gone and we are finally married. and we are so glad. I love coming home every day to Hubs and knowing that we'll always be there for each other. We love spending time together no matter what we are doing and planning our future together. 


So it's not that I don't appreciate all of our wedding photos. I love looking at all of them and reminiscing about our wedding day. It just seems like, ok, now the wedding is over, let's work on marriage. and I like that :) 


4. CPR


Tomorrow, from 9-5:30 I will be in training for CPR and First Aid for work. I am not looking  forward to this but I am letting you know that after 5:30 tomorrow, I can legally save your life.


5. Cake Wrecks


I honestly can't think of anything to write about so I thought I'd share another funny blog that I like looking at from time to time: Cake Wrecks.




Happy Friday!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

Sorry there was no Friday Five yesterday. I know a few of my loyal followers were looking forward to it. I didn't get out of work until late and then was feeling under the weather so I went to bed early. 


In lieu of a Friday Five, here are a few tidbits of what's been going on:



  • This morning has been spent making the pie that will make you cry from PW. My friends from college and I are all getting together tonight for our annual pre-Thanksgiving feast and I'm making a pecan pie for the occasion. Hopefully it is as delicious as it seems!





  • As promised, here are some pictures of Hubs and I on Halloween as well as my Halloween cookies.

Bill and Sookie..I know, I look great as a blonde

Here are the decorated sugar cookies. They were more of a pain to decorate than they should have been. I don't know if I'll be making these again.

  • Thursday night, Hubs came home from work saying that Friday was somebody's birthday at his work and it was his turn to bring in a cake. I baked my old stand-by of deliciousness, red velvet cake. I use that recipe from Bakerella and it never fails! I guess it was a hit at his work and a few of the ladies he works with even asked for the recipe!
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That's all for now! Happy Weekend!