In a perfect world, I'd blog every other day, and I'd have a separate Thanksgiving post filled with all sorts of lively photos of our event. But alas, in my real world, I don't get time to blog every other day, I forget to take photos when I'm caught up in having a good time, and I have to combine blog themes! Kind of funny, because it reminds me of how my mom cannot bear the thought of one single event having its own celebration. I was not with my parents this year, but I bet a million dollars that Thanksgiving was combined with my brother Chris's and my Uncle Jimmy's birthdays...maybe even my cousin Joby's too, even though it was a month ago, and maybe even my Dad's, even though it's a week away. Or, my Dad's might get celebrated with Aunt Jayne's and Christmas.
It really can't be helped. I am becoming my mother.
So, what of umbrellas, you ask? We had our friends over last weekend. We went for a little walk around the block and it was raining a little, so I got to see this:
The sight was almost as adorable as the conversation between the two: "You have umbrella?" "I have umbrella." "I have umbrella too."
And what of Thanksgiving? We had it here at home and invited a few friends over. The morning started off with the girls wearing their new outfits from Grammy Glo.
Tania helped me cook all day. When I cracked open my bottle of wine, she had to crack open hers too.
We baked a pumpkin pie first, then I had to go into frenzy mode and prepare my stuffing so I could get the turkey in the oven on time. I did the turkey with the dry brine from Martha this year, and it was OK, but not as good as when I've used a regular brine. Then we made a squash & sweet potato casserole and a brussel sprout casserole. Then Tania helped me make the cranberry chutney. It was really good. We put apples, pears, and shallots in it. We also made mashed potatoes and gravy.
I always mean to take photos of the food, but I freaking forgot. But, I did take a photo of our new table all set up.
And then my poor camera sat neglected for the rest of the night. I hate myself. I was too busy eating, drinking, playing pictionary, and cleaning to even think about it. Joey had a lot of fun with the guys that were there - man activities involved drunken guitar and singing, as well as an impromptu wrestling match.
The next day we went to see the Pittock Mansion. They had it all decorated for Christmas. It was really cool. We brought our day-after turkey sandwiches and had a little picnic in the car. (It was raining.)
It was foggy up there! After that, it was more umbrellas! We went downtown to see the lighting of the Christmas tree at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Walking around downtown with a two-year-old holding an umbrella is not frustrating at all, by the way. Of course, at the lighting, it was so crowded that I didn't get a photo. I just wanted to make sure I didn't lose anyone. It was cool though. I like the idea of a few thousand people gathering in one place to watch the tree being lit. I'm a real sucker for the magic of Christmas.
We also got to relive Thanksgiving last night! A friend of ours does a redo every year. The best part of the night was this:
TV is the best babysitter ever!
Now, this is where I get all corny and talk about all of the things that I am thankful for. I'm thankful for this past year of finding myself more and more and seeing exactly where I want my life to go. I'm thankful for my beautiful little girls who have each taught me valuable lessons about life and who bring me so much joy and fulfillment each day. I'm thankful for Joey, who is a best friend and an amazing dad. I hope we can dress like old people one day together. I'm thankful for my parents, who believe in me and have given me immeasurable support. I'm thankful for my friends, who are kind, creative, and passionate. I'm thankful for a new direction that our country is heading in and that my life is heading in. I can't wait to see all of the new and exciting things that will happen in the next year.
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