tacky hawaiian

loving on the splash park!!

enjoying november... at 84*

my bunco girls... at our house last night!

another one of me in my mumu... so fun, huh? if you come visit, we can get you one!!!

oh, and the boy got a hair cut today...

we spent our morning at savers, a goodwill-type store. a post to come on that!! then, a haircut. then, getting ready for thanksgiving.

it will be only the second thanksgiving that we have not spent with family. the first one, i worked. (there may have been one or two more before i met david, but i really can't remember!!) i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas, and all that comes with it. i love the music, the lights, the songs, the decorations. it's taken everything in me NOT to decorate this week (i usually do, so we can come BACK from thanksgiving vacay to decor!!). but, we are hosting this year.

first year to cook a turkey. EVER. david might be a little nervous! and, as my mom pointed out, i don't have the cold outdoors to expand my freezer. although my garage geckos and cockroaches would LOVE that.

back to my love for Christmas. i love the snow, the time off from school/work/etc. there is so much about it i love. but thanksgiving. oh thanksgiving. some of my BEST memories have come from it!! i think i was in 7th grade when we started making this yearly trek to connecticut. we had these cousins (that were like 3 times removed or something... amos?). we didn't always hang out with them (and usually only saw them once a year). and at that once-yearly gathering, uncle fred would always ask when we were coming for thanksgiving. so, one year, we took him up on it.

icy roads, closed penna-turnpikes, missed hotel reservations, big maroon conversion van, sleeping on the floor (shh... that was SO LONG AGO, you were allowed to do that!!), watching vhs tapes on the rigged up vcr. and that was just to GET to connecticut.

once we got there, it was non-stop fun! we would go into the city (by city, i mean new york city). we would go to stew leonards'. the COOLEST grocery store. animatronics, pre made scones, soups, salad dressings... lasagna for dinner on wednesday night. (i use that lasagna recipe all the time, still!!) cards, movies....

THEN... we would get up at the CRACK of dawn. some more begrudgingly than others. and bundle up. and pile in said maroon conversion van. and head downtown to the spot of choice. i think it changed as the parade route changed over the years. and STAKE. OUR. CLAIM. (have i mentioned that i am krissy's daughter. i can hold my own for my spot that i was there before you to claim! don't even TRY to cross me!!). we would set up lawn chairs. and our stew leonards' scones. and someone would get coffee. and we would chat with the cops. and whomever else walked down the street. once, we even got interviewed by some soap stars about our trips there (it was 2001... ). i also got told (must have been 2002- since i had just signed my navy paperwork), not to get knocked up, cause that would get me kicked out of the navy. by a former army nurse, i think. (also, that rule has changed...)

i think for me, the best part of that was the waiting. the fun of being there at 5am on the streets. maybe it just seems more fun in my mind. it was cold. it was long. but, before we knew it, the balloons would start to appear. as would the moms and the children who couldn't stand outside for that long. and then the parade would be over.

we would pile back into the conversion van (moms and kids back on the train... beating us home, but getting dinner ready!!). one year, we pulled over to allow a certain younger sibling continue throwing up. in a barn. with horses. (she had already made a mess of someone's turtleneck...) and i am still not sure where there is a farm between nyc and darien, ct. (it's only, like, 45 minutes. like the 3rd or 4th train stop...)

it was magical. it was wonderful. thanksgiving dinner was always over the top. there was this turkey cake. a cake in the shape of a turkey. it was OUTRAGEOUS! incredible. there was drama. there was laughter. there was football... and football pools. but for me, watching the parade on tv has NEVER compared to being there. at 6am.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!