Thanksgiving 2014 recap

As many of you already know, Thanksgiving is a big deal for me. Every year my family (all 40 of us) travels to celebrate together. This year I also spent some time with Jesse's family as well.

Snuggles.

The selfie we sent to Jesse's uncle

So many dogs!

Facetiming with the rest of the family.

Putting a diaper on a dog.

Massachusetts was snowy.

And full of turkeys

TeeJay had 35 followers within an hour of joining Instagram.

Normal.

Exploring Salem.

A game of memory with the family's faces.

Suddenly it was raining in the kitchen.

What did you do for Thanksgiving this year?

Over the long weekend I...

Received my iPad in the mail 

Didn't get another piercing (but my sisters did!)

Cleaned the house

Played with my cats and dog

Ate, drank, and was merry with some of my closest friends

Made the mistake of letting Julian use an electronic device that granted him access to my Facebook account

Met Kevin's girlfriend, Liz, who taught me how to use a wine service (I'm in love)

Convinced Trista to run the Rutgers half marathon with Chris and me in the spring

Was once again blown away by Chris' mother's cooking (capon and baked brie and cranberry-orange relish, oh my!)

Was introduced to the concept of "cherpumple" by my dad and Isaac 

cher(ry) pum(pkin) (ap)ple pies

Tasted fantastic toffee/chocolate topped cheesecake made by Rachel

Had my Wii fit age calculated (36)

Watched 5 episodes of Psych in a row through Netflix and the Wii

Washed pounds and pounds of laundry

Stepped foot in West Virginia for the first time

Saw my cousin Stephanie for the first time in three years

Heard stories about two of my three grandmothers and my dad's childhood

(Those are my aunts, not my grandmothers)

Found out that my dad's approach to his children's social lives is very similar to his parents' approach

Ate Bavarian cream (it's like kracklin, only for the Irish half of me)

Wore matching shirts

Ate chips and dip

Slept in

Saw snow for the first time this season

Shopped at a thrift store

Visited George Washington's bath tub

Drank the water that filled George Washington's bath tub (delicious, refreshing, and 74.3° all year long)

Contemplated buying gator paws

Helped Owen and Asher feed the fish

Took some scenic photos

Ate more chips and dip

Ate filet mignon, grilled up by my dad

Ate pie

Gave Asher a new medium to draw with

Made plans to go to San Francisco this winter

Talked about teaching, apps, and rugby

Looked at stars

Crammed into the backseat of the jeep between my two favorite boys

Finished reading "The Octopus"

Visited Harrisburg

Almost forgot my fish

Almost killed my fish

And for all this I am grateful.

Thanksgiving and growing up

Thanksgiving is quite possibly my favorite holiday. Every year my dad's big Irish family gets together and celebrates together. This is a tradition that began long before I was born and I hope it continues long after I am gone, at least in some incarnation.

Recently Thanksgiving has become not only an opportunity to reconnect with family, but also a time to touch base with some of my oldest friends. College is a great way to not see the people you grew up with. Luckily Thanksgiving is a good excuse to come home. This year I'm especially looking forward to seeing the people who have known me since I was in my terrible teens because the past twelve months have been period of great transition. I've grown up a lot, and, as I am constantly reminded, a big part of growing up is letting go. I let go of some friends this year, usually because they let go of me. I've hurt feelings and had my feelings hurt. I reached a point where I didn't trust a single friend and I didn't want to make any new friends. But I learned and I forgave myself and others. This year has made me especially grateful for my friends who never gave up on me. The friends who have seen me at my best and loved me even at my worst. The friends who know we all have our bad days, bad weeks, bad months, even bad years. The friends who know that behind that bad attitude is someone worth fighting for.

This year I am grateful for friendship, forgiveness, and learning.