Thanksgiving 2015 Recap

We turkeyed, we lurkeyed, and we turkeyed some more! 

Thanksgiving 2015 was celebrated over an action-packed three day span.  Since last week, I've found myself battling a bit of a cold, but thankfully after an extended holiday from work and a little extra R&R I was feeling so much better come midday Thursday for the first of our feasts! 

Thursday was our little twosome celebration.  Rob made a small ham in the crockpot with veggies.  This first meal, albeit no fuss, was still wonderfully tasty - even through my malfunctioning taste buds!  It was our first time doing the ham in the crockpot and it turned out fabulously!  The meat was tender and juicy - and we really enjoyed the fix-it-and-forget-it-ness of the whole thing! 



I failed at taking photos of most of the food, but I did take this of Gatsby, so enjoy! ♥☺

After enjoying our dinner, I saddled up for a little pre-Black Friday shopping trip!  I go out every year, usually on Thanksgiving night since we don't typically do the huge family get-togethers that day.  My mom works at a place that can't just close for the holidays, so we've always gotten a little creative with our celebratory planning!  To me, it's more about celebrating together when you can all be together, and less about celebrating on a particular day! 

I ended up hitting Target, Kohl's, Meijer, and Ulta.....and was able to put a pretty nice dent in my Christmas shopping!  I got home, showed Rob {most} of my finds, put everything away and relaxed with my main squeeze for the rest of the night!  After a few hours of slumber, I crept back out to hit Barnes & Nobel!  I was most excited to go here of all the places - they've had special signed editions of several hardcover books the past year or so and I just can't control myself!!!! 

These will make lovely additions to my bookshelf!

The rest of Friday morning was spent enjoying a lovely breakfast prepared by this cute guy I know and more lurking of online sales!  By this point, I'm pretty much done with my shopping - I've just got a few odds and ends to pick up yet! 

Friday afternoon we headed back over to the West side of the state for dinner with my family!  Bootsgiving 2015 proved to be a huge success!  The bird was a beauty, the stuffing was rich, the gravy was flowing, the deviled eggs were divine, the wine was poured, and the company was there to complete the perfect Thanksgiving table!  Dinner was amazing; we gorged ourselves silly, and reveled in each others company!  Thank the heavens my sick-kid taste buds finally took a hike!!!

After dinner we played a little rummy and my sister snuck up out of no where and demolished us all!  I came in last place if you were wondering....it's been a while since I've won, but boy do I enjoy the game!  That's okay, I totally won with my mom's homemade pumpkin pie - 2013 was a good year for pumpkin.  Mmmmm....

Lauren and I crafted this little Thanksgiving Day Want Ad for a Planeteer-esque roommate.  She told me I had to use all of the words - I think I made it work...or at least I'm giving myself an A for effort. 

When your powers combine....I am CAPTAIN PLANET!  Because, you know, we're thankful for the Earth...

Before we left to head back home, we had to do a little photo shoot.  Here are a few of my favorites. 
I'm really thankful I live close enough to my family to be able to spend this time with them.  They mean the world to me. 

Me, Mom, and Lauren ♥♥♥

 

Me and Rob ♥♥♥

 

Sisters Senior Photo Shoot!  ☺

Saturday we enjoyed yet another breathtaking Rob-original breakfast creation, followed by some Star Wars - getting in the zone for Episode Seven later this month!   I prepared a quick Apple Crisp and we were off to Rob's parent's house for Dertsgiving 2015!  Here I aided Rob in carving the most gigantic turkey I've ever seen!  (By 'aid' I mean I held my phone as a flashlight to help him see....me wield a large electric knife....hahahah - never in one hundred thousand years would you want that to happen!!)  But seriously folks, this thing wouldn't quit!  He kept carving and carving, cutting and cutting, and there was just more meat!  I couldn't believe it!  We did finally find the bone, but even the wishbone came out completely encased! 

When it came time to eat, we were placed at a very special table thanks to the seating creativity of Rob's 6-year old niece.

Behold, THE BIG KID TABLE OF BANISHMENT...

Banishment is clearly everything you would expect! ☺ 

 Don't let our expressions fool you....we really did enjoy ourselves and the food was delicious!  Rob's dad made his amazing applesauce, and there were these unreal roll-things filled with cheese, garlic, and herbs! 

After dinner we relaxed, digested, and enjoyed catching up!  It was nice to have Rob's brother, sister-in-law and their two kiddos home for the holiday!  They recently moved to the Boston area, and we've all missed them!

I'm sneaky...shhh ♥♥♥

We finished Saturday and Sunday up by taking it easy, relaxing on the couch and catching up on more Star Wars - all the way through Attack of the Clones!  It was a perfect long holiday weekend, even though it started off with a the sniffles, a bunch of tissue, and copious amounts of over the counter drugs. 

There are so many things I'm thankful for always, but this time of year always has a way of really bringing those things to the surface of my thoughts.  I'm thankful for the basics; I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clean water to drink, a job, people {and a Gatsby} who I love who also love me back.  Simple and to the point, Walt Whitman said it best, “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough."  Being with the ones you love {even if it's only through an email, a call or a text} is enough.  That's it after all....what's really important.  ♥  

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!