The holidays are in full swing and it’s starting to get chilly out there. Perhaps chilly enough that more than one animal has moved into your attic full time and you hope they are squirrels because at least they are cute, but you know in your heart that it is definitely a family of rats. A rat pack if you will. But, that is not what we are going to focus on today. Mostly because if I focus too much on it I will start to freak out, so for now we are phrasing it as the loud neighbors upstairs that we are looking to evict VERY SOON. Old houses have so much charm am I right??? In any case, to keep my heart and mind happy and semi-sane, I have been reminiscing on our lovely Thanksgiving, or TGives if you are cool.

We went up to Charlotte to stay at my parent’s house and my brother and grandparents came too. It was a cozy crew of 7 and we really made the most of the time together. Nobody lives in the same state anymore, so it is really nice to be able to hang out and eat like kings.

As a child, I never really loved Thanksgiving. It was a huge meal of things I did not really like, and to be honest with you, I was never really great at trying new foods (I did not like stuffing as a child - boy was I dumb for missing out on that deliciousness). Thanksgiving always felt like an annoying pitstop to the amazing and wonderful destination that is Christmas. It was not until college that I really started to look forward to Turkey Day, which makes sense because it was a time I was able to catch up with my family and friends from home. Not to mention it was a time to be back in a real home and not the dorms which was always a welcome change.

Luckily my fondness for TGives has only grown more, and we have new traditions to look forward to. Now we start the day with the Turkey Trot while the grandparents stay behind to sleep in and peel potatoes. For some people, the potato job may be preferable, but for me, the trot is always an event to look forward to. I have been an on and off runner since elementary school, which is a good thing because I was raised in a family of runners. The trot is a 5k and we typically stay together as a pack, or at least in pairs. The other good thing about attending the Turkey Trot is that we tailgate immediately after with breakfast goodies, mimosas, bloody marys, and comradery. My friends do the trot with the parents and we all get together and hang out before, during, and after the run. Sometimes it is the only time I see my pals on break (our parents are obsessed with us), so it is a cannot miss event! This year my fiance joined us in the run which is something he would never do before he met me. Honestly, I was shocked to hear him agree to it in the first place, fully expecting him to be on the potato peeling squad. BUT he put in some time and energy in training and he finished that race under his goal time! It was a win for everyone even though we did not get to claim metals because we technically did not register for the race this year. Oops.

My sweet little turkey trotters before the race of our lives! These gals are some of my best pals and these bros are my family yo. I’m sorry, this is the best rhyme I could come up with and truthfully I am not proud.

The potato peeler extraordinaires! These cuties were great team players and are lively commentators on the dog show, so you know our TGives was popping off!

After the race, we get to come home, get showered up, and start the food prepping! The wonderful part about this is that my mom is an excellent cook and passionate in the kitchen. The disappointing part for me (and definitely for her) is that I did not inherit that gene. I guess Austin really is the chef of the family. I made the gorgeous and highly important namecards for the table while Mom, Austin, and Noah put in work in the kitchen. We all have different strengths right? In any case, everything was delicious, especially the gigantic turkey girl my mom basted and cooked perfectly. I wish all of you could taste it, it really was that good. We had the classics - turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas (is that a classic? maybe not), spinach au gratin, and of course gravy. Also, the ever treasured Sister Schubert rolls, which are an absolute must at every Thanksgiving. I liked that we really pared-down the dish selection because I actually ate all the offerings and did not feel completely overwhelmed and everything was VERY GOOD. We had a lovely meal, we had nice conversations, and mom upped the ante with the Christmas Thanksgiving poppers - you are reading the words of a proud new pocket comb owner.

Are you seeing this gorgeous bird??? She was gigantic, buttery, and oh so juicy. She was our very best friend and our whole world, if only for a day. Miss you girl, will think of you fondly always.

Everyone loves a fun novelty apron but those muscles are real. Muscles on the outside of a shirt and on the inside of the shirt make a double strong man. Dad doesn’t need the double though because he is the pose king.

A big part of making Thanksgiving fun and memorable is looking good. And girl, we were serving lewks as you can obviously see.

After the meal we needed some nice couch time and you know mom and I made everyone watch a Christmas movie (Thanksgiving is over after the meal!!!!). We settled on a double feature of Netflix’s “A Christmas Prince” & “A Christmas Prince 2 - The Royal Wedding”. Everyone with the exception of me fell asleep at some point, I was too drawn into the complex and absorbing world of Aldovia. I don’t know that the family liked the movies but I do know that I loved making everyone watch them. And with that, our Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, TGives came to a close with a blissful and deep sleep. How did your Thanksgiving go? Did you live the exact same day as me and you are actually my twin in every way? Let me know!

We set up the self timer on the camera so we could get a nice family group shot, but could not round up the troops. We ended up with this, but it’s still a nice one right? I’ll take it!