Here come the holidays!

It's the Holiday Season! Things kicked off last week with Thanksgiving. Here's what went down.

Wednesday, 11/25
Andy dropped Birdie off at my office for a few hours. She was so sweet. After exploring for a bit, she made herself comfortable on my desk and took a nice nap. If only I could take a nap at work sometimes!

That night, after Andy got home from playing The Nutcracker (or Buttscratcher as we call it in our house), we got to cooking. I had the best time. We stayed up until almost 1:00am making different Thanksgiving dishes to have in our fridge at home.

With the Nutcracker scheduled during Thanksgiving week every year, the prospect of Thanksgiving with my family is impossible. This was my 9th Thanksgiving in a row away from them, and frankly, I just miss my mom's green bean casserole. I also miss being able to go to the fridge over the course of the weekend to relive Thanksgiving through the leftovers. So this year, I decided to make our own leftovers! I am STILL enjoying them - definitely one of the best things I've done for myself in awhile.

Thursday, 11/26
Happy Thanksgiving! This year was odd - Andy was in charge of making the turkey at his parents' house, which meant he left early in the morning to head out there. Since Birdie couldn't go to Thanksgiving, and also because she still can't stay alone for more than a few hours, I had to stay behind with her for a good part of the day. I'm sure you all realize by now, I'll do anything for my sweet little girl.

My coworker, Laura, knew Birdie and I would be alone so she invited us over in the morning. I cannot tell you how loved that made me feel. Birdie and I had the BEST time! Laura made muffins and banana bread and had fresh jam and fresh fruit, her daughter (who I love) was home with her pug, Kevin, and we all sat and ate breakfast, watched the parade and the dog show, and Kevin and Birdie had a great time together.

Birdie and I went back home around 1pm, and I made a butternut squash dish to take with me to Buffalo. Then I was off. I got to talk to my parents on my drive out there, which made me really happy. They had an eventful Thanksgiving of varnishing hardwood floors that my dad laid through their entire downstairs (a project that's been going on for a long time and took a TON of work), and then going to the casino for dinner. :-) I love my parents.

Anywho, I got to Buffalo - Andy had cooked up a storm. I honestly thought a year ago when he started showing an interest in cooking that it would be a phase, but he is still really into it and I have to say, he makes really tasty stuff. Lucky me! I got there right before dinner, so we ate, and then sat around for a little bit before I had to head back for Birdie. It was nice to see Ali, my sister-in-law who lives in Washington DC, and finally meet her 3-legged dog Jack who was a big pile-o-love.

Oh also Andy fell asleep after eating. His face was so funny, I had to take a picture.

Andy left at the same time I did, so we got back home together, grabbed Birdie, and then headed to Will and Rose's house for dessert part 2. :-) Luna and Birdie are getting better and better at playing together. Birdie even got a little too brave and attempted to chew on Luna's bone while hiding under the coffee table. Bad idea Birdie girl... don't take another girl's bone!

It was a long day, and I was VERY full by the time I crawled in bed, but that's how it's supposed to be, right?!

Friday, 11/27

I had to work. Boo. However I did go see Andy, Will, and Anna play the Nutcracker during office hours, so it could have been a lot worse, lol. After the show, Andy and I went to Anna and Bipul's for dinner, where we had their Thanksgiving leftovers. They made such good food, and it was awesome to be able to see Bipul while he was in town.

Saturday, 11/28 and Sunday, 11/29
The order of events over the weekend are a bit of a blur, so here's the weekend all jumbled together. Andy continued to play multiple Nutcracker performances, poor guy. But we still managed to...

- Make Fisher Scones. WA folks will understand.

- Decorate for Christmas.

- Take Birdie to the dog park. This is obviously not a pic of her there, but just one of the many adorable Birdie pictures I have on my phone. :-)

- See the final Hunger Games movie with Will and Rose. It was a little bit scary (however I am a wimp) but I liked it well enough. Certainly no Harry Potter, that's for sure.

- I also finished my book, "All the Light We Cannot See." If you are looking for a book to read that is beautifully written with a good story, I would highly recommend it. And with that wonderful adult book done, I am now back to my not-so-secret YA obsession, this time in the form of "Winter," the final book of the Lunar Chronicles. *snort snort, push up the bridge of my glasses, snort snort* I know. I am a total dork.

There you have it! Thanksgiving weekend in a nutshell. I should probably list all of the things I'm thankful for, but I just drank a lot of coffee and need to go to the bathroom, so I think I'll just end things here. :-)

Hope you all had a good one!