Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think this is because I consider it a super-holiday, a bunch of mini-holidays all rolled into one. The pre-Thanksgiving preparation is an event in itself; a day off of work (for me at least) to relax and get everything ready for the next day. Then you have Thanksgiving where you get to eat all day, watch football and just enjoy family and friends. Black Friday is one of those bucket list experiences that I like to partake in every year. I think it is the only day of the year when I don't mind standing in line and dealing with crowds, its just part of the festivities! Lastly, the Thanksgiving holiday is not complete without the FSU vs. Florida game on Saturday. So even though I am already getting sick of eating leftover turkey, Thanksgiving is always a highlight of my fall season. Plus, any occasion that provides me with a 5-day weekend, tons of delicious food, great family, shopping sales and amazing college football is a perfect holiday in my book.

Our Thanksgiving this year began with a few of my favorite traditions and a full house! Erika came into town Wednesday night to stay with us and Judy (calling him Christian in my blog would just be wrong) did too. Our morning started off with a continuation of our Harry Potter movie marathon (started the night before) and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! We enjoyed mimosas and kielbasa sandwiches for breakfast (Jared's family tradition) with my parents, while Gina was en route from the Keys. After getting ourselves and the turkeys ready, we headed over to my parents' house for the festivities. My aunt and uncle were already there from Port St. Lucie and Gina arrived soon after. Time to get the party started with some brandy slushes!

Of course the snacking, drinking and good times began right away, while the boys got started deep frying the turkeys out in the driveway.

After a few hours of cooking and family fun, it was time to eat. So much delicious food to enjoy!

Our Thanksgiving dinner was amazing and thanks to my mother's efforts we were able to enjoy it together, all 13 of us at the one dining room table! After dinner, we enjoyed some awesome desserts, football and more brandy slushes.

That evening, we ventured down to Saint Augustine to see the Christmas lights. We strolled around the historic downtown enjoying the lights, Chris and Jared with cigars and bourbon in hand of course.

We made it home for a fairly early bedtime, as the girls had big plans for the next morning. A 4am wake-up time for Black Friday festivities! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we sure did!