Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving was great this year, even though our numbers were small...just the three of us! We (Corey as a runner, me and Ash as spectators) started the day off with the Albuquerque Turkey Trot, a 5K race at the Uptown shopping center. Corey chose to burn off some calories before the calorie fest that is Thanksgiving Dinner. I actually loved being there, cheering Corey on and watching all the runners. What a fun way to start the holiday! Corey came in 6th place in his age group, not a bad feat for a guy who runs for 30 minutes or so a few days a week. Way to go Cor!

The proud (and very cold and wet) family, post race.

Corey and fellow running buddy Aaron.


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...!

After the race, we headed home to engage in some major cooking. I guess the day didn't officially start with the race for me. I was up at 6 a.m. to make sure our gigantic turkey was thawed enough to pop into the oven. Somehow we ended up with the largest turkey we've ever had, and it was for just the three of us! So, at the crack of dawn, bleary-eyed and clumsy, I was dealing with a slippery, awkward and slightly creepy looking 22-pound bird. Of course, they never thaw in the amount of time they say they will, so I was doing the whole water bath in the sink thing. I hurried and got ready, knowing I'd allowed myself plenty of time to finish up with the turkey and head out the door. Of course that was before I realized the whole inside of the bird was still frozen solid. I could not get that nasty neck out of the turkey! Finally I pulled it out, but remembered hearing stories of people cooking the turkey with the whole gizzard bag inside. I couldn't find that thing for the life of me, so, of course, I called my mom. She just laughed and said it was in the other end. Oh, right. There are two holes to stuff things into. Relieved, I found them and tossed them in the trash since nobody at our house thinks they are a delicacy (ew!). After a little more rinsing and patting, Corey helped me stuff the giant bird into a roasting bag, the pan and into the oven. What a workout! And I didn't even stuff it. Then we headed out the door.

After the turkey, the rest seemed reasonable. We had stuffing, cranberries, cranberry fruit salad, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams and pumpkin pie. I cheated on the yams since Corey won't touch them. I bought some canned ones and sweetened them up a bit. I also bought the pumpkin pie because it seemed like a lot of work for only 3 people. That, and Costco makes a mean pumpkin pie. Was it a big spread for our little family...yes. One of these years when its only our family we will have to go out for dinner. But the sentimental fool inside me battles it out and I end up making a lot more work for myself. It was a nice, mellow holiday with good food, despite all the work.

Asher's idea of smiling for the camera.


Corey and I started seriously wondering if he was going to stop eating. Isn't there a gland in your brain that secretes something to tell you when you're full? We thought maybe his was broken.

Before Thanksgiving, when I'd ask Asher what we eat on Thanksgiving, his reply was, "Punkin pie, juice and water." What about the turkey? Sheesh. Every time we'd serve up leftovers to him he'd ask me, "Is it Thanksgiving?" He loved the food.

Black Friday was a no-no for me, being nearly 6 months pregnant with a cerclage, I am starting to really take it easy. Actually from here on out, no more doing pretty much anything. Luckily, I have all my shopping done, most of which I did online anyway. I haven't been shopping on Black Friday in years. All those psycho shopper stories can be a little intimidating. I'm not sure its worth it most of the time!

Over the weekend, we also put up and decorated the tree. Corey even put the lights up outside! I love having everything up so we can enjoy it all longer. I figure you might as well, since a couple days after Christmas I start feeling the urge to put it all away. While decorating the tree, Asher gets to open a new ornament to put on the tree. We try to pick one out that is a reminder of this year and represents something about him. His recent train kick served as a good cue so this year it's a Thomas the Tank Engine ornament, which he of course loved. I love this tradition. It's one that Corey's family started when he was born. When they were first married they didn't have any ornaments for a tree, and decided that each of their children would get one ornament (or more) every year so when they had their own tree, they'd have something to decorate it with, plus a bunch of memories behind each one. Our first Christmas together, our tree was far from bare since he came with a box full of them.

We've had the Christmas music going all weekend, and I can officially say we are ready for Christmas. I love this time of year...all the symbols, the colors, the lights, the music and the family. Thanksgiving was nice, and we are really looking forward to a great Christmas too. We truly have so much to be thankful for!

Asher and Dion, hanging together outside this weekend. Maybe all that Turkey finally caught up with him.