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Here is the picture we used for our 2009 Christmas Card– the first time I’ve done cards since 2006! Eek! I promise not to let that go another two years.

Wow, today is November 29th. I really lost count of days this month– I have had to count back on my fingers to the last date I can remember– Monday November 16th, my grandmother’s birthday.

Since November 2nd, I actually did post every day this month, didn’t I? I haven’t necessarily had a lot of substance, but something short everyday- links to pictures, recipes, etc. I don’t really know what else I want this blog to be. I have another blog for sporadic complaining, and I have facebook for keeping in touch with people. I think not posting between May and November was a mistake, but I don’t think I need to keep posting every day. Maybe just once a week? Should I be more personal here? I don’t really want to go into things like job hunting, etc. I stopped using laurushka on my resume, but I’m sure resourceful folks could find this by googling my name, if they wanted. I’ve been meaning to update my website (which this blog is part of) to include some papers I wrote for school. If I did that, it would make it even easier for a resourceful folk to see this blog. Is this site a plus or a minus to a potential employer? I’m just typing as a I think here… I still have one more day to the NaBloPoMo Challenge. Any requests for a final blog posting topic?

Thanksgiving 1978: My dad, my sister Maria, my brother Chris, my Grandmother, me and my Grandfather– at my grandparents’ house in Reading. My mom must have taken the picture.

This is how my family spent Thanksgiving almost every year when I was a kid.  Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday. My uncle and his family would come too, and we’d try to arrange the lefties and righties around the table. My grandmother made turkey, potato filling, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, regular corn, Cope’s dried corn, and who knows what else. There’d be a point where my grandmother would realize she forgot to bring something out (usually rolls!). And we’d eat till we were completely stuffed. There were always pies and cool whip for dessert, but as the word’s biggest fan of the potato, they were always an afterthought for me.

Things changed after my brother and sister graduated high school and moved out, my parents got divorced, my grandparents moved to an apartment, my grandfather passed away, and then my mother passed away. Since then, I have spent Thanksgiving pretty much wherever I am invited first. We’ve spent it at home alone, with cornish hens; we’ve spent it in Michigan with a large extended family. We’ve gone out to restaurants with my grandmother, and met my in-laws at the midway point between Michigan and Philadelphia. This year, we weren’t going to spend Thanksgiving in Michigan at all, but we managed to make it back last weekend for a nice short visit, and a Thanksgiving meal. Today, we are going to my dad’s house to spend it with Lilia’s grandparents and their friends. I wish I could also spend it with my grandmother, since Thanksgiving, in my mind, is HER holiday. I wish I could spend Thanksgiving with everyone special to me, but I can’t be two places at once, let alone several. All I can do is wish everyone out there a very Happy Thanksgiving, and hope that you are not as torn between places to celebrate as I am.

I think I left off with August, right? Here is the link to my September 2009 photos on Facebook.

We are headed to Michigan tonight– which means I have to pack! When Joe gets home from work, we’ll hit the road, stopping somewhere in Central or Western PA, and then we’ll finish the journey tomorrow. We’re heading home Monday and plan to make the drive back in one day. I’ve heard a rumor (hopefully not a rumor!) that we will be getting a Christmas tree and having a Thanksgiving dinner while there! Which makes me pretty lucky, since I will also have Thanksgiving dinner at my dad and Joan’s house on actual Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving meal is just about my favorite food of all time. I love it so much, if a diner has a Hot Open Faced Turkey Sandwich on the menu, I have to order it. HAVE TO. Some places are better than others. My recent favorite is at Saville’s Diner in Boyertown. Oh look, that’s actually Joe’s review. I’d probably have given it a 5 star review! I hear that Wawa has something called a Turkey Bowl– I guess like this? I really want to try one. I wonder if we will drive by a Wawa on our trip tonight. Although a turkey meal while we are trying to stay awake to drive might not be a good idea… but then on the other hand… Wawa does have coffee!

Well, like I said, I MUST pack, do dishes, and do my exercises. If I don’t do my exercises before sitting in the car for 600 miles, I will regret it!

Tomorrow… Friday Recipe! Once we make it to Michigan.