welcome to my mind ...

The Friday after Thanksgiving, I woke up early, got all my stuff packed up for an overnight trip and headed out to the bakery to pick up the pumpkin cheesecake that would be my contribution as thanks for being invited to their dinner. Traffic was considerably light, which was a surprise since it was Black Friday. I just assumed, at that point, that everyone had already gotten their shopping done at 3 in the morning. When I talked to my coworkers after the weekend, I discovered that I had just missed the traffic, as it had been crazy around 5 and 6 in the morning.

Thanks to the ease of traffic, I got to my friend's place a bit early and ended up staying in the car for about an hour because they were still asleep. I could tell this because the dogs were still inside. Once the dogs were let out, I knew it was safe to go in. We hung out for a bit and discovered that the day would be a bit easier than previously anticipated. Instead of going to the cabin, like planned, we were just going to her parent's since her sister was sick.

We went to the house and hung out talking politics, news, movies, music, all while helping prepare dinner. The food was delicious and quite filling. I don't think it would have been the same if it had been at the cabin. Perhaps not quite as homey.

After dinner we put on another movie and set up a table top game to play. Since it was the first time for all of us except my friend and her husband, the first round was quite slow, but still fun. The second round a couple people dropped out and decided to watch the movie while the other 4 of us played another couple rounds. It's a game I'm definitely excited to play again.

After the game, we broke out the dessert, talked some more, watched more TV and finally called it a night. We headed back to their place and I crashed there. A little too much alcohol was consumed in order to safely drive home. It's a good thing I had packed an overnight bag.

Saturday morning we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. It was maybe only an inch or two, enough to make it pretty without being a nightmare to drive in. We had breakfast before I said my goodbyes and thanks and I headed home.

I dropped off my bag at home, grabbed some snacks and headed to my friend's place out east; the one who had hosted the Halloween party I went to. I knew the atmosphere would be quite different so snacks was a better option than a fancy dessert from a French bakery.

The food was abundant, as was the alcohol, which fueled laughter and gossip and created quite an enjoyable evening. Despite the number of people, there was quite a bit left over and I was able to take some home. It lasted me a few days.

Overall Thanksgiving weekend, parts one, two and three, reminded me that even though my biological family is 1300 miles away, I have become part of my friends' families here, which makes getting through the holidays a little easier for someone like me.