Better late than never, right? I've been so busy with work (yes, I have a job, now!), photo sessions and editing, setting things up for school, and things at home that I've really had no time for personal photos or blogging. Since James is out in the field tonight being super awesome and teaching his superior TACP ways to all the newb ROMAD's, I have the house to myself! The house to myself meaning that I don't have to cook some intricate or timely dinner, so I can use that time to finally blog our Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday, so what we did was my decision. It's worth noting that I didn't agree with this and I wanted him to share in the decision making, but to no avail. In his man words, "Thanksgiving is your holiday, so I don't care what we do either way. I'll be happy." Super helpful (insert sarcasm here). I had just started work the Monday before, worked through to Wednesday and was on call on Friday, so going anywhere was really out of the option unless it was, at maximum, an hour away. That limited our options to staying here. We had offers to spend the day with people who stayed behind in Watertown, but I was more inclined to have a small and quiet Thanksgiving. While my company the past few years has been wonderful, the past few years had also been spent with strangers and out of my own home. I was more than ready to have a quaint holiday in our home, and without a schedule. Neither of us had ever prepared or made a Thanksgiving dinner, either, which was what sealed the deal. We both wanted to try, so dinner with just the two of us it was.
With that choice made at noon that day, we immediately headed to the grocery store before it closed and grabbed all the essentials. In our books, anyway. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, some veggies, pie necessities, and other things for food holiday goodness. Home by two, the cooking began. James was adamant about having baked macaroni and cheese, so he started on that while I found a good source for turkey preparation.
The real fun began as soon as it was time to maul the turkey. By the way, ours was all natural and organic, of course. Anyway, I'm one of those weird people that LOVES pulling the pumpkin seeds and such out of pumpkins. I just really like how the pumpkin guts feel in my hands, the squishiness and how slippery everything is. It's weird, I know, but the same concept applied to the turkey. There was no hesitation to wipe it down, wash and rinse it, rub butter on it, etc. And James putting it on his hand as a upper obviously shows our entertainment with the bird.
Once the stuffing was done, into the turkey it went, and then into the oven they both went. While the two of them cooked, we watched Netflix together for a bit before preparing the rest of the food (mashed potatoes, broccoli, and honey glazed carrots), including the pie.
This pie was my first pie, ever. And for my first pie, it turned out really, really, good. Not as good as Grandma Nettie's, but it was definitely good, and I know this because even I ate it. For those of you who know me, I'm a pie hater, so this was obviously ground breaking. It wasn't perfect, because it got taken out of the oven too early (James's idea, not mine!) and it had to go back in the next day. And also because we kept touching it to see if it was still jiggly instead of solid. But it turned out wonderfully, especially with the homemade whipped cream it was partnered with.
The night ended with my annual tradition of watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, because it's not Thanksgiving in my books if I don't watch it on ABC, and two very full and happy Armstrongs.
All in all, I'm really glad we had a laid back Thanksgiving with just the two of us. Our holidays are usually chaotic, scheduled to the max, and not very relaxing. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be able to see everyone, but having to travel and drive everywhere really isn't. It's tiring and exhausting and hard to juggle sometimes. It was nice to be home for once, just the two of us, without a laundry list of commitments.
And to be honest, as much as it sucks to not be able to go home this year, I'm really looking forward to having a Christmas similar to this one. Maybe with more people than just us, but to not have to go to a stranger's house or have to go to four different places in one day. Or maybe have people come to us. Again, too, it'll be nice to be able to start our own traditions and have our own, personal holiday. We've never had a tree up here or really gotten to decorate our house, never spent Christmas with our little baby Mo, never had a white Christmas. We get to have and do all of that this year, and I'm more than ready for that. Bring on the lights, the wonderful pine smell, and the snow!
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