Thanksgiving Recap: Lots of food and laughter!

Hi everyone, happy Thanksgiving and I hope that you have all recovered from your food comas and had a nice Friday!  I have had a really nice past few days and am excited to recap them on here.

After I left you on Wednesday afternoon I jumped in my car to head home for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I drove to Boston on Wednesday evening and went right to my friend Erin's apartment.  I have been spending a lot of time in Boston lately and one of the reasons is because E is currently living there, along with two of my other best friends, KO & Meaggie.  I'm not sure if I've ever written about how incredibly lucky I am with my group of friends, but I have 4 best friends and we've been by each other's sides since we were very young.  You hear about them on the blog a lot... but I'm not sure if I've ever recapped just how special and wonderful these ladies are.  Erin, Meaggie, KO, and Teenie are my family. Side note: Erin is the Erin of "Erin's Artichoke Pie" from back in 2009.

I spent the night before Thanksgiving, not out getting drunk with a bunch of random people from high school, but having delicious turkey chili and some pumpkin beers with Erin and her wonderful fiance James.  The two are getting married next summer the day before my birthday and I feel blessed and honored to be a part of the big day, as one of Erin's bridesmaids along with the 3 other girls and her two sisters.  I hadn't seen James since the engagement since he lives in D.C. and it was really nice to have a low key evening with the two of them.

We also had to get up early because we had a Gobble Wobble to attend!

For the 4th year in a row, as a group of friends, the girls and I have participated in a Thanksgiving morning Gobble Wobble 5K.  We had a pretty big group this year, including Erin's fiance James, Meaggie's boyfriend Jon, and a friend of KO's who was going home with her for the holiday.

It was also an exciting year, because for the first time, my twin baby brothers participated in the kid's Fun Run portion of the race!  The race we do annually is actually right near my dad's house and for the past 2 Gobble Wobbles, my dad has brought the boys to cheer my friends and I on.  Last year, after seeing them try to break into the race and run through the finish, we, I, decided that the boys should do the kid's race!  I have been talking to the boys about this for the past year and was so excited for them to participate in their first organized running event, something that has become a love and obsession for me.

They did great and I was so proud to see them do the little run after I finished the 5K.

From the Gobble Wobble I went to my dad's (since he lived so close) to shower & change, then drove over to meet my mom's side of the family at my maternal grandparent's home.  We had a fun day that included lots of laughter, singing, dancing, eating, and of course, some shenanigans.

When we go to my grandmother's, things are usually all about tradition.  We know what appetizers to expect, we know when the different families will be arriving (who will be late...), and there are always certain rituals that need to be followed.  One thing that shook up our Thanksgiving was that our dinner included a new type of dinner roll.  It was a big topic of conversation and actually was a favorite of many.  The new dinner rolls were a hit!

I love that my family includes so many different individuals yet we all get along really great and have so much fun.  They are truly people that I am thankful for.  As well as my fabulous friends that I got to spend time with over this holiday weekend.

Thanksgiving night I spent with friends from high school -- and truly had a great time with lots of laughter.  Friday was a day for my mom and I -- which included cooking some pumpkin and cranberry risotto that was DELICIOUS.  Saturday was Thanksgiving round 2 with my dad, and lots more fun and snuggles with the baby brothers.  And now I've just been hanging with my mom on the couch (she fell asleep!)

I hope that you all had wonderful weekends and Thanksgivings with your families and friends as well.  I want you all to know that I am thankful for YOU for reading and keeping me motivated.  Love you all!