Thankful

Happy to report that the holiday weekend lived up to all expectations. The four days passed really quickly in a blur of family, friends, food and fun. I think we all felt a little touch of the blues at having to return to the grind yesterday. Oh well - only three more weeks, give or take, until a nice long break at Christmastime.

What a great weekend

Great weather, lots of family, and too much good food were the recurring themes of the long weekend.

We woke up to an unseasonably warm day on Thursday, so we were able to get in a good bike ride down to our favorite playground on the beach before the foodfest began. The good weather continued through the weekend (though, it did turn colder), and we were able to get out to various playgrounds each day. The girls are finally getting really good at playing together, so it was extra pleasant to be out.

Sadie and Eden got a kick out of the various cousins they encountered over the weekend - and much running, shrieking and laughing ensued. Kids really do make the holidays that much more special, I think.

I ate way too much over the entire weekend, and so today, without delay, I'm getting back to the gym to try to do some damage control. Between the actual Turkey Day meal, the dinner we had at Evan's dad's house the next night, the dinner party we hosted on Saturday evening, and the Syrian food fest we made last night, I think I consumed enough calories and fat to sustain me for weeks. Almost makes a colon cleanse sound appealing. Almost ;)

Here's a few pictures from the weekend:

Relaxed

Tomorrow will mark the third Thanksgiving we've celebrated since relocating back to the motherland. I wonder when or if the novelty of not having to travel on this holiday will ever wear off? Thanksgiving really snuck up on me this year. This is due in no small part to the fact that I didn't have to spend weeks rearranging my work schedule to clear out Tuesday and Wednesday as possible travel days, didn't have to obsess for days about traffic patterns and strategize about how to find the optimal day and time to travel the miserable Boston to NY corridor. I didn't have to start masterminding the kids' eating, sleeping, and pooping schedule days in advance to try to maximize peaceful, crying-free travel and minimize rest-stop visits.

No, instead, I've given it almost no thought until just yesterday, when my mom asked me what time we thought we'd come by. This morning when I woke up, I looked out the window at our quiet street, and gave thanks that I didn't have to be out on a busy highway today. Tomorrow, sometime after Eden wakes from her afternoon nap, we'll load up the car with the platters of food my mother has stored in our extra fridge and make the 20 minute drive up to her house. And perhaps best of all, tomorrow night, with our bellies full of the Thanksgiving feast and our hearts full from the visit with extended family, we will simply make that 20 minute drive back home and enjoy the delicious sensation of settling in for the night in our own home. Bliss.