How I Spent My Thanksgiving Vacation

Last Saturday morning Matt and I loaded up our car and took off for Rochester, NY. We spent the night at his friend's house. He made us ribs, salad, and french onion soup (from scratch!) for dinner. We goofed around with his kids for a few hours and then played Phase 10 with him and his wife. My favorite memory from that night: When their 6 year old son was play fighting with Matt, he said, "You want ribs? I'll rip open your chest and pull out your ribs!" After we laughed about that one, I said, "Wow...you're very smart...how do you know where your ribs are?" To that, he replied, "I learned it in school...my teacher shows us her body parts." LOL!!

The next morning we woke up, showered, got packed up, and had lunch at Five Guys with Matt's friend and his family. Then they showed us around the Eerie Canal before we set off for my parents' house in East Granby, CT.

After blowing through a toll booth (oops!) and taking a few wrong turns, we arrived at my parents' house around 7:00 PM on Sunday. My mom had made lemon pepper chicken and homemade mac and cheese for us...soooo good! We spent the next few hours eating and catching up with my parents. The highlight from that night: My dad's totally inappropriate joke about the 70 year old couple who wanted to try to have a baby. LOL!

Monday Matt and I went to Northampton, MA with my mom. We went to an artsy fartsy coffee shop where I ordered hot cocoa. Then we walked around the shops and had a late lunch at the Northampton Brewery. I ordered their spicy chicken salad, and it was SPICY!!! Everything there was spicy...my salad, Matt's fries, my mom's chili. But their beer was awesome. My mom and I split the sampler paddle, and Matt tried their IPA.

That night we met up with my cousin, Ashley, in Hartford, CT. She showed us around her condo and then drove us into the city where we had snacks and beer at The Black Bear Saloon. We hung out with her and her ex-boyfriend for a few hours before heading back to my parents' place to crash for the night.

Tuesday we had brunch at The Greenleaf Cafe in East Granby before heading over to my biological father's house. Matt was meeting him for the first time. He showed us around the fixer upper he bought and is currently living in. It needs A LOT of work, but it definitely has potential. We played PS3 with him while waiting for my half-sister to get off work. Then we all headed to Opa, Opa (a steakhouse and brewery) in MA for dinner. I had their filet mignon with a blue cheese crust, and I tried their stout. It was the.best.stout I have ever tried in my life!! After dinner we went back to my biological dad's house and watched Beer Fest. It was a totally raunchy movie, and I can't believe he watched it with my half-sister sitting right next to him on the couch. It was sort of awkward! haha

Wednesday my mom and dad gave us the driving tour of CT. We drove through the mountains and by a beautiful reservoir. We stopped at a country store back in MA and then a Christmas shop where I got a pair of earrings and a Christmas Tree scented candle. That night we went out with my cousins, Ashley, Cheryl, Ali, and Curt. I drank about six Midori sours. After Cheryl left, Matt bought me and Ashley an oatmeal cookie shot. A few minutes later, the bartender set two more shots in front of us. Apparently, someone in the bar was buying us drinks! I guessed they didn't realize Matt was with us. We did the shots, and a few minutes later this geeky kid who looked like he was about 12 years old came up to us with jello shooters. He saw Matt at that point and said, "Sorry, I didn't realize you were in the picture...kind of wish you weren't, though!" He ended up buying Matt a jello shooter, too. Then he showed us cat scratches he had all over his body. We totally thought he was gay because of how he was talking and acting. I was trying so hard not to laugh in front of him, but Ashley was unfazed. She later said, "I'm used to it." LOL!

We crashed at my aunt and uncle's lake house that night. Then we woke up to the smell of turkey roasting and soup simmering down in the kitchen the next morning. We got up, got dressed, and went downstairs to join the Thanksgiving party. We mingled in the kitchen for a few hours before eating. Then we ate, played Mad Gab, sang karaoke, and headed upstairs for some pool and darts. We got pictures with all the relatives who showed up (some relatives totally blew off the Thanksgiving party and chance to see me for the first time in 4+ years, but I won't go into it) before heading back to my parents' for the last time. That night we helped my mom create a Facebook account and just chatted for a while over leftovers before heading off to bed.

In the morning, my parents took us to breakfast at Friendly's before we began our 14 hour trek back to Chicagoland. I cried saying goodbye, and it was hard to let go of my mom, but I feel so much relief after spending quality time with them and seeing how well they seem to be doing. Everyone loved Matt, we shared a lot of laughs, had a lot of fun, and made some good memories...I wouldn't change one thing about the trip.

We got back home around 10:00 last night. When we pulled in the driveway, it hit me how much I had missed my house and life. I loved my vacation, but being away made me more aware of what I have going for me here in IL. I feel very lucky to have a great husband, cute kitties, beautiful house, stable job, and bright future. I had one of my favorite Thanksgiving breaks ever...hope you all did, too!!