Thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week at Dad and Polly's. Kev, Kyle and I drove from our city to their house, and Kate drove from her college town. It worked out well to have us sort of "meet in the middle" so to speak. The drive was especially long for Kate, but she did well and did not seem to mind. We all arrived Tuesday night. We spent Wednesday exploring a popular eating and shopping location during the day and we all enjoyed eating lunch out doors on a patio over looking the water with live music in the back ground. On Wednesday night, my Aunt Pat joined us for dinner. Dad made his authentic Italian Spaghetti which was delicious. With Dad being retired and Polly still working as a CPA, he often does a lot of cooking and is quite good at it! Thursday was Thanksgiving and as is our tradition at both our home and my Dad's, the turkey was BBQ'ed. This year my Dad used a rotisserie in his Weber grill over in direct heat and the 18 pound bird was done in 3 hours. Polly and I worked together well on the side dishes. She made stuffing with apples and sausage, sweet potato casserole with a streusal topping and green beans with pecans. I made twice baked potatoes with bacon, cheese and chives and the gravy. We enjoyed a casual and relaxed day and ate around 3. Polly's son Clay joined us. Friday, Kate and I drove to a nearby town for a little "Black Friday" shopping. I took her to a popular clothing store for teens/young ladies and bought her a dress and dressy outfit for upcoming Sorority Christmas events. Additionally she tried on a ton of clothes, handed me the pile and went out to the car. I then picked out a few things and proceeded to do my Christmas shopping for her on the spot. This way I know I have bought things that FIT and that she likes. I will wrap up the clothes and they will go under our tree for Christmas! After shopping, we met my cousin (Kyle's Godmother) Susan for an early dinner at a popular pizza and salad restaurant. It was so good to see her and spend time visiting and catching up. After, Kate and I went to see New Moon. It was her 3rd time to see the film and my 2nd time respectively. We are proud "Twihards" and loved the books and the movies alike. It was so great to see the long awaited movie with her! Saturday we went back to the same nearby town, this time with Dad, Polly and the guys and met up with Polly's sons Clay and Zac for lunch. After wards, we spent a few hours shopping some more and then all went to see "The Blind Side" which we all loved. We topped off the day back at Dads for Turkey left overs for dinner. We all got up early this a.m. and were on the road by 7:30. Kate went her way and we went ours for the long drives home. It was so wonderful to all get together and spend the holiday together and we look forward to Kate, Dad and Polly being at our house soon to celebrate Christmas! (her boys will be with their Dad) Here are a few snap shots from our time together.

Kate and Polly's son Clay

Dad, Polly, Kate and Kyle

A family reunited!

Polly puts the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving meal.

Dad carves the turkey.

A beautiful place setting.

The holiday table.