Thanksgiving with the new In Laws

Kerry told me that Frank's parents were going to go to a buffet for Thanksgiving so I offered up an invitation to them for Thanksgiving dinner. I really didn't think that they would come but they did and it turned out to be a wonderful first Thanksgiving dinner for all of us together.

I was totally stressed that there wouldn't be enough food but I was totally wrong. We had turkey for the meat eaters, Tofurky for Kerry and me and enough sides to kill a horse. We also had Kerry's favorite Boston Cream Pie that said Happy Birthday Peewee because besides Thanksgiving it was also Kerry's 25th birthday. Cousin Stevie brought an apple pie, Jon brought flowers and Frank's parents, Ron and Joanne, brought a gorgeous edible arrangements fruit thing, and wine. Yep, we had it all. We all ate too much food and sang happy birthday to Kerry.

When dinner was over Pat and Ron sat at the table talking while Joanne, Kerry, Frank and I rolled around in the yoga room. Frank and I did headstands and then we all just talked. It was really fun. I like Joanne very much. She is very open and friendly. It's quite a difference from Mike's parents who always felt that we were from the wrong side of the tracks. I think Joanne and I will be friends. I'm happy about that.

I was very happy to open our little house to Frank and his parents. They are really nice and they seem to love Kerry. I felt good being the one to bring the new extended family together. We need to get used to it. Kerry and Frank will be married in August and like it or not we will all be one big happy family. You know what? I like it. :)

Thoughts on the upcoming holidays

I've been feeling good lately although I know some stressful times are coming. Thanksgiving is a stressful time for me as it's always at my house. I am so glad that Kerry is coming home for the holiday this year. Last year Pat and I packed up Rigby and went up to Gainesville to spend Thanksgiving up there with Kerry up at UF. We cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the 4 of us (Rigby included) and then went to the UF/FSU game. We had such a great time and it was good to get away from the stress of having Thanksgiving dinner at my house.

Kerry will be arriving on her birthday Wednesday in the morning and then Frank will be coming in later on in the day. They are planning to spend the holiday split between us and Frank's parents who live about an hour away. I don't mind sharing. I'm just happy to have them here. Jon and Cousin Stevie will be coming over for dinner and to meet Frank. It'll be Turkey for the carnivores, Tofurkey for the vegetarians and birthday cake for everyone. :)

Frank and Kerry

Kerry is going to spend Friday with me. We will be going shopping!!!!! Yay!!!!! It's been way too long since we have combed the malls for bargains. I'm sure we will be getting a very early start. There is nothing better in the whole world then Black Friday with the kid. :)

On Saturday we will be going to an engagement party in the morning and then I'm sure she will want to spend time with Frank before he goes back to Gainesville on Sunday. Kerry is flying out on Monday but she will be back in a few weeks to spend some more time with us during her winter break from Notre Dame.

The Grotto at Notre Dame

The three of us at Notre Dame Football Stadium

The golden dome at Notre Dame

I miss her. I can't help it. I just miss her and I'm so looking forward to spending some time with her.

Easy Come, Easy Go

Thanksgiving was great. Kerry was home and Cousin Stevie came over for dinner. He and Pat played golf in the afternoon while Kerry and I did the cooking. The kid has turned into this amazing cook! She made a spinach and cheese quiche that was just fantastic. I'm sure the calorie count was way up there but I ate it anyway. After all, the kid made it!! It was a nice low keyed dinner which worked for me because I did most or all of the work. We didn't get to eat the birthday cake. Everyone was too full from dinner. I guess that's a good thing.

Black Friday was soooo much fun. Kerry woke me up at 6:00AM and we were at the Town Center Mall by 8:00. We totally shopped our brains out getting some really great deals at Bloomingdales, Lucky Jeans, Clarks Shoes, Anthropologie and Coach. Most of the stuff was for Kerry with one or two things for me. Anyone who knows me knows which store was the one that I bought myself something at. Yeah, I spent most of the money that I won at the casino but what the hell. Easy come, easy go.

My heel is still giving me some trouble but I think it's getting better slowly. I was able to workout to a video yesterday so that was good. Today I think I will stick to some weight training. It will be much easier on my heel and I also have to work tonight which puts me up on my feet for hours.

Food could have been better but on the other hand it could have been a lot worse too. I was down to 152 yesterday which shocked the crap out of me. I figured I was totally out of the 150's and into the 160's but I'm happy to say not even close. Now if I could just get rid of the extra few pounds as easily as I was able to get rid of my winnings I'd be happy. C'mon extra weight!!! Easy come, easy go.