Hello everyone :) We're gonna do two blog posts this week because last week was Fall Break and I was feeling especially lazy (probably from eating way too much but whatever). Penn State closes its University Park campus for the full Thanksgiving week, and since my mom had to go down to Virginia this year to visit her spouse's family, I took the entire week to head back to NJ and spend time with all three houses there (mom's, dad's, Dan's parent's). I hung out with my Momma at first; she made an awesome homecoming dinner for me and we played a full game (AKA ~3 hours worth) of Mexican Train, a domino game that apparently is related to another game called Chicken Foot. We also got to go out one night just us girls - my mom, sister, and I visited my maternal grandpa's favorite Italian restaurant for some homemade pasta and other yummy carbs.
I spent Wednesday with Dan and his family, and the rest of the time with my dad's side. Dan and I always bring the cats with us for extended NJ visits [see bottom left], and they are finally getting used to my dad and sister's dogs, Archie (lovable goofball red-nosed pitbull) and Kaia (toy aggressive and growly miniature pinscher) [bottom right]. Returning to NJ is also an opportunity to get some of the best pizza in the world (personal opinion, but constantly validated).
If I had to choose a favorite holiday I would pick Thanksgiving. I'm not about the traditional aspect of it, I just enjoy having good food with family and friends. We Sullivans et al do all of our holidays as a kind of potluck - everyone brings something to share. I contributed those rolls on the left, that apple kuchen in the center on the right, some roasted veggies, and stuffed mushrooms.
A visit back to NJ wouldn't be complete without playing games with my family (we're all a rather competitive bunch). Grandma B typically smokes us at card games, but was a little bitter when she was the only one of us to not win a round of Rummikub. The cat people visited the fuzz butts in the guest room, everyone fed the dogs way too much table food, and we all had a great time. We even ran out of turkey! The under-30s (AKA my Uncle Alex, my sister, and her boyfriend) spent the rest of the night in various 8-bit worlds, until we got a visit from my uncle Kyle, Marlena, and little Aria. Can't wait to bake a cake for that little cutie pie!
Now Dan and I are back to business as usual. I'm going to extract DNA from some lizard toes this week, maybe help sift through some bear guts too (long story, don't ask). But I'll be back in NJ soon enough for more holiday fun times. I hope you all have had some time recently to relax, whether on a holiday break or otherwise. If not, you could do what my family does: go make some of those stuffed mushrooms, invite some people over for a game or two, and have lots of laughs :) Cheers everyone!
From snuggling in NJ -----------------------> to snuggling in PA