Feasts and New Features

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. Family comes together to eat delicious food and there are no gift-giving obligations. Plus, thanks to my mom’s obsession with fall and our practically season-less region, the house is always decked out in fall colors and smelling of homey spices.

Unfortunately, living 3,000 miles away from home leaves me free (time- and money-wise) to come home only for Christmas. I spent Thanksgiving with Collin last year and planned to do the same this year. However, this year involved not one, not two, but three Thanksgiving feasts!

Feast #1

The weekend before Thanksgiving Collin’s family on his Dad’s side decided to host an early celebration in Baltimore. There was no holiday traffic to battle and we had a great time hanging out. In total there were 19 people present: we spent the day watching football, socializing and devouring a great deal of food and desserts. The next morning Collin’s aunt cooked a big breakfast as well and I got her recipe for sticky buns – I could eat a million!

Feasts #2 & #3

Thanksgiving Day Collin and I had two destinations. We were having a Thanksgiving lunch with his Dad and Thanksgiving dinner with his Mom. I think we both ate responsibly so we were able to enjoy both meals. Plus, there was variety. Our lunch consisted of the staples (for veggies like us) such as sweet potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin muffins. Dinner included Italian market lasagna and my contribution of my cousin’s broccoli casserole. A little bit of apple pie, wine and discussion about TSA new scanning procedures and the day was complete.

For our week of adventures, Collin and I rented a car to make life easier. We didn’t have to deal with bus travel and took advantage of making our own schedule. Most importantly, though, we made an epic trip to Trader Joe’s. Stocking up is glorious.

Home (er, Apartment) Improvement

Now, part of the reason we had to head back to NYC in the middle of our Thanksgiving travel was for Collin’s internship, but it was also because of the contracting work we were getting done. Whether we end up selling the apartment or not, the recent updates have been amazing. Actually, they may be the reason we stay in New York longer!

1) We got rid of our old, huge, refrigerator and bought a smaller one to put in the side closet of the kitchen. In the old fridge’s spot we now have an all-in-one washer/dryer.

2) We also finally bought a brand new oven since our old oven bit the dust, oh, in February. Baking has never felt so good.

3) The bathroom renovation consisted of re-grouting the shower tile, installing shower doors and re-tiling the floor of the bathroom. The whole project only took about 3 days. I spent more time than I would like working on my laptop in the living room, wondering what the clattering and Russian mumbling was about, but the work was stellar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There you have it! We’re still waiting on a plumber to connect our washer/dryer, but that just might be my favorite addition once it starts working. Not having to lug my dirty laundry several blocks to get cleaned every few weeks will feel almost as good as our beautiful white bathroom tiles under my feet.