Thanksgiving, and giving, and giving...

Well today Anna and I went through an abbreviated version of our annual "Turkey Day Ritual". In case you didn't know about our "Turkey Day Ritual" (now, and forever, known as "TDR") let me begin to explain:

First, we've been together for about six years and still, we have no idea what we are doing on ANY Thanksgiving Day. Usually we will figure it out by midnight or so the night before, even then, its not 100%.

Anna and I can sometimes be a bit careless with times and plans, well, I'm careless, she just puts up with me.

Plan for Thanksgiving (as of 24 Nov 2004):
8:30AM - Wake-Up (Arlington)
10AM - My Dad's for breakfast (Cambridge)
1PM - Nana's for pre-Thanksgiving Dinner (Braintree)
4PM - O's for Thanksgiving Dinner (Cambridge)

So we have set plans to eat at the O's, sometime between 2PM and 4PM. This year, it was at 4PM. However, I have a HUGE family (Mom: 5 Bro's & Sis' - Dad: 10 Bro's & Sis'). Usually we try to get to both sides of my family.

So on Wednesday night we asked my dad to have breakfast at 10AM because we had a few places to go to. Well, we (Anna, Grace, and I) showed up to my dad's at 11AM. Plans just got screwed up from there.

Breakfast at Dad's: Scrambled eggs, cheese omletts, sausage, bacon, sour dough bread, rolls (w/butter), home fries, cake, orange juice, iced tea, and I'm sure I'm missing some other goodies.

* (We took home some Turkey and other Thanksgiving type food)

My sister Jen calls, she wants us to bring her some of my dad's food to her. She gets out of work at 2PM, in Boston. Well, we thought that maybe we could leave my dad's a bit early, and stop by Jen's on the way to Nana's. Eh, it's a break from the plans, but, that's how we roll.

Ah, we left my dad's house at 1:45PM. Now we had to stop at home because Anna and Grace forgot some stuff. So, we call Jen (can't get a hold of her, so we leave a VM message). So we head back to Arlington, then back past Cambridge, past my dad's house, past the O's house, and off to Boston.

We are about 7 minutes away from Jen when she calls and says she in the Fenway area, which we had just passed. So we turn around, miss a turn, turn around again, and find Jen. Stop and talk to her a bit.

By this time we have no real time to get to Nana's. So I call her, let her know we would not make it (Oh, by the way, I never really told her we were going, for reasons like this).

Now we head back towards the O's house. Its about 3PM. On the way there we remember we would pick up some flowers that Mrs. O requested. So, we went from the end of Mass. Ave. in Boston all the way up to Harvard Sq. looking for a Kabloom. On the way, we traveled down Boylston Street, around the Boston Common, back up Newbury Street and on to Mass. Ave. again. We could have sworn there was a Kabloom in that area.

Well, we end up going through Central Sq., Harvard Sq. up Mass. Ave., and into Davis Sq. looking for a Florist. Even Star Market in Porter Sq. was closed. So we trek back down Mass. Ave, towards the O's, through Harvard Sq. and we snuck a peek to see if Brattle Florist was open (This is the same place who supplied the flowers for our wedding). So we stop in, say "Hello" to the regulars and the owners.

So we finally make it to the O's house. Who's there? Me, Anna, Grace, Dr. O, Mrs. O, Lydia, Alex, and Alex Jr. What are we having? Brace youself, Mrs. O is a great cook and she loves to feed us, sometimes, haha.

Real food: All home made: tortellini soup, some sort of salad greens (w/walnuts, feta cheese, and a sweet dressing), turkey, stuffing (2 types - rice and regular), sweet potatoes, gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, cranberry (jellied can and home made), and brussell sprouts.

For dessert: Vanilla and Heath Bar Crunch ice cream (Ben & Jerry's), All home made: pumkin pie (one by Mrs. O, one by Lydia), chocolate chip cookies, some new choclate cake, cookies, apple pie.

* (Once again, I'm sure I am missing some things)

We left the O's at 8PM. We left with our bellies about 4 times the size they were when we woke up.

Well that's it... that was TDR 2004... hope to report back again next year... mmm mmm good.