Beer & Champagne: Give. Thanks.

Give. Thanks. With so many things to be thankful for, this was a perfect theme for a fabulous week. Over the course of 4 or 5 days I heard so many different things people were thankful for..... Some things as simple as a pair of shoes, other things as complex as a computer/iPad, some things as weird as a pet rat (seen/heard from a girl on a public bus), some things as serious as a life (such as the one my friend Jen described saving), and some things as silly as root beer floats (like the one I'm about to take down)..... No matter what it was, "Give Thanks" seemed to be a unanimous theme over the past week, which was why it was no surprise to me my mom made a "Give Thanks" sign to hang over our Thanksgiving feast as a friendly reminder we all have a lot to be thankful for!
The weekend at home was wonderful for both AK and myself.....
Wednesday: I headed home and Andy's brother flew in from Denver, so the weekend had officially begun. I helped my mom finish up the day before cooking, and by helped, I mean I drank wine and kept her company and we got all caught up! AK entertained his brother in Chicago as they and his sister were gearing up for the Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in Lincoln Park.
Thursday: The day of thanks!! What a fun day it was! AK and his siblings (younger bro and sis) ran in the annual Turkey Trot in Chicago before heading to his parents place. I had my very own turkey trot as the sun rose over the Iowa River in good ole' Eldora, IA. Both scenes were beautiful I'm sure...I know mine way!! By the time I returned home, the madness had begun...."I left too many things to do last minute".... "how long should I cook the turkey?"...... "are we going to have enough food?"..... so the pre meal scurry was underway. I quickly detoured to the shower (smart, I thought) and by that time company had started to arrive. And then there was no turning back! Luckily the weather was beautiful so we were all able to sit outside, visit with each other, the kids played on the four wheeler and of course we all ate plenty of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc. Beings it was an all day event the day was hardly over. What is Thanksgiving without as many deserts as main courses? And really what is Thanksgiving without the annual Ping Pong tournament? The deserts were wonderful as was as all the food (thanks Mom!!) and the ping pong tourney....well the outcome was not as great as Gehrk (the all time victor, or so he thinks) had hoped but it was time for a new champion!!! :) Before the day ended we were sure to have a night cap and reminisce about how much fun the day was and all the funny things that had gone on. With roughly 30 people in house, there were definitely stories to tell and laughs to be had!! What a great day it was to "give thanks!"
Friday: As we went to bed on Thursday many people were Facebook posting about Black Friday shopping already, which I was thankful I was not!! Black Friday shopping is never something my mom and I have done, which is quite a surprise, considering shopping is easily one of our favorite past times!! ;) I guess we are more excited about decorating for Christmas and I was relieved to know AK's family was too.... proven by the picture text of their family Christmas tree strapped to the top of their family car (if you're having trouble envisioning this scene, think Griswald's!) :) So my mom and I decorated most of the day and we had such a great time! We also watched the Hawks lose to Nebraska....not so great!! But we didn't let that break our stride as we had things to light up and ornaments to hang. Friday night was rounded off by my cousisn's 9 year old birthday party. There is something so fun and refreshing about witnessing the innocence of a child (spoken like a true adult, huh??), which is why I chose to take care of kids. So you know the drill....we sang "happy birthday," made a wish, blew out candles and again ate way too much food!! Happy Birthday Nolan!!!
Saturday: Saturday was fast and furious as I was heading back to Chicago by noon in hopes to hang out with AK and miss the traffic madness on Sunday. One would think a full day of decorating would just about do it, but boy are you wrong. We still had plenty of halls to deck so we got busy and cranked out a few two woman tasks before I headed back. After a quick visit with my good friend Jacki (a.k.a. Fancy), I called it a wrap and headed back to the Windy City. A quick stop in Iowa City broke up the drive and for you avid blog followers, get this.....my hawkeye hat (you know, the one I lost while at the IA/MSU game) lives another day. I found the exact replacement, so we are back in business!!! Boy did I give thanks for that!! ;) After a long drive and decorating our little place, AK and I were ready for a beer and champagne. HA! So we met some friends out for a light night drink and called it a night!
Sunday: Sunday began late as our late night soiree turned real late before we knew it! But we didn't let that stop us. Before I knew it we were out and about getting things checked off the list! For the record, Uncle Sam can personally thank us later for single handily stimulating the economy....out and about turned expensive real fast, but our halls are decked and our house screams Christmas, which I love!! So Thanksgiving turned to Christmas time real fast but in the midst of a whirlwind weekend, we were sure to pause to "give thanks!" Sure I am thankful for the things we have and were able to purchase, but I'm more thankful the weekend moments I just described! Time together was a joy and I'm already looking forward to it again in 1 short month!!!
Cheers everyone and be sure to scroll down for a picture recap.....(a limited recap as I was too busy visiting and having a good time!!)