Thanks, Giving

Thanksgiving.  I have to say it's my favorite of the secular holidays.  New Years Eve?  Overrated.  Fourth of July?  Too many bugs.  Halloween?  Never been much of a fan.  But a holiday that's all about eating?  Bring it on!

Sidenote:  Did you know there is actually a Tolkien Reading Day?  It takes place on March 25 in honor of the fall of Sauron.  I'm totally partaking in this.  In fact, I have a feeling this is going to quickly become my #2 favorite secular holiday...

Patrick and I spent Thanksgiving this year in Ohio with my lovely in-laws.  Allow me to share some of the highlights:

• "Wii" played lots of games (if you catch my reference).
• Patrick (aka Paul Bunyan) kept the fire going almost every night.  
• Trivia night at Buffalo Wild Wings (I still like to call it BW3's even though it has long since dropped the third W).  Sadly our team/half of the family lost but the war is not over... also the garlic-parmesan chicken wings are the best!
• Patrick's mountain.  Every year for Thanksgiving, Patrick likes to pile his mashed potatoes, turkey, vegetables, and stuffing in layers until it forms a huge mountainous structure.  Here is a picture of his masterpiece this year (the gravy kind of looks like lava spilling down):

• Notre Dame's long overdue victory over USC.  FINALLY.  But the best part was discovering that all 8 members of the family fit on the sofa while watching the game.  I wish I would have taken a picture of this...
• Christmas tree decorating.  
• Giving:  Their family has this new tradition (did you catch that oxymoron?) where they exchange gifts with each other based on what that person would like as a 5-10 year old.  After opening them, they are all donated to charity.  I love this tradition because it invokes the second half of the term "Thanksgiving."  I got this awesome complete kitchen set that made me wish I was a 5-10 year old again:

I realize this post is 3 weeks overdue, but Happy Thanksgiving! nonetheless :)

oo,