jive turkey.

because that's the way we've always done it.

over the years, my fondness for this gluttonous day of glory has grown exponentially... much like my pant size. and while the food is my first love, it's the traditions that keep me coming back for more (pun intended). we'll blame it on all of the amazing women in my family who have simply continued what is worth continuing. and while the itinerary for the actual day of thanks hasn't changed much, what was once a 1 day sprint to the fat farm has evolved into a 4-5 day marathon... and i'm not mad about it. beyond the traditional family (biologically speaking) thanksgiving, i have been blessed with a family of friends who graciously include me in their family traditions.

and in the in-between we make up a few traditions of our own...
1. midnight shopping. two days ago i was morally opposed to black-friday. i literally could not think of a worse way to end the tryptophan induced haze than to spend the wee-hours of the morning with crazed shoppers on the hunt for a deal. but about a bottle of wine into the night, that all changed. while drowning our sorrows, following a rather unfortunate texas/texas a&m outcome, my girlfriends and i decided that maybe midnight shopping at our local wal-mart was not such a bad idea. and in fact, it was the most brilliant idea we've had to date. with a little vino to take the edge off,  'finding the deals' was almost as much fun as enjoying the locals who take this sort of shopping seriously. 2 shop-vacs, 2 belgian waffle makers, 2 electric griddles and 38 dvds later... the three of us have a new thanksgiving tradition.
2. friday morning i awoke, a little black-friday skip in my step, and decided i needed to share these good deals with the masses. i made my way to my bff's parents' house for a little coffee and company. i should note that my friend is 1 of 9 children... there is always plenty of company (and coffee) at their house. we spent the morning making our way through recorded episodes of criminal minds, interrupted by a head-to-toe fashion consult as my friend chose an ensemble for her evening out -- side note: sisters are like super-honest-best-friends-on-crack. since i haven't known the joy of having a sister, my findings after spending several hilarious days with these 4 ladies are absolutely going to make their way into a blog post. -- after everyone moseyed on their way my bff's older sis adopted me for the day. together the two us drank champagne, ate strawberries, watched leap year, and made cinnamon-chocolate brownies with white chocolate ganache, which we also ate. it was a rather romantic afternoon (without any pressure) and a new thanksgiving tradition that i think is equally hilarious and awesome!

things i wish i knew yesterday:
1. legit black-friday shoppers do not think it's funny that you and your friends continue to take pictures and shout things like "omg, the deals are so hot i'm sweatin'!"
2. during a multi-day thanksgiving marathon, you'll need a break from the turkey... margaritas and fajitas are a fantastic option!
3. it is not impossible to type and eat pumpkin pie at the same time.
4. you can't win 'em all, texas. hook 'em!