The Story of Two Thanksgivings

Hey everyone,
Long time no write!  I would like to tell you all about the two Thanksgiving dinners I went to this year.  The first was a dinner the Monday before Thanksgiving with my fellow TA office mates, Josh, Ursula, and Laura, as well as two of our professors who could make it to dinner.  The food was amazing, and I had a great time hanging out with my colleagues outside of school.

Ursula and Josh

Jana, Josh, and Dancing Panda (the mascot for one of my English classes)

Then on Thursday afternoon, Jesse, Ursula, and I headed up to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving with my family, as well as the family of my brother's girlfriend, Ally.  I don't usually go home for Thanksgiving, since it is such a drive, but we decided to have a big meal with both families this year, and I didn't want to miss it!  Literally the minute we arrived in Eau Claire, it began to snow.  What a warm welcome back to my home state.

Friday morning Jesse, Ursula, and I did a little Black Friday shopping.  Ursula was a little nervous because of all the horror stories she had heard, but we didn't leave the apartment until 9:00, so it actually wasn't that bad.  Jesse bought a bunch of movies (surprise!), Ursula got some speakers to hook up to her phone, and I bought one of those headbands to keep your ears warm in the winter.

I was a little doubtful that all of us would fit in Steve and Ally's apartment, but I might have been the one to propose that they host dinner in the first place, so I wasn't about to voice my concerns.

Actually, everything turned out perfectly.  Ally and my brother and sister, Steve and Sara, had decorated the apartment beautifully, and they had a really nice table set up in the kitchen, leaving the living room free for everyone to socialize and spend time together.  Also, the food was fantastic.

Ursula, Steve, Ally, Ally's mom Janice, and Grandma Agnes preparing for dinner

After dinner we spent a little more time together before most everyone went home.  Then we watched the new Spiderman movie and Elf and Ally and I did some arts and crafts with the build-your-own-paper-turkey kits I bought at Target.  After that Jesse and Ursula decided they were tired enough to go to sleep, but the rest of us stayed up and played Ticket to Ride, which, if you haven't played it yet, is such a fun game.  Except when Mom wins by A LOT.

The next day Jesse, Ursula, and I took the scenic route back to Nebraska.  We drove through Minneapolis, stopped at two different burger places (more on that later), and swung through the Mall of America just so Ursula could get a feel for the place.  I ended up buying some Packers earrings and Jesse got a couple pairs of colorful socks.  We didn't stay long though, since it was, as expected, SO CROWDED.

Lego creations above the Lego store

All in all, it was an awesome trip, and I am so glad I got to take an extra trip home this year.  I can't believe Christmas is in just a couple of weeks, and I am looking forward to going home again and spending more time with my family.

Until later,
Amy