Thanksgiving 2009

This was my very first year away from home for Thanksgiving. I wasn't away from home so much as I was at a new home. We spent the holiday with Brian's people in Colorado Springs. His twin and her husband came up from Mississippi and brought their friend Bryan Christopher and their german shepherd puppy. Brian's oldest sister and her family and Brian's grandparents live in the Springs, so they were there and of course Brian's parents graciously hosted all of us. We stayed for three days and each day there was a smattering of different people dropping by to visit.

Matt and Michelle

Grandpa and Grandma Ramsey

I'm not used to such large crowd since we always had comparatively small holidays and since it's just Brian and me up in here in Lakewood. But even though I wasn't used to all the excitement, I really enjoyed it. We went to bed tired but not drained each night and looked forward to being with family again each day.

On Thanksgiving we went on group hike through Palmer Park. I wore my house shoes because I forgot my tennis shoes at home. I'm sure it was a very nice hike, but all I could think about was how much my feet hurt.

As glad as we were yesterday to be sleeping in our own bed and back in our own house, we were a little sad driving back that we wouldn't be waking up to a houseful of family and friends.

Today we are back to life as usual. Brian is at Starbucks cranking out heat transfer homework and I'm washing clothes and trying to organize our Christmas decorations.

Leatherheads

Last night Brian and I watched Leatherheads with Renee Zellweger, George Clooney and John Krasinski (The Office). Allstar cast right? I thought so, but even with a great cast the movie was a total waste of time. It was two hours long and very, very slow. When the movie was over I didn't like any of the characters. No one had integrity or likability.

So I write this morning to save you from wasting your 3 dollars for the rental and two hours of your life that you'll never get back.

On a less critical note, Brian and I are leaving this morning to go to the Springs to spend Thanksgiving with his family! We are really excited. Even though we live just a little over an hour from away we've only made it down two times since we've been married. It's hard to leave for a whole day when there's so much work to be done for Brian's classes.

I'm getting a hair cut today as well. It always makes me feel better to have a new hair cut and I've been feeling kind of yucky lately, so I'm hoping this will pull me out of my slump.

I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving wherever you are. If you feel like you have nothing else to be thankful for this year, remember that God's very nature is the believer's greatest source of joy. He gives us strength for today and hope for tomorrow!

Pea Soup

This is the best soup. Ever. Seriously, ever. It's the only pea soup I've ever had because well, pea soup sounds kind of gross. A couple of weeks ago we had dinner at some friend's and this is what they made. I googled split pea soup for about a half hour before I found the exact recipe my friend used but it was 30 minutes well spent.

Pea and Basil Soup

1 1/2 cup (12 oz) frozen peas

1 onion chopped

2-3 cloves garlic minced

1-2 T EVOO

3/4 cup fresh basil chopped

1 can (12 oz) chicken broth

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Optional garnish: fresh sliced mozzarella and sliced roasted red peppers

(I used some jarred roasted red peppers and skipped the cheese)

Cook onions and garlic in EVOO in large sauce pan until onions are translucent (5 minutes) add peas and basil until peas are thawed (5 minutes). Pulse pea mixture and 1/2 can of chicken both in blender until pureed. Return to sauce pan add the rest of the chicken broth and half and half. Cook until hot but not boiling (boiling half and half will not turn out well, trust me).

This recipe is originally from Giada on FoodNetowrk but I've tweaked it so that it's less heavy

This next one's for Jerry and Emily :) Growing up my step dad added hot sauce to lots of things like french fries and pinto beans. And my friend Emily is even more lavish in her application of hot sauce. It's one of the major themes of her blog. So after years of exposure from Jerry and months of subliminal messages from Emily's posts, I bought some. Wasn't sure what to do with it, but I bought it none the less. And slowly I'm putting it on more and more things. Rice, eggs, beans. What's next?

Sorry, no Louisiana.