Thanksgiving

Even though I didn't get to see my parents or brother for Thanksgiving, it was great to see the rest of my family and friends in Michigan. It was strange, however, to be "home" without an actual home. Abbey's mom drove me past our old house, and even though it's only been in a new set of hands for a less than six months, it looks different. Somehow colder and empty, with an unfamiliar dog in the back yard. I don't think I'll ever get used to that. Anyway, I made myself home at three different places during the long weekend: Aunt Arlene's house for Thanksgiving Day, Lindsay and Trep's apartment on Friday and Saturday and Abbey's parent's house on Sunday.

The big dinner itself was great, as expected. Auntie R made TONS of food, including calzones in addition to the normal turkey day fare. In addition to my aunt and uncle, I spent some time with almost all of my cousins and their kids, who are growing so incredibly fast. (I know, I sound like an old woman who should be pinching their cheeks and exclaiming how tall they've gotten. But really, the last time I saw a few of them, walking and talking wasn't an option).


The next two days were spent shopping, catching up with high school and college friends, watching Abbey's "little" sister catapult toward complete drunkenness for the first time, and eating some of my favorite Detroit foods (including dinner in Greektown and second, post-bar dinner at National Coney Island). Lindsay, Trep, and I made a trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts, which recently reopened its doors after an extensive renovation.

On Sunday, I ate an early dinner with Aunt Melo, Uncle Tom and Grandma and then watched DVR'd episodes of Grey's and The Office with Abbey's mom, who dropped me off at the airport for a very long day of travel and delays the next day. The one upside of my almost four-hour delay: I saw Dustin Diamond on the terminal tram in Atlanta. Although I'm kicking myself for being too shy to ask for a picture.

Next up, Christmas in Florida.