Long Time No Write

Goodness, it seems like it's been eons since I sat down in front of this particular computer screen! And in computerland, I guess 10 days=an eon.

I've been quite the busy little bee since we last chatted. Last Wednesday, my dear husband packed up the car, dog and myself and we embarked on a twelve hour drive to visit my in-laws for Thanksgiving.

Having traveled with Miss Pearl on other occasions, we were smart enough to procure some meds for the trip. Girl hopped in the car, spun around once and we heard nary a peep from her for the duration. After having endured a four hour drive a couple of months back where the poor thing cried non-stop, this was pure heaven. (Please understand that I don't really like the prospect of medicating her, but seeing her in distress is far worse.)

As always, my in-laws were a delight. The Thanksgiving sideboard positively groaned with the bounty of the fall harvest. There was turkey, two kinds of potatoes, stuffing, dressing, four vegetables, four kinds of pie, pralines...all amazing. Did I mention the eggplant parmesan and gnocchi with vodka sauce? You can't have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner without eggplant parmesan, can you?

I was able to justify a "second" slice of pie because I got up at the crack of dawn and ran a 10K with Mercedes from Knit Nouveau. I am a master of justification and that run provided me with justification for about ten times more calories than it actually burned off.

One of the fun things about spending time in a different part of the country is that their seasons are different from ours. Here in Chicago, the fall colors came and went a long time ago. In Birmingham, they were still going full tilt. And this was a spectacular year to boot! I can't remember the last time I saw such a beautiful display. As so often happens, I was once again humbled by Mother Nature.

Friday was a nice quiet day. We met an old friend for breakfast and then just hung out with the family. Then we had round two of gorge-fest. After a big turkey dinner on Thursday, what would you have besides prime rib on Friday? It's a family tradition. Good thing I left my skinny jeans at home!

Saturday was another long day on the road. We stopped in Michigan and had dinner with friends. It was a nice way to break up the drive.

Sunday was home and some serious couch time. I wish I had one more day before heading back to work. Isn't that always the case?