Thankgiving Trip

Our (much needed) vacation began on Tuesday at noon, when we both arrived home to pack the car and head out of town.

Buster & I

We headed up to the in-law’s house to drop off the pups and accept a much appreciated ride to the airport en route to Bend! And before I get questions, yes it
felt weird telling people we were going to spend the money to fly instead of just getting in a car & driving the 3 hours it normally takes. However, if you’ve ever driven over a mountain pass in a snow flurry, I’d hope you’d understand why I might opt to fly. Plus, my mom had airline miles to spare. Spoiled? Maybe. Stress free? Definitely!

Sidenote: I love to fly! I’ve been flying since I was five and about 90% of the flights have been sans parents/parental supervision. There is something about being in a plane that sort of relaxes me and puts me at peace. If I could, I’d fly everywhere!

So here is our breakdown of the week:

Tuesday night: After a (short) 40 minute flight, we were greeted at the Bend/Redmond Airport by my mom. We proceeded to her house for a chili dinner & TV at home.

Wednesday: Sam & I thought we’d be proactive in working off some of the upcoming weight we might gain at Thanksgiving dinner, so we went to the gym. Unfortunately, we had to pay a guest fee ($7/each) and decided against going a second or third time while we were there. We also hit
the grocery store, which wasn’t as bad as expected the day before a national food holiday. We got in & out quite quickly. And then we spent another night in, enjoying the company and relaxation.

Thursday: My mom made plans to go have us go to a family friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, which freed up the day to do as we pleased. We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade and some football. In between commercials, my awesome husband helped me make these:

Oreo Turkeys

Our afternoon plans consisted of seeing The Blindside and finishing up our required dishes to bring to dinner.

Thanksgiving dinner (yes, a day in itself) : One word: Food! There was so much to eat; you almost didn’t know where to begin. All the families that came contributed at least one dish to the meal and between 5 families, every dish was pretty much represented! We ate & ate & ate and then ended the night watching the end of the Texas/Texas A&M game and having our Christmas card picture taken.

Family Picture

Friday: I didn’t think I would do it, but my mom & I got up at 4:30am to do the whole Black Friday Shopping Extravaganza. I can’t say I am a die-hard though, because some people (my brother being one of them) were up before 3am to start shopping. I did manage to find some good deals and knock a few Christmas presents off my list to give. Following shopping, the Heaters came over to hang out with us. We made a stop at our (Michelle & I’s) previous workplace to say hello and then headed out for coffee. They introduced us to a new coffee shop in downtown Bend that is quite trendy. It was fun to catch up and play with Levi. He’s getting to an age where he does more than just eat & sleep. (No baby fever here, but it’s fun to play with someone else’s)

Saturday: I had a coffee date with a high school friend and we ended up talking for almost 2 hours. Following coffee, Sam & I went out to eat, while my mom had a previous planned lunch date. Then we headed back to my mom’s and packed up. The rest of the afternoon was spent soaking up all the rest we could before we headed back. Our plane left at 7:30pm and before we knew it we were over the mountain again being picked up by Sam’s parents.

Sunday: We went to church and then came home for a (mini) Thanksgiving lunch. Then we packed up the dogs & headed home once again. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry & catching up on our DVR.

Now that the Holiday season is truly upon us, I am really excited! I love time spent with family & friends and the love that seams to radiate this time of year.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!