The Daily Distraction: November 2010

I have a problem with holidays. I get really amped for them. The build-up is so exciting. I get to see my sister! I get to eat mashed potatoes! I get to see the Way's! Black Friday! Etc etc etc. Then the holiday gets here and all of a sudden it's gone and then I'm back home and exhausted and cranky. The holidays always get me like that. This one was no different. It was great. And stressful. And messy.

6 Things I'm Thankful for Thanksgiving 2010:

1) Mike and his calm, zen-like driving. Yes, he gets a little road ragey like the best of us, but he can seriously sit in that driver's seat and not be bothered driving for HOURS. He doesn't get fidgety, he doesn't get bored, he just has to pee A LOT.

2) Glee cd's. Yup, I said it. We listened to the three, (yes, Mike and I combined own three of them...what of it?!), Glee soundtracks about 500 times during the drive to and from my sister's this Thanksgiving. Bippity bopping to those beats helped the miles fly by.

3) The Way's. Love them for more reasons than I can count, but this Thanksgiving, I love them for letting us stay at their fancy, adult house. I love our house, but staying in theirs made me look forward to turning ours into a home. Their eclectic, grown-up, lived-in home made me instantly relax after a long day and feel like I was in the presence of a real family even when they weren't there. Also, their bed is huge and comfortable and their shower is three times the size of ours. F-A-N-C-Y.

4) FOOD. Really, what is the best thing about Thanksgiving? Let's all be honest, food. Mike and Laura slaved away in that kitchen. Well, not slaved. More like bickered amusingly while working. Loved it. Listening to them fight like a real brother and sister while cooking delicious food was a perfect Thanksgiving memory for me this year. The mashed p's rocked. Life was good.

5) Wine. What would a trip to Sonoma County be without wine tasting and what better way to recover from Black Friday then with some tasting of that wine?! Alexander Valley open house was a blast. Not the best wine we've ever had, but some great stuff, some laughs, and some stories that will never get old.

6) Laughter. This trip was stressful and had its share of bumps in the road, but laughing through some of the worst really helped. Laughing with Mike and my mom until we all almost cried or peed our pants at the THIRD time Gizmo vomited onto my mom's lap made the last leg of the long and stinky drive up to Santa Rosa bearable. Laughing as we high-tailed it out of one of the scariest businesses, let alone wineries, I have ever been to in my entire life even though we felt dirty and our shoes were covered in mud, it made not only our day, but the whole trip.

Happy Thanksgiving, can't wait for Christmas!