Friendsgiving

One of my very favorite holiday traditions is Friendsgiving.  My roommate Laura started this a few years ago, and now that she lives with Kim and I, it's been such a joy to host it at our house!  We open up the invitation to all our friends and any of their friends, and simply ask that everyone bring a dish to share.  It is always a delicious meal, and this year was no exception!  We had baked macoroni and cheese (my contribution), green beans wrapped in bacon, shrimp casserole (a recipe from Laura's grandmother that she beautifully recreates every year), a smoked turkey (thanks, Michael and Rae Wong!), a yummy chocolate pudding creation (yup, my boyfriend can cook!) and so much more.

As much as I loved the food, what I loved the most was the fellowship.  We call it Friendsgiving because it's Thanksgiving shared with friends, and I'm so thankful the opportunity to celebrate with the friends who are my family while I'm in New Orleans.  We had old friends, new friends, friends we see every day, and friends we see once a month.  Our upstairs neighbors came (we live in a duplex) and getting to know them and their almost 2 year old daughter was a special treat.  This was her first time having turkey (her mom is a vegetarian) and when her dad originally offered her some, she said, "No bird!"  Such a beautiful little girl!

It was also neat to reflect on how much things have changed since our last Friendsgiving.  Last year I was miserable with my job and despite how great I thought Cori was, I was convinced he only saw me as a friend.  This year I'm in a totally different place: I love my students and I'm absolutely crazy about this Cori kid.  Like I've said before, I'm in a different season of life, and I'm loving it!

I loved every minute of my first Thanksgiving celebration of the year- next up, celebrating with my Richmond girls.  I can't wait!  :)