Friendsgiving

After college I started a little tradition of Friendsgiving...or what I have entitled my Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving Feast. The holidays are all about spending time with family; but my friends are also my family and before we all head off every year I love being able to pull all of us together to enjoy the same thing we will with our family. A Thanksgiving feast! With all the trimmings.

I've been doing it now for 5 years, and every year is different. Each year has a new obstacle to overcome (typically its with one of the side dishes going awry). One year it will be not having enough space to cook all the food and transporting the turkey from one location to another (cooked - with the juices going all over the car...awesome smell afterward let me tell ya). The next year it will be the turkey not being cooked on time. THIS YEAR was the mashed potatoes. My beloved potatoes. MY FAVORITE PART of thanksgiving.

I tried a new recipe this year, and must have mismeasured or something....added to much milk to quickly and they became mushed potatoes. A somewhat runny potatoes that were not clear mush but not real potatoes.....damn it. They did settle somewhat after standing a bit....but not to MY liking. They still tasted good and everyone seemed to like them (as there were ZERO leftovers), but it was my own personal disaster.

BUT besides that it was a wonderful day. Full of friends, food, drinking, football. I find myself constantly reminded of how blessed I am. To be surrounded by such amazing people. My friends and family are the most wonderful source of love and support for me. The only thing missing from the day was my sister who was unfortunately stuck home sick. But I did send her leftovers that she was able to enjoy days later when she regained her taste for food.

Hoping everyone else is able to spend their holidays truly grateful for what they have in their lives. Because no matter how hard things may get, and how hard our lives can sometimes seem the one thing we should realize is that typically we're better off than majority of the population. We're unbelievably spoiled in our lives and if I can provide only a portion of the happiness in my life to those around me then I can feel like I've done at least something right.

Peek a boo!

My organizational skills at their best...damn I'm a nerd

Turkey - all wrapped in love and yumminess!

Mom helping with the prep work

more organization

veggies extreme!

the aftermath...yum yum delicious

Ms. Rich and I pregaming 

its as big as my FACE!

All decked out for the party!

End of Summer - Minnesota Style!

Labor Day weekend....the culmination of all things summer....damn it...did i GET a summer this year?! Well given that Seattle's summer only started oh 3 weeks prior to Labor Day it seems weird to already be saying goodbye to it....but such is the life of a Seattlite. 

I was lucky enough this year to be able to jet off somewhere new for Labor Day while being brought back together with old friends. Minneapolis was the destination to visit my fabulous roomie (I refuse to call her my ex-roomie btw) Katie. We may live thousands of miles apart but we are still and will always be roomies :)

By the time I arrived it had been two months since she'd moved back to Minnesota and I think we were both ready for the return of some normalcy....even if we were not in our old apartment and in a completely different state. We were reunited....and it feeeeels so good! Sorry....I'll stop singing...promise!

The weekend was exactly what I had asked for and exactly what the doctor ordered. I arrived Thursday evening and Katie and I made dinner at her house and sipped on some wine, catching up on ALL the things that happened over the last couple months. We'd been saving up all the good stories from our phone convos because we knew that dishing in person would be so much better. 

Friday was a chill day as Katie headed out to work and I used the day to detox from work and life in general. Getting a nice 3.5 mile run in and exploring her neighborhood.....I will say that somehow I got lost on my run (Still not ENTIRELY sure how)....considering it was supposed to be a loop around the lake....only THIS girl could get lost when supposed to be running in a circle :)

We headed north that afternoon to Katie's hometown to enjoy some much anticipated homemade cooking, lake time and family time with the Rasinski clan. The weekend consisted of some true Minnesota activities!! Horseback riding, apple picking, driving tractors, bonfires, a turkey feed, tubing, waterskiing, and just enjoying the amazing outdoors. I honestly can say that this was THE BEST weekend I've had in a VERY LONG time. It was just refreshing to be in a place where you could be out and about, with family, friends, and having a great time. Her family took me in as their own and I cannot tell you how much it warms my heart. Her mom and dad, Dyana and baby C! I love them to pieces. And this whole trip made me miss my roomie very much though! Leaving Minnesota was almost as hard as the day that Katie moved. 

Its brought some serious thoughts about looking at potential opportunities out in Minneapolis...but those are thoughts to mull over in my head for now.

Here are some pics from the weekend festivities!

Danielle's Visit to the Emerald City

One of my very BEST friends from back home (and by home I mean Vegas) came to visit the little place we like to call the Emerald City a couple weekends ago. It was a last minute trip decision, but I have to say it was one of the best weekends I've had in a VERY long time!

It was amazing to be able to have someone who has been in my life for so long come up and see what my life is like now. To see my new city and see all of the changes that are going on. Most of all, I love the fact that I can have one of my best friends come up, someone I haven't seen in over a year, come up and have it be as if NO time has passed. We are able to pick up and be the friends that we've been all along. And I am truly blessed to have someone in my life like that.

Our weekend was jam packed full of sightseeing and good times. We did the usual spots - Pike Place Market, the Waterfront, Alki Beach, Green Lake, Seattle Center and Space Needle etc. But we got to do a lot of things that not all of my usual visitors get to do. We were able to catch a free concert down on the waterfront (along with some TASTY bloody marys!), kayaked Green Lake, hiked Rattlesnake Ledge, wine tasting in Woodinville, and just relax and enjoy some BEAUTIFUL Seattle summer weather.

Danielle told me on more than one occasion that I'm crazy. (in a good way I think) Mostly because of how much we ran around while she was there. Pretty sure she told me I probably get more done in a day than she does in a week or month because I walk so damn fast. What can I say?! I like being on the go now! :)

Anyway - I have to thank Danielle for coming up and making it such an amazing weekend. It honestly was EXACTLY what I needed. An amazing friend to take my mind off the many things that have been running rampant around me. To allow me to just be me and enjoy myself, my friend and my beautiful city.

Love you lady!

Added some pictures below of my favorite moments :)
xoxo