Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was our first major holiday in the States in 3 years. I was worried that even though we were stateside, we would be spending it alone since our family all seemed to have other plans. I was pleasantly surprised when my brother asked if he and his girlfriend could join us out in Cali. My answer was OF COURSE! 

I was so excited! Their plan was to spend Wednesday-Saturday with us before heading up to Napa for the weekend. I didn’t quite know how much to cook for 4 ½ people on Thanksgiving so I decided to order ½ a ham and a small pre-cooked turkey from Honey Baked Ham along with a few sides to make the day less stressful. When I called HBH to place my order the teller suggested I have my order shipped to me for an additional $20 to skip out on waiting in an outrageous line the day before Thanksgiving. 

When last Wednesday rolled around I was very thankful for this advice since Forest woke up at 4:30 AM that day with his first cold. We decided to hang out in our jammies all day while we waited for our ham and turkey to be delivered. After being cooped up all morning, we were both excited when the FedEx Truck pulled up. Forest even waved to the delivery guy (pretty remarkable for our shy little dude). 

When I picked up the package I thought it felt a little light but didn’t think much of it. But when I opened it I saw it only contained our side dishes and not a trace of turkey or ham. I checked the tracking number and for some reason our sides arrived but our main course wasn’t scheduled to be delivered until Friday, despite the fact that I paid $20 smackers to have it delivered specifically on Wednesday. Of course I instantly had a panic attack. I called Jon (who had the day off and had gone to the gym) and told him he needed to come home immediately to sit with our sick baby while I braved the grocery store. 

While I ran around the store looking for a honey baked ham, Jonathan called the store by that name to try to cancel our order. Meanwhile, I couldn’t find a ham anywhere in the store. I went to the deli counter and they had no idea what I was talking about. While looking for a turkey I saw a woman with a ham in a football hold at her side. I asked her where she found it and she subtly pointed towards the produce (yes, the produce) and whispered, ‘hurry, there is only one left’. I ran through the store and laid my hands on the ham. 

As for the turkey, I had found a stress free recipe for crock pot turkey breast. Y’all know I love anything that can be cooked in a slow cooker. I bought two boneless turkey breasts plus a small turkey for good measure, just in case I got a good night’s sleep and felt like doing all the traditional trimmings the next day (I didn’t). Clint and Alexis arrived around 10:30 that night and we were all tired so called it a night early and vowed to wait to play mahjong until the next evening. 

Forest was up for a long stretch in the night so I was a zombie yet again the next day. I opted for the slow cooker turkey breast option (which was delish and super easy by the way) while the boys slow grilled our ham. 

While the meat was cooking, we toured them around nearby Danville and then headed back to work on casseroles/stuffing/desserts/etc while Forest refused his nap. 

After his (not so) quiet time was over, we put the finishing touches on the meal, set the table and dug in, giving us enough time to eat before the LSU vs. Texas A&M game came on (for those of you wondering, LSU won the 5^th straight matchup…). 

Forest's new lucky sweatshirt from Uncle Clint and Aunt Alexis #realmenwearpurple

Forest was a super grump from being sick and way overtired so he went to bed very early which gave us plenty of time to play mahjong.  

The next day, Jon was also feeling under the weather so he offered to stay home with the contagious kiddo while the 3 other adults went for a day in the city. I was soooo excited since we haven’t spent much  time in San Fran since moving to the Bay Area. Alexis’s mom is originally from San Francisco and she gave us a recommendation for where to eat in Chinatown and we were really looking forward to lunch. 

We decided to take the BART train from the ‘burbs right into the heart of downtown SF. I had never taken the train so was glad to have an opportunity to do a test run without Forest. We got parked easily enough and headed off to buy our tickets at the kiosk. Right before we completed our order, a man came up to us and said ‘If you’re wanting to go into the city, don’t bother. There are protesters blocking the tracks in Oakland so they aren’t running anymore.’ 

We were bummed about the change of plans but so thankful that he told us just in time. My brother commented that he’s never been so happy that Alexis spent extra time getting ready. I was also really glad that we didn’t get stuck in that protest business, especially if we had had Forest with us. Apparently they jumped onto the train in Oakland, held the doors open and ordered everyone to get out. That would have been a really scary experience anyway, but especially with a baby to protect. We were unsure of if the freeways were affected by the protestors (who were trying to stop Black Friday shopping in San Francisco to raise awareness for the police shooting in Ferguson) and we didn’t want to deal with the stress of traffic and parking in San Francisco so we decided just to spend our day safely on the East Bay. 

First stop- In N Out Burger, of course! My brother became obsessed with the franchise during his Marine Corps days in San Diego and since they don’t have them down south, it’s always a must-eat attraction on his trips out west. I was happy to oblige his craving. 

Afterward we headed home to spend a little time with the rugrat and Jonathan before heading out to Livermore for some wine tasting. The day was gorgeous so I wanted to take them out to Concannon to sit on their gorgeous lawn and have some wine. We found a free table in the sun and split a bottle of their yummy Merlot. 

It was nice to have a day off from Forest and get to enjoy some great company, good wine and gorgeous weather and scenery. 

And Concannon is so family friendly that it reminded me that we should totally go there more often. Maybe for our next playdate? Who’s with me? 

After finishing our wine, we headed back home for Thanksgiving leftovers. Despite us cancelling our order, Honey Baked Ham still delivered our ham and turkey a day late so we had plenty to feast on (and plenty to stock the freezer with). 

After the baby went to bed we enjoyed an all night mahjong fest. It was so good for my soul. 

Clint and Alexis headed to Napa the next day for a nice weekend of wine tasting and even managed a trip into San Fran for lunch before their flight home. Despite the little hitches with Honey Baked Ham and protestors shutting down the train, it was a really fun and relaxing holiday. I was sad to say goodbye to family but it made it easier to know that I’d be seeing them in less than a month for Christmas. Thanks for coming to visit Clint and Alexis! You are welcome back anytime!

I had to get a pic with Samson. I love how he is just so totally over it and can't be bothered to move an inch.