Blog of the Month

What a great thanksgiving.

I had three thanksgiving dinners. One with my immediate family, one with the extended family, and one with a prof's family and some random friends from CBC. The first one, with my immediate family, was kind of rushed. I had to leave after dinner to attend a birthday party (which was also awesome, but I'll get there). I got there around 5, and the whole apartment was SO warm. It was already a warm day, so add to that a few hours of a turkey in the oven and you've got one HOT apartment. The day was just beginning to cool off, so I went out onto the porch to get some fresh air. As soon as I began to walk back towards the sliding door opening, I could feel a heat wave rushing out into the darkening night. It was intense. This was Laura (my sister's) first thanksgiving meal that SHE had cooked, so it was an epic milestone. It tasted just fine. And by fine I mean damn tasty. We also had wine with our meal, which is a rarity around my family. I ended up mixing it with this sweet fruit punch stuff and then it was REALLY tasty and even my mom liked it.

The second thanksgiving was our classic Klassen-family meal. This meant we all gathered at my Oma's apartment (tiny place). We waited for everyone to show up, and 5 minutes before they're supposed to arrive my Oma would start pacing and muttering how they're late and she hopes they remembered and are alive. Eventually everyone would show up (gasp.) and the feasting would begin. We'd sit around a table with far too much food on it, and we'd sit there until it was all gone. We'd all take the first portion, and then seconds and more until the bowls and plates were empty. We'd clap and cheer as we finished off one bowl, only to see my Oma go into the kitchen and refill it. There's always too much food at my Oma's place. Eventually we'd all be groaning in pain, and that's when the desert comes out. Then we sit there and eat that until we feel sickeningly full. Then we eat more. This year we had a lot of red, potentially stain-worthy edible products. Blueberry juice, cranberry juice, cranberries, and the salad had a red dressing on it. In the end, the salad was the worst because the dressing would spritz off the crunching lettuce onto the white tablecloth, and to the detriment of my cousin, her pants.

The third thanksgiving was at Gareth Brandt's house - a prof from CBC. Apparently he had made an open invitation to Thanksgiving at his house in one of his classes and my roommate had quickly accepted. Upon hearing such news, I decided to tag along for the fun and free food. It was a classic American-esque thanksgiving. We hung out with his family for a few hours in the afternoon before the eating began. We played football in the nearby field before the meal, as well as grounders on the playground. I ended up breaking skin on my left elbow, which allowed blood to be spilled before the food was even in sight. It was awesome. The food was excellent, the pie afterwards was splendid, and we hiked up their mountain after we were stuffed. After that we roasted some marshmallows in their backyard and laughed as Lori (1st year OL) reenacted Jim Carrey lines for our amusement. It was awesome.

Perogies are ready. A blog for the birthday party will later ensue.