Thanksgivings One and Two in Portrait

The First Thanksgiving
The only photo that really came out, unfortunately.
Somehow nine people and one seven-foot German fit around a small table. Because everyone's food was so delicious, I let them go see Harry Potter without me afterward. I didn't even ruin it or complain that I couldn't go because I was too tired.
I think this is growing up?


The Second Thanksgiving
I carried a 21 pound turkey slung over my back and spent the rest of the day basting until she turned golden.
It's honestly amazing how many people can fit into one tiny room and how a lot of good food and wine and music can turn a word like cramped into something more like cozy.



One day Victoria is going to make her fortune in mini pies.
No, seriously.


The father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
And the Turkey.

After looking through all my photos from both nights (a total of 9-sorry, i'm awful at taking pictures without a lot of light and after I've had more than one glass of wine. But the people there were looking sharp and if I had taken more pictures of them, they would have at least looked like they were having fun) I noticed all were taken in portrait. This really bothered me because I definitely prefer looking at photos in landscape.

And a quick word to all those already celebrating Christmas.
Just stop, please. It's not that I don't love Christmas, but you're despecialing it. And well, I think Thanksgiving is pretty great.
I'm looking at you Georgetown.

Testing.

A Very Special Midnight

HIGH POINT

Even if I was in Hufflepuff, even if i had to leave Koa behind. (But lets be honest, I'd for sure be in Gryffindor. Pork Chop Pork Chop Greasy Greasy Slytherine girls are Easy Easy!)

Halloween

amazing

Paul the Octopus, Republican Jesus, Madeline, House and Cuddy, still not sure exactly what Michael was, Penny Lane, Joan Jett.

A fun group after we rallied from the rally, really.

Woodberry, VA

Woodberry homecoming, corn hole domination, worn paths through fallen leaves, Charlottesville in the fall, a good bench outside a good book sale, Ghirardelli brownies and then, after all that, John left Virginia.

I was warned I might swoon by merely stepping inside the grounds of Woodberry Forest, an all-boys boarding school. Really I was just amazed that they had chandeliers in the dining hall, a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and little silver tags on all of their (amazing) trees.

This is my effort to take more pictures during the weekends.

Might I add the first and last photos were taken by Drew on my camera.

People I Don't Like

Lauren had her 2nd grade students write a journal entry and this is what one of them wrote.
Another one wrote about Life and how it's hard when you get parking tickets and lawsuits.
This really kills me, I just love kids.

"You Gotta Hear This One Song"

Natalie Portman's New CD Player

What Drew Phillips does with his free time.

It's good, I like it.

Meet Norite

This is copied and pasted directly from an e-mail this morning.

"well, you see. my family was never really a pet family. it must be a foreign thing. I had a dog for about a year - but we had to give him away because he was bad and we didn't know how to take care of him. That was pretty traumatizing. Then Bubba, yes, he ran away. Well he was an outdoor cat and refused to come home during a tornado in 2001. Also pretty traumatizing. I just picture him flying through the air like Dorothy's dream in the Wizard of Oz, you know.. dana dana danana with the witch on her bike, yikes. But it was like fate when Boonji, the stray, showed up at our doorstep. We brought him to da vet and errrrrrthang and he is all good! He's still an outdoor cat, but he comes home for some eats and sleeping. Too bad he don't love me - he's a meanie kitty. sometimes i think he thinks he's a lion or a tiger or something."

Ten Things I Liked About Yesterday:

Ed got more hot chocolate for the office kitchen. Ghetto mochas forever.

My towel sits next to the heater in my bathroom. Warm towels after showers forever.

Seeing someone run after the bus and actually catch it.

The song Vesuvius off the new Sufjan album, especailly the end.

Wednesday's farmers market.

Buying walnuts with the shells at the market and finding the exact way to hit them with a hammer without completely shattering the nutmeat.

Apple and Walnut Tart. A tart is what you make when you want to make a pie but have no pie pan. Then you call it rustic.

Trees remembering to take the tart out of the oven before it burned without me calling him.

Having an uncomplicated and only mildly confusing conversation with the people at Penn Camera and then having almost no line at Trader Joe's.

Gemma Jones' character in You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. Oh and Josh Brolin's pot belly, that too.

Dear Dad,

Congratulations on becoming the newest Centreville EMT.

Thanks for telling me nearly every monday how the lungs work on the way to the metro.

You're welcome for being such a talented actress and playing the best unconscious girl with a thready pulse and a ticklish predilection (a very rare but serious condition).

So anyone who dislocates their shoulder can be assured they are in good hands-and don't forget to ask for the nitrous oxide!

vote.

but only if you want, because i wouldn't presume to tell you what to do.

i guess this puts me in dante's vestibule of hell for being indifferent, but i find it extremely annoying and frustrating to try and follow politics. plus i mostly care about puppies and good recipes and how fast the leaves seem to be falling, so no sticker for me.

that being said, i truly admire those who have the patience to know what the hell people are talking about.