Thanksgiving Extravaganza!!!

I had four days off (so did the boys) this weekend. It was a nice little break, but I'm not at the point where I'm sick of school. So I am actually looking forward to going back and finishing up this first set of classes. I have my paper to finish, a few more tests, and one final. Then I have a month break. That's all well and good, but, like I said before, at this point in the game I don't really need the break...or do I? We just had a really busy holiday weekend. This weekends festivities are the start of what will not finish until February really.

We start with Thanksgiving for Dirty's side and Thanksgiving/Christmas for my side of the family. This year, and I'm thinking it's pretty similar to years past, we start out slow then have a total blowout with my family's celebration on Saturday. The food only got better as the weekend progressed. I love going to my family's functions because I get to eat true Filipino dishes like chicken adobo, pianono (sweet rice cakes), pancit, and the pork cooked in it's own blood (which Tito Poli was so kind to help me with the pronunciation, but that I can't remember today). Really I have never been brave enough to try the pork cooked in it's own blood, but I like bringing it up for the ew-factor. I live with all boys remember...I think my sense of humor is slightly tilted in toward their humor. It was planned as a formal dinner by my wacky auntie.

Auntie Vivien, as I said before, is a little wacky. She likes to make elaborate plans and menus. God bless her, because our family get togethers are nothing if not impromptu at every turn. This year on the itinerary was a napkin folding class, a turkey muffin decorating class (this did not happen), formal-wear for dinner (this also, for the most part, did not happen, but I will describe more later), and, as always, a short sermon with the topic of what thankfulness is and what we are thankful for. I lucked out and got the bible verse that was shortest. I Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, which was good because I wasn't filmed for more than 30 seconds. I missed the part of the e-mail (which I didn't get until Thursday anyway because of multiple personal e-mail accounts) about formal dinner-wear being required.

I did dress nicer than just knit-wear with elastic waistbands and a hoodie, but because of a hold-up in the laundry sector I wasn't dressed as nicely as I was hoping. My original choice was to have dark washed jeans with a black empire-waisted silk top so as to still look cute but not have to suck in my tummy all night. I ended up in a very fitted low cut black tank top. I still looked cute but man was I uncomfortable most of the evening. My wacky auntie conducted napkin-folding class, ran around the kitchen and dining room trying to get the tables set formally, then she disappeared to change. When she emerged from the bathroom she was wearing black leather pants, black and white cowboy boots, a black leather vest, and a white shirt that had the buttons covered with embroidered fabric. There was also a matching jacket, but she was already pretty hot in all the other leather. Everyone got pictures*, and she was just as happy as a clam that everyone enjoyed her outfit as much as she did. After the picture-taking fiasco she gave her sermon and we ate. After some sitting around we took a family picture.

The previous year these were done after the presents were opened and there was more room. This year everyone just wanted to get to the dang presents, but a minor few wanted to have the picture taken before the presents. So we spread out across the livingroom in front of the tree and presents. I think that the photographers (guests who I think might be invited solely for the purpose of taking our family's picture) had to take two-three across depending on the camera. Then we stepped it up a notch from last year and also took a digital video to "view on youtube". I'm sure it will have a lot of groaning throughout. Finally it was present time.

I, over the years, have been given some pretty crazy things. I think it's gotten better on many fronts. The men-folk, last year and this, were given denim shirts. Last year there was only one style and it had a small embroidered "St. Louis" on the right with an arch and tiny skyline. This year all the guys got denim shirts, but they were all different colors of denim. I was sitting next to one of my four brothers, N, and he picked up his box and said, "This is probably a shirt." I looked at him and said, "Oh it's a shirt and I bet it's denim." He opened the box and it was a bright red shirt. I looked at it giggling and said, "IT IS DENIM!!! IT'S RED DENIM, TOO!!!" We were laughing so hard. Then once the family historians noticed that people got similar gifts a group picture was mandated. All the boys had to put on their shirts and smile for the camera. Dirty somehow was able to blend into the beige walls and didn't have to model his shirt. This was really one of the best family functions in my memory.

I think we all really enjoyed it here in the House Full of Boys. We laughed all night long and especially on the car ride home. These are just a few of my favorite memories from the night. Dirty said it was a tie between my wacky auntie and my cousin A. It's really too bad that it only happens once a year.

*I do not really like my camera. I would like to have a new digital camera that is just a camera. It really only needs to be a step or two up from the gumball machine toy that I gave Jake a year or so ago. I'm thinking Fuji or Canon about $150 (possibly less if it's decent). I'm writing this in case Santa is a reader of my blog. I don't think he is though, unless he's incognito, because I've never seen "North Pole" on feedjit. :D