WRONG!
It was cold. It felt like winter. I felt cheated. I kept hearing a lot of excuses from my in-laws, such as, “This is really unusual weather for us,” and “It’s usually not this cold,” and “Hey, we don’t remember inviting you,” and “Um, did you take money from our wallets?”
Despite the cold snap, we had an exceptional time in California. As always, Christina and Chase were very gracious hosts and even better company. Eva was especially excited to play with her cousins. The kids were good to each other and I was grateful for that. Eva is still talking about all the fun toys she played with and how much she loved watching Inside Out with her cousins.
Of course we ate delectable food and had some new culinary awakenings. A smoked turkey was on the menu Thanksgiving day and Michael loved it. He was eating like Bob Wiley and making strange noises. He might have even peed his pants a little. He’s convinced it’s the only decent way to consume turkey now. We’re in discussions about that since I’m a purist when it comes to turkey. We also had mood-altering bacon from a local grocery store. Christina splurged for the expensive strips of pig and what a wonderful decision that turned out to be. It was seriously the most delicious bacon I’ve ever had. Not too salty, not too fatty, full of yummy pork flavor – wonderful. Don’t, however, eat said bacon and then go to the gym for boot camp. Bad things happen to your belly and the color of your face. Thankfully, I am not the person who learned this difficult lesson. Once again, my laziness paid off.
We stopped in to the Sacramento Children’s Museum one afternoon. It was the perfect way for the kids to be entertained. Eva spent most of the time in the water exhibit. She did make one stop to the painting station where she expertly smeared her entire sleeve with paint. Don’t worry, it washed out. (I know you were really worried about my laundry crisis.)
Our next adventure was choosing a Christmas tree. We crammed all the kids in the back of the van and headed to a quaint tree farm run by a very nice family. Although I am much too lazy to set up a real tree every year, it was fun to tag along and scope out the perfect tree for someone else. The sun came out that day and it was a beautiful afternoon. The fun was accentuated by a trip to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Oh, I love you, Chick-Fil-A. Please build a restaurant near me. I can single-handedly keep you profitable.
We also went to dinner at an amazing Japanese restaurant. I can’t explain to you what the short ribs did for my taste buds. I’m still thinking about those bad boys and their succulence. Di-Vine. I’m conflicted as to whether I’m glad we ate there or incredibly disappointed that now I have yet another food itch that cannot be scratched. Darn you, Aji.
In all, it was a good trip for us. We showed our appreciation for the hospitality by allowing our dog to destroy 2 things from the playroom. He decided on a sleeping bag and a puppet. Sorry, guys – our dog is an ingrate.
Happy Thanksgiving!
(And Chase: I’m glad you didn’t die while buying Craigslist tires in a seedy neighborhood. That would have squashed the holiday mood.)
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