Thanksgiving 2012

Our Thanksgiving this year was low-key, just spent with our family of three. I realized this is the fourth Thanksgiving we've celebrated since moving to Tucson, but the first in which we've all been together and at home!

My Thanksgiving adventure actually began the night before when I got out my turkey to brine, only to find out the plastic wrap on it had torn somewhere leaving me with nasty smell and a obviously bad turkey. I made a few phone calls to the store where I bought it and was able to exchange my turkey for a new, somewhat larger and (most importantly) fresh bird. The store manager, however, was not in the biggest of holiday moods as she warned me in an overly-sweet voice, "Now don't puncture the wrapping on the way home!" Oh well, Thanksgiving crisis averted!

The next morning we all got up early for the annual Thanksgiving Day Cross Country Classic at Reid Park. It's a European-style 5k race with hay bale jumps and water traps that also has a separate men's and women's start so we both were able to watch Ellie while the other ran. She was happy to sit in the BOB and eat breakfast (I'm realizing I have way too many pictures of this kid eating in her stroller).

We staked out a spot to watch the men's run first. Here's Brian running down the hill to the water traps. The blur shows you just how fast he was running. :)

Heading to the finish!

Brian made great time -- 24:00!

We were able to do a hand-off of the stroller and then it was time to line up for the women's run. I got caught somewhere in the middle to back of the pack when the race started and was stuck in a bottleneck at first, but was able to make up a little time in the first mile. As I came up the hill the first time around, I heard Brian shouting my name and turned just in time to see him and Ellie.

What started out as a very chilly morning warmed up in no time -- I quickly regretted wearing my long-sleeve shirt during the run! I pulled it together for the second loop and saw Brian and Ellie again just before the finish line. 

I heard later that Ellie was confused when I ran right past them. Brian said she shouted, "See momma!" and became upset. I finished with a time of 28:46, which I'm okay with. I'll blame the long-sleeve shirt for the lag. 

A post-race photo -- not my favorite family picture (mostly because of my cheesy face and partially because of Ellie's distant expression) but since it's the only one of all of us on Thanksgiving, on the blog it goes.

Both races finished, Ellie was eager to get out of the BOB and run around the park.

"Slide! Slide!"

We got home in enough time to continue our tradition of watching the Macy's Parade.

Santa Claus!

After watching the first half of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," Ellie went down for her nap and I started cooking up a storm. On the menu: turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, kale salad and pumpkin pie for dessert. The timing couldn't have been better; the sides and rolls were all ready at the same time while the turkey finished resting. However, when Brian cut into the leg it looked as though it wasn't cooked through, even though it should have been done according to the meat thermometer. Back into the oven it went, and we started what Brian called "Backwards Thanksgiving Dinner." When dinner starts with pumpkin pie, how can you really go wrong?

Forty-five minutes later the bird was cooked and expertly carved by Brian, though all Ellie could talk about was "pah pie."

Thoroughly stuffed from a thoroughly yummy dinner, we spent the rest of our evening playing games and reading stories. We have so much to be thankful for this year, but I'm most thankful to have spent this holiday together!