13 Things I Did While I Was Home for Thanksgiving

1. The night before Thanksgiving, I sat at the kitchen counter, watching my mother make the pie crust for pumpkin pie, just like she does every year. First she mixed together the shortening and flour in a large bowl, then she rolled it out on a large wooden work board that belonged to my grandmother. When she turned her back, I stole little pieces of raw pie dough and popped them into my mouth.

2. Woke up early on Thanksgiving to help my mom make the stuffing, just like I did when I was a little girl. Together, we melted the butter in a large pan, then added the onions, celery, and carrots, talking as they cooked. Then we poured the mixture over the bread and added pine nuts and bacon and raw egg and I smooshed the mixture together with my hands while my mom worked at the stove.

3. Sat by the window with my hands wrapped around an oversized mug of coffee and watched the snow falling in the backyard.

4. Called my sister (in Portland, OR) and gave her a blow-by-blow account of what was going on so she wouldn't feel like she was missing anything.

5. Ate green bean casserole made with frozen beans, canned cream of chicken
soup, canned fried onions, and cheese--and loved every minute of it.

6. Fell asleep in front of the TV.

7. Felt nostalgia and love when I drove through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and saw
Pittsburgh spread out before me, all bridges and barges and gray skies.

8. Ate breakfast at my favorite Pittsburgh breakfast spot.

9. Solved Wedding Worry # 71. I met the Thai Lady. She’s real! And she's
an amazing cook and totally excited about catering our wedding, so I'm no
longer freaking out. (Thank you, spiceboy.)

10. Hugged my friends and realized how much I miss laughing with them.

11. Stayed up late with spiceboy making crabcakes in his mother’s kitchen.

12. Didn’t fight with my parents.

13. Dreamed of Christmas when I can come back and do it all over again.