Perfect food, perfect weekend, and the best company.

I think I have eaten so much the last few days that I am STILL sleepy. I got 8 hours of sleep today, took a half hour nap, had a huge latte, and I am still struggling to study for my midterm.


But it was definitely all worth it. My dad, his girlfriend, my brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin drove up here from SLO, Carlsbad, and San Clemente. My other cousin (who now lives in SF) and I met them at my grandparent's house in Mountain View, about 45 minutes south, close to San Jose. The funny part about it was that my grandparents were not even there...they were with our family in Oregon and it just worked out for us to use their house. Kind of silly! But it was a nice change to avoid the horrendous drive down south. I really felt like cooking this year, so along with the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry pie, sweet potatoes, and asparagus everyone else made, this was my contribution:

• Bourbon sweet potatoes (with a wonderful brown sugar/pecan/butter/spice topping)
• Georgia's amazing cranberry-orange sauce
• Pecan pie
• Ciabbatta bread stuffing with roasted chestnuts, rosemary, Parmesan, pancetta and other Italian herbs and ingredients
• Brussels sprouts with brown butter and sage

I had a blast cooking and everything turned out wonderfully. We played games, drank wine from SLO, stuffed our bellies, relaxed, told stories, and they even came out to San Francisco Friday night. It was sad when everyone left because that meant I would not see them for awhile since I will be in Idaho for Christmas, and also because I had to face my daunting study guide for anatomy. Gross. But I have a ton of leftovers, and believe it or not, I only have 3 1/2 weeks of school left!! My wanted my brother and I take our Christmas picture, and on the left is the one I picked. Below is the gang without my dad...he was taking the picture and telling us to act like animals! My family is so amazing...I couldn't ask for anyone better, wouldn't change any of them, can't imagine my life without them, and I miss them every day.

Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday.