The Thing About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was never my favorite holiday growing up. Turkey is far from my first choice of main courses, cooking all day is not my cup of tea, and cleaning up the mess is DEFINITELY not my idea of a fun afternoon.

BUT. When Thanksgiving brings us together with the people we love the most - I change my tune, a lot. All of a sudden, I don't hate turkey, I enjoy cooking, and I don't even mind cleaning up the mess. This year, my parents came to visit, and made the Thanksgiving meal - along with the rest of the week - an absolute joy.

As usual, here is a recap of our adventures, via pictures.

  

That sunset.

 



 

(Jackson's first movie - The Good Dinosaur)

 

Saranac Brewery Tour

 

Beer is a hobby.

 

Fancy dinners call for fancy sweaters.

(and 'juicy kisses'.)

 



 

Because every family should own a pair of pink onion goggles...?

 

Feeding the horses apples. Happy Thanksgiving, horses.

 

A beast of a feast for 4.5 people.

 

Welcome back, Clyde.

Christmas train ride to Old Forge.

 



 

He's a fierce napper. Anywhere. Anytime.

 

Fulton Chain Craft Brewing - this place offers awesome beer in an authentic Adirondack setting.

 

...still napping.

 

We got the inside scoop on a 'legitimate' speakeasy in Thendara, NY. I'm certain it's all about the experience, since drinking actually IS legal. That being said, this place was unmarked (above), and upon entering we were asked by the pretty Romanian (below) if we were lost. After saying the password, we were granted entry. Sorry, no photography allowed inside. A local gem, to be sure.

 

Jackson made a friend (and he has good taste, obviously).

The train ride home.

 

Thanks Nana and Papa, for yet another memorable and special week. We miss you already! Pencil us in for next year?

That Bathroom Floor, Though

As soon as Tyler returned home from his six months away, he quickly jumped into a few projects around the house. One such project, was the tiling of our bathroom floor.

You guys already know how we feel about many of the finishings in our home, which is somewhere along the lines of "what the hell were they thinking?"

The structure and build of the home itself is on-point. I love the layout, it has good bones, and the water and heating systems are top-notch. The carpet, floors, hardware, cabinets, showers, some light fixtures, and vanities however, can HIT THE ROAD.

Because we won't live here for more than a few more years, we have to choose our projects wisely, and plan to only tackle the issues that will (hopefully) give us the highest return. We've painted, replaced carpet, replaced hardware, and replaced light fixtures. Now I can add new bathroom floors to the list.

You guys, this cost us a whopping $300 (and that includes a new toilet).

 

Before:

During:

 



 

Mixing adhesive - with wine, obviously.

My dad even got in on the action (thanks, dad).

 



 

After:



Three-Oh

Tyler recently turned the big 3-0, which I think is kind of a big deal. For those of you who don't know, Tyler is the master of surprises. He loves, loves to surprise family members, and does it as often as he can.

For this particular birthday, I wanted to return the favor - in a big way. I decided that I would surprise him with a getaway to New York City (a city that neither of us had visited before). Then I thought, what would make an awesome trip to NYC even awesomer? If his friends showed up. Then I thought, what would make this the awesomest surprise ever? That's right. If his family made an appearance, too.

Incredibly, nearly everyone I invited was able to make the trip.

Everyone showed up over the course of Thursday night, surprising him at our hotel room, and in bars we were at. I think he nearly couldn't process what was happening. So many people who love him, all in one place.

The energy in NYC is contagious. The history, the size, the culture, the architecture - it's intoxicating. We went non-stop for three straight days, and collapsed into the train that would take us home at the end of our trip. We ate, toured, drank, and explored our way through Tyler's 30th birthday weekend.

A huge thank you to everyone who travelled to make this a reality - it wouldn't have been the same without each of you.

Here's a peek inside our adventure, via photo overload.