Thanksgiving on Ice

Good afternoon Wichita!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving - I sure did! It was an unusual one, though, so I thought I'd tell the story here for anyone who's interested.

Every year, my family gets together in Philadelphia, PA, at my aunt's house to celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a huge affair - 27 people this year - and I'm sure you've all got a fairly good idea of what a family Thanksgiving looks like. Well, this year was different, because Bryan and I didn't go. That's right, we stayed here in the 'ta! ("The 'ta, by the way, is hands-down my favorite nickname for Wichita, with "the dub-K" coming in as a close second.)

Anyway, we decided the flight back east this year was just too much for us to handle. Frankly, we've both been so busy since the beginning of fall that we've barely spent a day together. Thanksgiving seemed like the perfect excuse to take time off, be lazy, and just spend time together in our apartment with our ridiculous cats. Luckily for us, my family wasn't upset about losing us this year. They were happy for us! It's that kind of support that makes my family something I'm incredibly grateful for :-)

So on Thanksgiving morning, Bryan and I slept late. It was glorious. When we finally got out of bed, we ate cookies for breakfast. And by "cookies," what I mean is "cookie dough." Salmonella be damned, dough is just plain better before it gets baked! We stayed home all morning and watched movies, sitting on the couch with the cats. At around 3, I baked some potatoes and fried some ham for our dinner. So much for "turkey day"!

After we ate, we went to the Wichita Ice Center for open skating from 4:00-6:00. It was my first time there, and we got 2 hours of skating plus rental skates for $5 a piece! I was pretty happy with that. Bryan used to play ice hockey, so he was his element zipping around the ice like a pro. I tried not to fall on my backside or run in to any of the children ;-) It was actually a really fun way to spend our Thanksgiving afternoon, and I think we should make it a tradition! "Thanksgiving on Ice," I like the sound of it.

After skating, we had sundaes at Braum's and came home for the night. It was the perfect day off, and the perfect opportunity to reflect on all I'm thankful for.

Whether you spent your Thanksgiving with a big crowd or just close friends, I hope you found something to be grateful for this year. Until next time. . .

-Chelsea