Turkey turkey

Thanksgiving still tops my list of holidays, probably because it's when the Qualls family gathers at my house and makes merry for days on end. Was talking with Uncle Jim and Kenny this year and it seems like the tradition has been going on for almost 10 years now. Wow. The cousins are certainly bigger, though the noise level is about the same :)

Things I have learned from my whirlwind trip to Indiana are as follows:

1. When taking a red-eye on the Monday of Thanksgiving week make sure there are no teams on the flight. Even though there were children galore, they made no noise. The teenage girls behind me talking in graphic detail about their pseudo sex lives and general gossip, however, did. At length. And since the plane sat at the gate longer than usual I got to hear all of it since there were no engines on. Glorious.

2. Swimming is fantastic. As it playing badminton with my brother Michael's 3 times a week crew, though still lost. I am much better at badminton and swimming than Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Much, much better.

3. My cousin Aqdas and I have impeccable, frugal fashion sense. We both were wearing the same shirt when she arrived on Wednesday though in different colors. Old Navy does have its uses.

4. White dog when like black = lots of hairs to clean off furniture, clothes, etc. Cassie has learned this lesson with a vengeance.

5. Dinner will never actually be ready to serve at 1 p.m. Carving 2 turkeys makes the 2nd one go faster because Uncle Bill and I have gotten our rhythm back. Carrot souffle is always delicious.

6. Playing Apples to Apples with Yuki's sister was tons of fun and aided by her little pocket translator. Clever.

7. Waking up before 5 a.m. to catch a flight isn't fun, but isn't too hard when you only have to do it once. The Indy airport is incredibly long, though the lines at 6:30 are nonexistent. I'm glad too that I never had to be at coffee shop at 3 a.m. at an airport for work.

I'm sure there's more but I must get ready for work. Getting off a plane and then going to work yesterday was interesting, though I was beyond hungry by the end. Yay for going out to eat with Mike at a Peruvian place we'd never tried; the ceviche was amazing. And a change from holiday festive food. But it was a wonderful holiday - I hope you all had a great time as well!