It’s Not Even December… and I Already Feel Sad.

So I requested a smaller version of Thanksgiving this year... however, we still had a few family friends over to help us eat all the food (which is a good idea, because a family of 4 would not be able to eat an entire deep fried turkey). Still working on trying to get the "traditional" sit down dinner and prayer thing down, but maybe Papa'll be coached by then.

So the look for the table went something like this:




During dinner, we took a couple of pictures...



There isn’t a greater feeling than going home and seeing your family for the holidays… especially if its been almost a year. It almost feels like a deployment and I’m coming home to see how everything changed. You know, how many inches your sister gains on you; how many inches your mother shrinks; whether or not your parents, uncles, or aunties tried a different hair dye this season to cover those gray hairs; if the house had new additions to up the value… stuff like that.

I began this blog in the car coming from a haircut. I didn't know I'd actually tear up afterwards writing the rest of it. I didn't expect it, but waiting to pass through the check-in gate, I kept trying to stop the hot feeling in my eyes, especially in front of my dad, who if I see cries, I'll just join in for the bawling too.

As I come closer and closer to realizing that Thanksgiving was the last I'll see of my family in the years filled with these long gaps of solidarity (yes, I think I know that was a run-on sentence), the more sad I get. No family for Christmas! That's so... unheard of. I don't even have a boyfriend! So I can't spend it with someone or anything like that... not that I'm going to be desperada and look for a Christmas date, but man.

Damm Airport Security. Stole my swiss army knife.

I Love Deep Fried Turkey.. but boy does it make me sleepy

It is so good to actually be home, sleeping in my old bed (which is a grand ol' queenie size) and just chill with my family for the holidays. Its a lot different now, because to me it actually seemed like I was opening up a little bit just because of the fact I have a kick ass job (or because I'm in a place where I'll be ABLE to do kick ass things), I feel like they actually can see my funny side.

Thanksgiving day was all kitchen. We prepared frozen pies, some traditional Thanksgiving food like ham, cranberry sauce... and the deep fried turkey. Then the rest was the easy Filipino treats like embotido. I tasted Lambrusco for the first time and even with the few uncles and aunties there to share with us, we had plenty of food to last us a week. Too bad I can't stay that long.

I'm up a little early because I actually passed out during guitar hero.. it most probably was the tryptophan that knocked me out--but anyways, we have to get up for Black Friday anyways. Supposed to be REALLY busy on I 95, but I'll go through the pain for little 'yelle. She's not even that little... she's taller than me, and she can drive. How did I miss that? She also can figure out the Rubik's cube like I can figure out sudoku, which she can't. She's been teaching me (or rather, TRYING to teach me) how to solve the damn thing, but I must be retarded. I fail to see the relationships between the different colored faces on the toy.

I hope this vacation doesn't lead me to fail Monday's flight.. I haven't pulled my flight manual out yet to study, and I've got until Sunday....

GO HOKIES! BEAT UVA!

It's Almost Thanksgiving

3 more days, and I'm on my way home!

I'll write more later... I should really be studying for my T-1 flight.