It’s been ridiculously long since i’ve written. Thanksgiving has come and gone and so has my favorite best funniest family. November 21 we left around 10 am and picked up Mom, Madison, and Ann (part of the breakfast club, mom’s coteacher, basically family) from the airport around 1. We did some shopping and drove around abit waiting on Dillon’s to fly in at 7. It was so so wonderful to have my little family all with me again!!

Thanksgiving Day was the 22nd. We spent the morning making food and talking mostly. Honestly, my table looked like it was from a magizine when it was set. I was briefly proud. We had sous vide steaks, mashed potatoes, marshmallow sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pies. We DID find out that if you forget to put Karo syrup in the pecan pie and take it out when its done baking, you can actually just scrape the filling out, put it in new crust with the syrup added and rebake it and it’s perfect. Twice Baked Pecan Pie we called it. haha After lunch we did a small gift exchange and played games and relaxed. The 23rd Madison and Mom made a yum breakfast. After breakfast we loaded up and drove up to Sonora. It was absolutely pouring but we went to a Christmas Fair there with lots of stuff for sale and little foods and people singing carols. We slogged around and it was a grand time. Then we did some shopping on Main and got coffees at Eighty One Coffee. Saturday the 24th was San Francisco day since Ann and Dillon’s hadn’t been there before. We did the usual tourist stuff mostly. Pier 39, ate lunch on Fisherman’s Wharf, street performers, went down Lombard Street were just some of the stuff we hit. Sunday the 25th we went to church in the morning and to Kevin and Yolanda for lunch. We spent the afternoon there playing games and relaxing. We kids went out for coffee later and Ja took us on a “where the less fortunate hang out” tour of Merced. In the evening some of our friends stopped by folks’ and played games with us. We left early Monday morning and dropped Ann and Mom at the airport. Since Madi didn’t leave until 6 and Dillons flew out Tuesday morning, we went to Alcatraz for the day which was really interesting. I’d never been there before. There was actually a former Alcatraz inmate there at the bookshop signing books for people. We dropped off Dillons and Madi early evening and came home to our empty house. Sad of course.

Wednesday was a swell day. Instead of doing a Christmas gift this year, we decided to put on a supper for our parents. My students brought extra clothes and stayed over after school. They decorated the tables with Christmas lights, black tablecloths, red and black napkins, birch logs, and tea lights. They helped mix up BBQ meatballs, gourmet potatoes, Ceasar salad, and cornbread muffins for supper. They had already decorated sugar cookies for dessert earlier in the week so those were for dessert. After supper they put on a little skit of the Christmas story and sang a couple songs. It was absolutely darling and I was very proud of them of course!

Friday evening we went to Waylon and Beth Jantz for a Pollo en Crema meal ticket supper and also Morgans best food. Les&Alice, Ben&Ang, Ashton, and folks in law were there! Saturday morning was the Winton Fire Dept fundraiser breakfast so Morgan was busy until mid afternoon with that. I stopped there and then went to Shenda’s and laid on the couch petting the pug and reading The Alchemist. Morgan picked me up and we went to help folks in law serve a supper and then we went back to Justin’s for supper. Sunday morning church and to folks for lunch. In the afternoon we drove up to Papa Roger’s cabin (they were gone sadly) to see the snow which is my best thing ever. We drove around abit and enjoyed the scenery and it was truly such a fun day.

Today, back at school in full Christmas mode. Tomorrow we are practicing program for the first time so it’s quite exciting for the students. I’ve been feeling sort of sad the last couple days. Maybe a pre-holiday low? Is that a thing? It’s another Christmas, another birthday Dad isnt here for, another season where you shop for Christmas gifts and find yourself writing “Dad” on the list of people to buy for because you forget he’s not here. It’s tough, honestly. I’ve been questioning alot of things lately too as a result of the low mood I’m sure. Friday my heart literally ached in my chest because i was just so Sad about my Dad. Anyways. Wishing you all a safe week. I’m sure its super busy! xo chey