Thankful

I love Thanksgiving. It is such a warm, cozy holiday. This year Matt and I spent the afternoon at my mom and dad's house with the Walton side of the family. We had a smaller group than usual - only 12 people. This meant that for the first time I can remember, I actually got to sit at the "grown up table." This is a very big deal. For years and years, I have always sat at the "kid's table." Even though all of my cousins can be considered adults now, we have such a big group that we usually end up at 2 tables. It was fun to sit at one big table and enjoy our delicious turkey day feast. I was SO thankful to have Matt sitting next to me, as only a week earlier, we weren't sure of his work schedule.

He is now finished with his training and is no longer riding with his field training officer. Matt's assignment is 3rd watch - 7:30 pm - 4:30 am in the West Precinct. This came as a surprise to Matt since he had not listed this precinct on his placement request form. Nevertheless, he has jumped right in and likes it so far. His area includes downtown - from Westlake Center, through Belltown and down to the waterfront (here is a map - Matt's area is the "M" section.) It's a busy area that time of night for sure. Hopefully soon I'll have Matt update our blog with some stories of a typical night in his new precinct.

Although nights can be hard with Matt not coming home until 5 am or so, it is wonderful to have his afternoons free. He had to work on Thanksgiving, but we were still able to spend the whole afternoon together and eat dinner before his shift started. I have to say that is definitely something I can be thankful for.

We brought Zeke to Thanksgiving at my parent's house and I was so proud of him. He did a great job with all the people around. I love his sweet, friendly nature. He just wants to be everyone's best friend. He loved playing with Sonny Boy, my Aunt Lisa's pomeranian. He also loved his first taste of turkey and showing off his new holiday collar.

My baby dog doesn't look very much like a puppy anymore. I can't believe he's almost 5 months old!

Another Thanksgiving highlight for me was playing Mexican Train. Somehow this has become a holiday tradition and I just love it. Matt has yet to get on board, but someday he will realize how fun it is.

I was in charge of pies this Thanksgiving, which is definitely my favorite job. I can't think of anything more fun on Thanksgiving morning than making pumpkin pie and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year I made 2 pumpkin pies. Matt and I also bought a pie from his basketball team for their fall fundraiser (we have to support the Lady Knights any way we can!) I had low expectations for the store bought pies, but I was wrong... they came from the fabulous Karl's Bakery in Everett and they were amazing. They almost outshone my homemade pumpkin pies, but not quite! Somehow we ended up with an extra pie from the fundraiser, which brought us to 4 pies total: my 2 pumpkin, plus a cherry and lemon meringue. Holy moly that's a lot of pie!

The wonderful weekend has continued with a visit to Gig Harbor and a second Thanksgiving feast with the Clegg family. I had such a great day with Karen in the Harbor - we did a little shopping, had lunch and peppermint cocoa, and got some ornaments as a special gift from her mom. It was a great day.

The best part is that the weekend is still not over. Matt and I are headed to Apple Cup in just a little while. Hopefully my next post will include details of a Husky victory. GO DAWGS!