Happy Thanksgiving from Southern CA!

This year for Thanksgiving, I didn't get to go home and spend it with my family, but I did get to spend it with the Abbamonto family, which did a fantastic job of making me and my roommates all feel at home.

I flew down after work on Wednesday, so I could hang out earlier with Carrie. I just wanted to get on vacation right away. The guys weren't in as much of a hurry as I was; they ended up driving the 5 all the way to Brea. Carrie met me at Long Beach airport, and we went to Downtown Disneyland to shop around, and to get some dessert. We then had to go to Carrie's friend's house to take care of the dog, but that's another story I'd rather not talk about. The guys got to Carrie's dad's house a little after Carrie and I did.

A view of Los Angeles.

On Thanksgiving day, we went to Carrie's Mom's house, and spent Thanksgiving with her family. Her family was so welcoming; there were 18 people at the dinner, and probably less than half of them were family! We played some fun games; a little croquet and some cribbage. It was a traditional Thanksgiving that was held outside, with a delicious turkey, stuffing, potatoes and delicious sides. One of my favorites was a sweet potato and brown sugar dish. So good! Spending time together at her mom's was definitely a great time. I still missed my family though.

The handmade raviolis by Paul, Carrie, and Ollie!

Friday, was a completely different story from Thursdays traditional Thanksgiving. Carrie's dad had started a tradition a few years go for an Italian Thanksgiving. Let me tell you it was pretty much the best food I've ever had, and one of the biggest Thanksgivings with more than 30 people.

The final table setup.

All of us spent the morning setting up the tables and getting out silverware and preparing the food. Oh my god the food! I got to help fold the loaves of bread, and stuff the breaded artichokes.

Helping Paul fold the bread.

The crusty bread.

Enjoying the crusty bread!

Paul, Ollie, and Carrie (Along with my favorite, stuffed artichokes!)



Chowing down on the stuffed artichokes.


So much meat! The boys loved it.


Getting ready to serve the bruschetta.

Four loaves of handmade crusty bread, breaded artichokes, bruschetta, meatballs, sausages, and three different types of ravioli: cheese, chicken, and mushroom. I really liked the mushroom. I was stuffing my face the entire day! My roommates and I made a salad for the dinner, and it was a huge hit.

Strawberry Salad
------------------
any bag of greens
chopped strawberries
sliced avacado
walnuts
feta cheese
balsamic vinaigrette

We met some great people during Fridays Italian Thanksgiving, and had some tasty wine and champagne. I will never forget how good that food was.

Everyone enjoying dinner at the longest table ever.

On Saturday, we decided to head down to Huntington Beach in Newport. It was a little cooler than normal, but it was still lovely just being on the beach. It is so beautiful down there. We relaxed for a bit; Max and I took a nice stroll along the water. We then went to lunch at a little diner on the pier.

Stephen and the pelican.

We also went shopping around the area; I picked up a few things at American Apparel for fun. Later that night was awesome. Paul taught me and the guys how to play poker, and man he had some great pointers. He is such a good poker player. We didn't play for real money, but out of six people, I managed to come in second!

On Sunday, before we made the 10-hour long journey home, we stopped off at Downtown Disneyland. We just kind of wandered around and people watched. The ride home was long to say the least.

Lego land!

You can barely see us, but we're there with the giant CALIFORNIA sign.

I am so thankful that Carrie's parents, Paul and Jane, were so welcoming to me and my roommates. They made us feel right at home, and gave me a thanksgiving vacation that I will NEVER forget!