Turkey!

Well, I surived a full week of my family. One apartment, 5 people. Thankfully we have 2 bathrooms! Things went well for the most part--only a minor breakdown by my mom the night before they left. But things are good. My brother made it from Montana. He is one stinky kid, sad to say. Family drama aside, let's talk about my incredible Thanksgiving Dinner. It was...incredible! We had a ton of food for just the 5 of us: stuffing, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, this jello/pretzel thing my family loves, rolls, punch, cranberry sauce, and turkey! Yum!! I used Alton Brown's Roast Turkey recipe, which calls for the turkey to be brined. Everyone was skeptical, but I persisted. It looked pretty gross in the brine--take a look.

Yes, that's a orange-drink or lemon-water only church water cooler I've got it in. Which reminds me, I need to return it...It got stuffed with all sorts of yummy smell-good things and then roasted till perfect.

It looks eensy weensy but it was 14 pounds. The meat was super juicy, not dry at all, which I hate. People wouldn't need gravy if their turkeys weren't dry!

Overall, my first Thanksgiving went off well. I didn't burn anything, and everything came out great. I can't wait to do it again!!

Derrick and I and my parents went out at 4am on Black Friday to go shopping. There were crazy ladies at Kohl's who were trying to strategize with us on how to keep people from cutting in line. It was hilarious. We went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel (YUM!) then went back home to crash. Later that night we went to see The Guardian. Yes, with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner. It's about the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers---I loved it. Of course, I was crying like a baby at the end. Like always. What is up with the water works lately???

We did the Harley Tour one day. Can you see us a bikers?? Ha. No thanks.

I've got crazy amounts of Tivo waiting now, and all I want to do is park it on the sofa and watch TV till my eyes fall out. I deserve it. I took a test and 2 quizzes today and kicked their butts. Awww yeah.