My Shopping Addiction May Have Ruined Thanksgiving….

Well that could be a bit of an exaggeration, as sadly I am not even in the States (and I might love Thanksgiving even more than I love Halloween. Boo.), so there is not much to ruin. But still I had a little something special planned here in Manchester: I was going to make a pumpkin pie for the first time and the boy was going to taste a pumpkin pie for the first time. And knowing that I'm sad to be missing Thanksgiving and that a lone pie doesn't necessarily cut it, he made a reservation at a special restaurant for tonight at eight.

But back to the pie. Since I just got back from my second trip to Glasgow (still no baby!) last night, there was no time to grocery shop until today. My only possession was the hardest to obtain ingredient, a can of Libby's pumpkin, which I found at a little Mexican/American specialty shop in Glasgow. An amazing find, as pumpkin pie is solely an American dessert, but little did I know it would be the easiest.

So today, which was actually quite beautiful, I headed out to get the rest of what I needed. Maybe it was the blue skies that were distracting me, but more likely it was all the little shops in Manchester's Northern Quarter. There are so many cute little places around here, and I feel like every time I leave the house I notice a new one. So I wandered in and out of some and spent too much time at a certain terrible/wonderful place where I was really just looking for a pie dish, I swear. And before I new it, it was well into the afternoon. This is why stores should be closed on Thanksgiving even outside the US, right? 

But I still thought I was fine, if I was home by 3 that would give me more than enough time to bake a pie before our dinner reservation. But then I picked up the pastry dough and to my great horror it was frozen! In no way did I factor defrosting time into the equation (maybe that is what I get for not making the dough from scratch or knowing absolutely nothing about pie making?). Shit. 

So I hurried home and now as I write, I am waiting and staring at this piece of dough on the counter hoping all that ice will melt away before it is too late. But you know, at least I am the proud owner of a hot little leather (maybe fake [probably fake {definitely fake}]) dress, a beaded top and a little polka dot Alexa Chung-esque number that will never make me as happy as the taste of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Waah.

Well I have certainly learned my lesson and hopefully it will all work out in the end. Melt little guy melt! But either way, I want to wish you all a very very Happy Thanksgiving from abroad. Hopefully you are surrounded by plenty of loved ones, plenty of food and wine, and plenty of comfy couches. Oh triptafen.

Weekend Roundup: My Thanksgiving!

FOOD

AND FUN

I did it you guys! I successfully cooked my first Thanksgiving, turkey and all, see there it is. Yes yes, I know it was over a week late, but that is the amazing thing about living abroad, that just doesn't matter. Of course you don't get the day off in Germany and the weekend after was no good, so Saturday night we had 7 people over for a late feast, 5 of whom had never stuffed their faces with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and the works before (or been forced to play charades and tell everyone what they are thankful for against their will. Sorry about that guys....) Apparently not only have I turned into the type of person who does such aggressively cheesy things, I have also become the kind of person who obsesses about dinner parties. I spent the week before preparing, gathering recipes, treking all over Berlin in the snow to find all the not-so-common in Germany ingredients and laying in bed at night thinking about my turkey preparations. Weird I know, but the truth is I enjoyed it, such a project got me through a week of brutal cold nights that began at three in the afternoon. I mean, I truly don't think there is anything more fun than a good old house party, so a little obsessing can't hurt too much, right? But the real question is, what will my next project be?

Anyway, it is unfortunate that I did not take any photos of what I was wearing as I was running around preparing stuff until my friends arrived — just that awful one up there where you can just see a bit of the sheer below-the-knee dress from the 1970s I paired with vintage maroon flats. I am really loving the unexpected pink, red, orange color block combo that Rihanna (minus the hair) has been doing so much these days, so maybe there was some subtle inspiration there. I topped it all off with a gold belt and a gold floral headband that I only seem to wear on birthdays or special events, because you really can't be a host without dressing like a princess or a 1950s housewife, not in my book.

Expat Thanksgiving

It is my first Thanksgiving away from the States and here I am at my computer eating a bowl of Special K. Wait, I think writing that actually made me a little depressed. I have been fine all day, just working and doing the usual and feeling okay knowing that I will be home in California for Christmas. But the truth is, I would give anything to be there now. My brother Aaron just moved home from NYC with his wife Deanna and my two little nieces — so them, my dad and stepmom, my brother Michael, as well as my mom, will all be together this year. That certainly has never happened.

I used to spend Thanksgivings with A and D in New York where they always invited a bunch of randoms who didn't get to go home, to their amazing loft in Williamsburg for a feast made from gourmet recipes, ever-lasting wine and some actual interesting conversation. Because of certain sad events, this time of year has been hard for me in the past, but being at their home always seemed to make things feel right at that moment.

Last year they moved into a smaller place that couldn't quite fit such a motley crew, so I went to my friend Sunny and Scott's for my first Thanksgiving with just friends. It was a night I will always remember: my boyfriend was in New York and had met all my friends for the first time, Sunny cooked up a storm and I felt completely surrounded by people who have made my life what it is. The ones who know me best and who I have so much fun with. I love my friends. I love my family. I am thankful that such love seeps across oceans, through telephone lines and the Internet, and no matter how far away I am, I feel each of them around me on this special day.