Freakishly Long Thanksgiving Post!

Thanksgiving was the BEST this year! We had an awesome week in California, and I never wanted to leave. I'm going to be very detailed, which is going to make this a very long post! You don't have to read it!

Tuesday:
We woke up freakishly early--like 3:30 AM. We made it out the door on time, and drove to the airport way before the sun even thought about maybe rising sometime. Lines weren't too terrible, and the new Southwest boarding system made our airport experience completely stress-free. The flight was immensely uncomfortable and we were EXHAUSTED but unable to sleep, which was unfortunate...but it was worth it. Mom picked us up early Tuesday morning in Oakland, and we drove straight to Monterey! We were able to sleep in the car because Mom brought pillows and blankets, because she's the best mom in the world. We stopped at Noah's Bagels and had the best breakfast ever. Monterey was SO fun once we were able to wake ourselves up. I always miss my little cousins when I'm at college, so it was great to hang out with them! We played a lot. Plus Christy/Lucy/Danny were there, which makes things sooo fun. I loved being with Lucy again! We took Kyle to the wharf (where I ate an amazing corn dog!) and the Monterey outlet mall, which is ridiculous but we love it. We also got to wander along the beach a bit--too cold for beach activities, but hey, walking is fun! We played some pool (Kyle and I are both...less good. But I'm even less good than him), watched Hairspray (liked it a lot!), and ate a really great meal at Chili Great Chili, which was a bizarre restaurant but I totally loved it. We went to bed SO early because we were exhausted--which turned out to happen the whole week. When everyone in the house is in bed by 10, it's hard to keep normal college sleeping habits.

Wednesday:
We woke up, lazed around, walked on the beach some more, and drove home. We stopped at the Gilroy outlet mall, which is AWESOME, and got some really sweet stuff that I have to forget about until Christmas. We surprised Dad at his office, because he was sad that he didn't get to come to Monterey with us. I had my first cheeseburger EVER, and I actually really liked it! I'm glad Christy made me. But it was an In-n-Out cheeseburger--I don't expect to like cheeseburgers from Burger King. We got to see Grandma and Grandpa for the first time since they got back from Denmark! It's fun to have them living at our house for a while. I showed Kyle around my house, and then showed him around Nieman's house. Mom and Grandma cooked a lot that day! We had the first Squeak game of the week--which continued nearly every night. I do love that game. For some reason, though, I've lost my game! I used to be GOOD--Katy and Christy and I were always about equally skilled. But this week I was terrible! I still had just as much fun, I've just lost my edge.

Thursday:
Thanksgiving! We started working on a freakishly hard puzzle, which we never did finish. We put in a lot of time though! Um...for some reason I can't think of anything we did on that day, other than eat a tremendously good Thanksgiving meal. Katy, Kyle, and I were the kid table. We had a good time. I stuffed myself with turkey and mashed potatoes and Martinellis and mass quantities of rolls, which is what my entire meal consists of every year.

Friday:
Such a good day! Kyle and I went to Walnut Creek--yes, we braved the crowds of Black Friday. Kyle bought some awesome presents for his family, and we had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Tomatinas, and we had a really great time walking around the cute downtown. For some reason, that little outing was one of the highlights of the week for me. Maybe it's because we got a sweet parking spot, I don't know! Kyle and I also spent a lot of time in front of my fire, reading Harry Potter (He's starting the series, and I was re-reading book 7). That was an awesome activity. MAN I want to go back! We also played lots of Squeak, of course!

Saturday:
Also an awesome day! Christy, Danny, Lucy, Mom, Katy, Kyle, and I went to San Francisco! We walked on the Golden Gate Bridge and shopped for hours in Union Square, got authentic San Francisco Blondie's pizza, wandered around the streets of San Fran, sang "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" a lot (at least I did), and had a blast. My kind beautiful mother bought me an awesome present--I can't wait for Christmas! Then we went to Fentons, which is one of the best things about the Bay Area. Danny gave us a watered down version of the Myers-Briggs test, and I discovered that I am different from the rest of my family! It was very interesting.

Sunday:
I got to show off Kyle at my home ward! Nieman came to our ward and we had a good time together. Mom made an awesome dinner for us, and we just lazed around all day. And we watched Live Free or Die Hard again, because we just bought it for Dad! Still the best movie. Kyle worked for HOURS on the puzzle, while I slept in front of the fire. We played some hardcore Squeak, because Christy and Danny had to leave that night. I still stunk at it, but it was really fun. I'm going to have to get my game back, so I can dominate at Christmas.

Monday:
Kindergarten day! We woke up at the crack of dawn, which I guess Mom does every day so I shouldn't complain! We had a great day with the kindergarteners. I felt like I bonded with some, even in just one day. My favorite kid is Samuil, the little Bulgarian boy who speaks no English and has a hard time in class. Imagine being a little 5 year old, watching what everyone around you is doing in order to try to figure out and guess what you should be doing? It was so sad! But we worked on an art project together and were able to communicate with gestures and smiles. It was really fun and made me feel good. Then we had to pack :( and go to the airport :( and return to Provo :(

Our flight home was uneventful, but once we hit ground it was interesting. When we finally found Treppy in the parking lot, she wouldn't start! She did eventually, thank heavens, but we had a scary couple of minutes. It was FREEZING and we were tired and I did NOT want to deal with a broken down car! Then the toll machine wouldn't let us pay for parking, although eventually it did. Another near miss. THEN we had to go get gas, which was an experience. I ended up crying in the front seat, terrified out of my mind that I was going to have to watch Kyle get killed! Luckily, the thug was a nice thug. We made it home finally, dead tired and heck of depressed that we were back in Provo. Now we have to make it through a couple miserable weeks, and then happiness again!

This week was full of Lucy smiling, Squeak playing, cozying up in front of the fire, and getting love from Mom and Dad. It was AWESOME and I miss home already!

I'm sure I forgot some things--I knew I would. And I'm sorry I don't have any pictures, Mom! The internet at Park Place is soooo slow and annoying. Wireless at home is lightning fast...man.