Thanks!

Tom and I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for our friends again this year. We've decided we really love being at home (and not traveling) for Thanksgiving - it gives us a chance to relax, avoid the crowds, and make a fabulous meal just how we like it.

Our college friend Erin came from Boulder to spend the weekend with us, since she just moved out to Colorado and doesn't have any family nearby. She got in on Wednesday night just in time to go to bed, but we rousted her early Thursday morning to start cooking.

I won't belabor the cooking of the meal too much, since you all probably are quite familiar with the process, but briefly we made: 1 (brined) 15 lb Turkey, Homemade stuffing (without any dried fruits!), green beans with almonds and garlic, two types of cranberry sauce, about 35 cubic feet of mashed potatoes, and four cups of gravy. We had 7 additional friends come and join us for the festivities, and they contributed home-brewed beer, a sinful butter-filled sweet potato casserole, more stuffing, a vegetable stew cooked inside an enormous pumpkin, and pumpkin and pecan pies. Suffice it to say no one went home hungry.

After dinner we turned on some music and busted out the board games. First we played "Bandu" which is an Ebel family favorite. It is basically the opposite of Jenga, where you try to build the biggest structure you can with oddly shaped wooden blocks. Afterwards, we played Apples-to-Apples, which is becoming a very well known party game, so most of you have probably played it. Our deck is particularly fun, though, because we always put some sharpie markers on the table and encourage people to change their "cards" however they wish. It is always fun for Tom and I to look back at those cards and remember the inside jokes and parties and friends that helped create them.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. We are thankful for good friends in all parts of the country, and of course for our families too! We hope you all had Thanksgivings as happy as ours!