Thanksgiving!

 Thanksgiving in Auburn was quick but fun.  We got in Tuesday afternoon while everyone was still at work.  Everyone was back for dinner though, and we soon ate and then settled in for some games.  First was Formula De, a racing game which I'd never played before but was actually quite fun.  Wednesday we had our Thanksgiving there, and then played Jon's favorite and my least favorite...Robo Rally!  It was a slightly silly game, with everyone clustered around checkpoint 3, circling around it within a few squares of it but having a very difficult time landing on it.  Everyone that is, but Jon, of course.  He was way off, doing his own thing, speeding down to checkpoint 4.  Better luck next time little robots.  We also went and saw the new Hunger Games movie (introduced Julie and Katelyn to Cinnebar!), had some walks, and spent some time sorting out the Catan boxes :)























 Thursday morning we drove back to Oak Harbor, hoping to beat my parents and Kenneth as they drove up.  We rushed home, then realized they'd hit traffic, slowed dinner prep down so the food wasn't cold when they got there, then rushed to have it ready in time :)  Ah, holiday meal planning.  I was excited; I had planned the menu for the meal (and the weekend), and it started out unintentional, but I soon realized everything (except the breakfast quesadillas on Sunday morning) was vegan!  Yea!  Mom and Dad and Kenneth were awesome, they brought lots of drinks, lovely centerpiece flowers, pretty napkins and tablecloths, Kenneth made a great butternut squash dish and helped pay for some (pricey) local ice cream, and Mom made a sweet potato casserole, an apple cranberry struesel pie, and brought lots of turkey.  I was a little nervous, since I was trying out all new recipes for the meal (all from scratch), but everything turned out great!  Most were from Oh She Glows, and they were all delicious!  High Protein Mashed Potatoes (throw in some cans of white beans), gravy, stuffing with sausage and cranberry, holiday apple/pear/cranberry salad, rolls, pumpkin pie with a nut/oat crust, banana soft serve...yum!  We had lots more games of course...introduced my parents to Carcasonne and Traders of Genoa, and also played Rummikub, Guillotine, and Ticket to Ride.  Friday we hit a few stores for some awesome sales (70% off at Van Huesen! 50% off at the Game Store!), and then had some Bible Game fun (Life of Paul, Taboo).  Church and lunch the next day (BLT mac & cheese!) and then we headed south to Greenbank to brave the cold at the off-leash dog trails.  The dogs loved it !  Had to finish that day with some Toppins (cause sometimes you just need some fro-yo) and ended with a nice brunch on Sunday.  All in all a great Thanksgiving weekend!