Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a two part trip this year. First stop: DC to see my best friend for her birthday. And when Cheryl and I get together it can only mean one thing. Museums. So, we went to the museums we've been visiting since children. We hit up the Smithsonian museums. American history was up first. Not my favorite, but the Julia Child kitchen makes the trip worth it for me. I grew up watching Julia Child with my dad, and when I start missing him, turning to her recipes or reruns always brings me back. The exhibit was crazy crowded this trip, so I didn't have time to snap a lot of photos, but I did get this one:

After the American history visit, we went to the butterfly exhibit at the natural history building. I loved this so much. There were 300 live butterflies flitting back and forth. For a few dollars you could go in, spend as much time as you wanted, and take all the pictures you wanted. I got some amazing shots, but this one was my favorite, mostly because the composition was totally accidental.

 

After the amazing weekend with Cheryl, I felt relaxed, happy, and ready to face a long train ride to South Carolina. I missed my mum terribly. And, despite her reassurances that she's felt fine during her chemo, I was worried for her. She's tired a lot, but I was relieved to find her upbeat, and bubbly as always. And she was thrilled to have me home.

We had dinner at my cousins' house. Tim fried a turkey and a chicken. Even though I'm not on Team Turkey, he did a great job. The chicken, though, was killer. He injected it with barbecue sauce before deep frying it, so it came out smokey, sweet, and moist. Delicious. I was a little let down when I saw the sides available for me to eat. They always forgo mashed potatoes in favor of a wheat-laden sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese. That left the lima beans and the corn for me to eat and of course the gluten-free biscuits and cookies I made. I decided that if I don't do Thanksgiving myself next year, I'm bringing a ton of side dishes that are safe for me. And a few desserts too. But the company was good, and the food I could eat was tasty, so no complaints.

Great trip, overall. And I get to do it all over again in a few weeks when I go home for Christmas.