Post-Thanksgiving wrap-up

As you can tell by my lack of blog entries over the last several days, I've essentially taken myself out of the NaBloPoMo challenge. The problems with our motherboard, coupled with the fear of getting caught blogging from work and having to ask my husband to schlep his laptop home every night so that I could post here, really took the wind out of my sails. Something that seemed like alot of fun and challenging became a logistical nightmare which was anything but. However, all is not lost as I learned some valuable lessons for next year: (1) bank some ideas/material prior to the start of next year's NaBloPoMo so that I'm not faced with a bad case of writer's block on those days when I truly have nothing to report and (2) take a writing class some time between now and the next NaBloPoMo so that, should I choose to participate next year, I'm not forced to write, edit, and rewrite the same post a hundred times because I'm convinced that my entry looks and reads like a six-year old wrote it. Lessons learned, Internets. Lessons learned.

So yesterday was a pretty laid back holiday at the Pacheco homestead. We both woke up early, cleaned the entire house, and spent hours cooking a pretty decent meal. Our menu included a honey-glazed spiral ham, sausage and cornbread stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, and Eric's garlic mashed potatos with parmesan cheese. We cooked enough food to feed an army despite the fact that we were only two (Eric's mom couldn't join us) and will be eating leftovers for the immediate future. Next up, we will attempt to brine and fry the turkey that Eric's boss gave us on Wednesday. If we somehow manage not to burn down our house, I'll let you know how it works out.

And that brings me to today, the day that my sister dreams about all year. Yes, Internets, I'm talking about (cue spotlights and drum roll) BLACK FRIDAY. My beautiful, funny, yet completely insane sister, Danielle, spends all year planning and strategizing for this day. She wakes up at 4am, arrives at the parking lot of her local mall or shopping center by 4:30am, and charges into stores at 5am - advertisements and coupons in-hand - with the hope of scoring that one-of-a-kind gift for cousin so-and-so at 98% off its regular price. While I'd love to come along one year and actually film her during this shopping frenzy, I'm afraid that I'd fall behind and get swallowed up by the horde of shoppers biting at her heals. It's amazing how the promise of deep discounts can turn a group of mild-mannered men and women into crazed lunatics wielding credit cards in one hand and weapons in the other. For this brief moment in time (5am-noon), friends and neighbors are no longer recognized and social norms are tossed out completely. It's kill or be killed in the appliance department at Kohl's and, if you are stupid enough to stand between my sister and that all-in-one toaster oven - the one with the rubberized handles and special frozen pizza settings - you'd better be able to take a knee to the groin because all is fair when in pursuit of the perfect holiday bargain and Danielle takes no prisoners. Godspeed, Dani. Godspeed.