Post-Thanksgiving Post

*I've realized that as much as I love sharing my travels and experiences through this blog, real life will always trump writing and posting, as long those things remain one hobby amongst many priorities, interests, and loves. Whether times are good or bad, and I've had large shares of both recently, it's more important for me to be present in the current moment, rather than sacrificing precious time to write about (and review, edit, and tweak) my past experiences. So, there you go, my somewhat vague justification for disappearing from the internet at random. I'll try my best to catch up and you can usually check in with me on Instagram (meghannbg).*

A couple things in the (very!) good times category:

We hosted a Friendsgiving potluck at our casa for 25 amigos. There weren't any elaborate tablescapes and barely enough chairs, but there was plenty of food (everything from gazpacho to cole slaw to pumpkin pie to jello with bananas), a fully stocked bar, and excellent company. Combining the best of both worlds, we deep-fried a fresh turkey from the carnicería.

Friendsgiving was followed by a trip to Rome for the Thanksgiving holiday. We rented a villa just outside the city with a group of friends and their peques. Instead of turkey, we had gnocchi and in general, a fabulous holiday getaway, filled with equal parts sightseeing and indulging.

One small snag (well, along with a stomach flu that took out half our group for a day, yuck) was that there was no wifi at the villa, so here are just a few phone snaps that I was unable to share in real time.

I'd say that if your biggest problem during the holiday is a lack of internet at your Roman villa, you have much to be thankful for, and I certainly am grateful for so much, despite some very difficult times this year. It's a wonderful thing when friends can get together wherever they are to celebrate a holiday and feel like family.

I'll have more Rome pics to share (and more Baltic roadtrip recaps) soon!

Hope you all had wonderful Friendsgivings, Thanksgivings, and Thanksgivukkahs!

Playa + Italian-Style Veggie Soup

from Meghann:

Hope you all had a wonderful, family, friend, and food-filled Thanksgiving! And that your football (Americano) team won - both of ours did!

We were invited to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (plus plenty of Spanish cava) at our friends' casa on Thursday. We were so grateful to spend the holiday with friends - and no dishes! Our families were definitely missed, but we were able to call and talk to them. One thing that wasn't missed - Black Friday. Neither of us were into it when we lived in the States and it seems even sillier now. There's really nothing similar in España and it seems difficult to explain that we follow a beautiful holiday dedicated to giving thanks by immediately going out, fighting crowds, and spending money. 

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and enjoying the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We don't deck the halls until December, so this time is perfect for catching up on things at the casa and enjoying our little familia. 

On Saturday, we took the dogs down to the beach. This time of year, it's pretty empty at the playa, besides a handful of surfers and a few other people walking. That meant we were able to let Chloe and Cora off their leashes so they could run around. After a busy few weeks traveling and the start of the holiday season, we all needed some exercise. And the beach is so peaceful during the fall.

The hillside was so green! No rain in the summer makes for great weather, but everything turns brown. After a few days of rain in the fall, all that brown comes back to life. 

 

Friendsgiving + Sweet Potato Casserole

from Meghann:

We hosted Friendsgiving at our casa on Friday night. A bit early, but we knew many of our amigos would be traveling during the holiday and for some of us, this would be the only opportunity to stuff our faces full of turkey and all the sides for a traditional meal.

No fancy tablescape (Does anyone else think that is one of the weirdest words? Makes your table sound like the surface of the moon.) just some apples, candles, and the lace runner from our trip to Bruges last winter, over a textured tan tablecloth. Textured = it wasn't ironed. Also, no elaborate place settings, because dinner was buffet style. Settle down over there, Martha. 

Kept the mantle simple with some votives, dried corn, and a glass pumpkin that I found on sale a million years ago that is now my go-to decoration from October to December. 

We picked up some real pumpkins at the commissary (grocery store on base) a while ago, but never carved them since Halloween got lost somewhere between our time in DC, my sister's wedding, and getting stranded by Superstorm Sandy. So, we turned them into non-Halloween themed pumpkin luminaries instead. 

To me, Thanksgiving is a Fall celebration and is about being thankful for bounty - from the fields and in our lives. So, no tree trimming here and certainly no Christmas decorations yet. Thanksgiving is special in its own way - there's no gift giving, just giving thanks for food, friendship, and family. And no matter where you are (I've celebrated in Italy, England, and Spain) it's an American holiday. 

And nothing says America like deep-frying a 12-pound turkey fresh from the Spanish butcher shop.