Retrospect

Some details concerning the last few weeks, which I've not posted mainly due to busy-ness more than anything else. Finally, I indulge you.

• The fall play was a smashing success! For those new to me or my inane ramblings, I teach freshman Bible at my alma mater, Covenant Christian High School where I also assist with the drama program. Mid-November, I was given the opportunity to direct my first show - I chose John Patrick's "The Curious Savage," one of my perennial favorites. My cast was superb, realizing visions I didn't even know I'd had. Fantastic!My incredibly talented cast! They were absolutely amazing!
  
• Our youth group also had our annual fall retreat the weekend after the play. As always, it was a great time, with great speaking, worship, and fun. Our speaker was Larry Mitchell, a man who I've always found inspirational and challenging. Music was done by my good friend Sean Rose and his band Defining Rose (they're a relatively new band, but very talented - check 'em out!). Unfortunately, I was sick most of the weekend - NOT FUN!
  
  One of the highlights for me was our "Saturday Night Live" where students put together skits and performed them. The highlight of the night was two of the high school girls dressing up like the youth pastor and I and doing fake announcements. Brilliant!The Scotts (Scott & Kelsey) and the Stephens (Bethany a.k.a. 'Danger' and I)
  
• Thanksgiving, as it usually is, was fantastic! I ate far too much (yet not as much as I would be known to eat in years past - guess this diet's working after all) and got too goof off with my wonderful family! Loads of fun!As promised, the (in)famous picture of me demolishing the turkey leg
  
• Black Friday was also my father's birthday. I was up and at the comic book store at 7:00am for my comic book guy's door-buster sale. It was great! I picked up a couple of trade paperbacks I'd been wanting, as well as a Batman statue - all at severe discounts! Who says it doesn't pay to be a nerd sometimes?Batman, guarding my computer (along with 'Iron' Spidey)
• After the escapades of the morning, the family went out for sushi to celebrate Dad's birthday. Dad had never had sushi before, so I suppose it was an experiment of sorts. Dad tried some non-raw sushi and seemed to enjoy it. My mom, on the other hand, had a tuna roll and about gagged. *Sigh* Ah, well...Mmm... sushi... (note the octopus on the tray in the background - tasty!)
• Then, Saturday. I went out with my friend Anita for some more sushi - can't get enough! - and we watched Waiting for Guffman which may very well be one of the best comedies in the history of ever. I went home about 11:30... and managed to total my car on the way home. This was only the beginning of my trauma. Fortunately, I was the only one involved and was not hurt at all (thanks to the beauty of German engineering)... but unfortunately, my insurance had been cancelled earlier in the month due to nonpayment. So, I was basically out a car... and my license is getting suspended for three months (starting whenever the officer on the scene files the paperwork). I figure, if that's the worst of it, then I'm getting off rather light. God is good and continues to bless - I'm a walking testament to that - but let it never be said that some lessons are learned the hard way.
  

A lot to be thankful for...

Tomorrow is one of my all-time favorite holidays. I love Thanksgiving. Maybe it's the time I get to spend with my wacky family. Maybe it's all the amazing food. Maybe it's that I don't have to go into work (okay... so it's DEFINITELY that).

Here are some of my favorite things about Thanksgiving.

1. The Food
You might say that the food makes the gathering. In a lot of ways, I'm inclined to agree. I'm a firm believer that good food can make a good conversation even better (and that bad food can have a negative effect on even a good conversation). That having been said, when the Foxworthys get together, we do it up right!

The owner of the house we inhabit gets turkey duty. That's just law. The rest of us compensate with the sides. By this point, we pretty much all have our respective assignments. My parents make a relish tray (which includes these awesome beef-and-cream-cheese roll-ups). Mom makes sausage stuffing. My cousin Sara brings the rolls. My Aunt Denise (when she comes) does the sweet potato casserole. My cousin Roberta makes the pies. Emilee does the green beans. And me? I get to do the smoked gouda mashed potatoes.

Lemme tell you about these beauties: a few years ago, I was watching Food Network with my dad and saw Emeril Lagasse (whom I can no longer stand - he annoys me) on TV prepping some mashed potatoes with melted gouda cheese in them. I turn to my dad and say something to the effect of, "Those look good. I think I'll make 'em for Thanksgiving this year." And I did. They were a hit (with most of the family anyway - my uncle Jack prefers the 'traditional' taters) and so I was delegated to making them every year. It really is something to look forward to for me - I really enjoy it! One year, I devised my own recipe for Loaded Mashed Potatoes, but it really didn't seem to have the same appeal as the smoked gouda taters. So, I continue on. The recipe for the Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes can be found by following that link. The Loaded Mashed recipe? Maybe I'll post it one of these days...

2. The Family
I love my family. If people think I'm crazy, they can spend an hour or so with my family and know that I come by it honestly. We all nuts! Combined with the fact that we're nuts is the fact that we're all great cooks. Seriously. Amazing. Perhaps this should be an addendum to the 'food' portion, but we just love to cook in our family. No joke. My grandfather, Joe Foxworthy, was a cook in the U.S. Navy for several years and he passed on his love for and knowledge of food to all of his kids, who have in turn passed it down to their kids. And, assuming I have any, I'll pass it on to my kids. If I have any.

But back to my family. We laugh. We bicker. We sing. We cook. We eat. We are friggin' merry. It's just not a holiday without the Foxworthy clan. S'just not.

3. The Picture
Ever since I was a kid, my mom has been taking pictures of me eating a turkey drumstick. And every year, I reserve one drumstick for myself and let everyone else fight it out for the other.

Actually, 'the picture' hasn't been a REGULAR thing... or, at least, it wasn't until about 1999 or 2000. At that point, Mom snapped a picture of me gnawing into a turkey leg while wearing a shirt that proudly proclaimed "BITE ME!" (it had a picture of a mosquito on it - get it?). Since then, the pic has become a staple. I don't think I have any copies from the last couple of years, but the below pics are from 2004 and 2005, respectively.

<-- Thanksgiving '04

Thanksgiving '05 -->

Well, gang, those are my top 3 favorite things about Thanksgiving. If I get around to it, I'll post tomorrow's picture up here so you can see it. Have a safe and happy holiday!