Wow guys first off let me tell you how flattered I am that you guys stalk me at such a highly evolved level :) I am so sorry that I have not logged on to tell you all about the amazingness that was my Thanksgiving holiday but the minute we got back in to Illinois life got a little hectic for Herman and myself. Now that it is finally starting to slow down a little bit I can tell you all about my awesome adventures in Cleveland.
I can only hope that all of you had as wonderful a Thanksgiving as Gus and I had. Major love and thank yous go out to my parents and the one and only Ms. Marcella T. McGee who bent over backwards and every which way to ensure the we were happy, full and to be honest a little buzzed :) I really. really. really. needed that vacation, that break and to be around my loved ones and with the exception of BroJo not being able to be there it was absolutely totally and completely perfect.
We had a fun road trip up, after the 14 hours to PA everything else seems like peanuts so the nine hours to Cleveland was no big deal at all and as with everything the anticipation gets you though the worst parts, like massive traffic around Columbus. Eww. But it was worth it all to pull into the Brandy Wine Preserves and straight into the loving arms of mom, dad and Marcy. I had not seen my mom since the move which is simply not right and it felt so good to have them right there in Marcy's kitchen which is really just another one of my happy places. Is it awkward that most of my happy places are kitchens? Hmm.
Anyways that night is just a blur of delicious appetizers, laughing, catching up and of course light up geese with clothes. You see the 'it' thing to do in Cleveland and probably other parts of Ohio as well is to get these ceramic, or plastic geese and dress them seasonally and then put them in your front yard. We always joke and mock these geese because I mean lets face it they are wearing bonnets and frilly petticoats, who wouldn't mock that? Not us that's for sure. We have been telling Marcy (who is notorious for her lack of decorating) that we were going to get her geese with clothes for years and this Thanksgiving the threat became a reality. A lovely light up reality :)
So by the glow of the geese we fell asleep only to wake up the next day to the joy that is Thanksgiving. I have always been pretty relaxed on Thanksgiving choosing to give all the stress of the holiday to my mother who every year handles the pressure in different ways. I like to watch the parade and perhaps sip on a mimosa but all that stuff with the food looks like really hard work, so naturally I opt to stay out of the kitchen. Until this year when Gus and I took on the task of making the mashed potatoes. I have a great Weight Watchers recipe and we brought all kinds of garlic and potatoes to make our delicious dish. Surprisingly no one was murdered with a knife normally reserved for turkey carving. The kitchen is not huge, tensions run high and counter space is limited but somehow 5 grown ups were able to sashay around the kitchen in an intricate dance of food and produce a huge, delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
Gus was happy because the Cowboys won, we were all happy because my awesome uncles Dennis, Brian and Hugh were all able to come along with my Aunt Mary Ann and super fun cousins and over pie and wine numerous conversations were held about memories, music, movies, moves and life. It was brilliant. It felt nice to be able to tell stories about what we are going through here in Murphysboro and laugh about the things that normally make me so upset. It was lovely to have some perspective and of course to realize how much support I have from all around. The only person who thinks I suck is me, it def. is not coming from around Marcy's dining room table where everything was positive and hopeful. Sometimes you need to get out of your bubble to realize that. I have alot to be thankful for and it was a welcome wake up call.
Once all of the turkey and such was packed away soundly we were able to explore other parts of good old Cleveburg. Friday instead of doing massive, crazy ass shopping we instead choose to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where there was a huge Bruce Springsteen exhibit which I had been dying to see. Duh. We had never been to the museum before despite many years of going to Cleveland and we did not really know what to expect but the place is flippin incredible. The exhibit was awesome, the museum was gorgeous and fun and full of really cool things everywhere you turned. I would highly recommend it to all, if I were to have one of those Super Sweet 16 birthday parties like on MTV that is where I would want mine. Yes I realize my sixteenth birthday was nine years ago I am just saying it would be cool.
Immediately following the museum of rock was my mommy's favorite part of the trip. We went to her favorite restaurant in the Little Italy neighborhood that is frequented by mafioso types and sat in the banquet booth where no one can shoot you from behind. Now the thing about this place called the Tratrorria on the Hill is that nothing is bad. The word 'meh' simply does not exist there because everything is the best you have ever had. The waiters are these gorgeous Italian men and they bring you bread, and wine and pasta and casada cake and there can be no pain or sorrow when you are there. Unless of course there is a hit on you or something. Then you might not like it so much. That was not really an issue for us though and the food kept coming and the wine kept flowing and the night just glowed. It was so wonderful.
Unfortunately that was the last night my parents were there :( They chose to go get lost in PA instead of hanging out with us and Gus and I were left to the whims of the strict and domineering Aunt Marcy. Bahahaha. Not. Totally the other way around. Since it was still early in the afternoon we decided to hit up some fun bars in the West Side of Cleveland and made it to a delicious bier garden called the 'Bier Centro' where we had Rosemary Garlic Pomme Frites which actually made us want to lick the plate. It is very undignified to be faced with the prospect of having whole sprigs of Rosemary stuck in your teeth and simply shrug your shoulders and dig in. Totally worth it, hey I told you the dieting was on hold for the moment :) Then we skipped down the street to the Great Lakes Brewery where we had reservations for the best seat in the house and we cackled in a corner over Delicious pints of micro brewed Cleveland beer. It was sunny and relatively warm and everything was yummy and abundant. Who would ever think of Cleveland, Ohio as being the land of culinary decadence (*raises hand) I sure do.
We capped our trip off with a lovely karaoke spree with my Uncle Dennis (Who did not sing) and Mary Colleen (who rocked it out) and Gus's little brother JoJo and cousin who were also in town. We made quite a merry eclectic band and even though MC and I were the only ones who sang there was pool to play and sporting events to watch and everyone had a really great time.
Unfortunately there is that stupid cliche about all good things coming to an end which is painfully true and the next day we had to pack up and go back to So.Ill. Bah.
That was tough trust me. Cleveland is such this untouchable wonderland in my eyes and you want to know where the exact opposite of an untouchable wonderland is? I don't know exactly but I am sure that it exists somewhere in the 62966 area code. But as Gus was quick to point out that was indeed a vacation and it is perfectly natural to prefer those to the everyday trials and tribulations of life. Sigh.
But Thanksgiving was the best. I wish Jonny had been able to enjoy it with us but I had a blast. I really want to thank all of the Cleveland kids and my parents for treating Herman and I like such V.I.P's. Its true that a girl could really get used to that :) I hope the rest of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well and I am now officially really looking forward to Christmas and being home back in the 804 with Jon Greene and getting to visit (*fingers crossed*) with lots of you!
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