Thanksgiving 2025
The bus dropped them off on Tuesday night, and with the long list of fun things we had planned, we got started on Wednesday morning!
Wednesday
The ladies had hair cut appointments, and Buster and Yessa both needed to complete their flu and/or covid vaccines, so we got all of that out of the way first thing.
Then we began some Thanksgiving cooking preparation, and Buds and Buster talked about class options for next semester.
Yessa, Buds, and I had a delightful time that evening seeing a movie at The Little Theater.
We loved the movie, and the environment of this space. We'll definitely return here again.
Later that night, we decided to start Advent Calendars early. We'll open them each night the kids are home, then pause until they come home for Christmas Break.
Thursday
On Thanksgiving morning, we started with a partner WOD at CrossFit. Buds and Yessa teamed up and I jumped in with a friend.
Once we returned home, we watched the Macy's Day Parade, a tradition Yessa acquired from her years of celebrating Thanksgiving with Kel, Paula, Bets, and Kate. Then we enjoyed the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Asbury United Methodist church from the comfort of our couch. So many faith traditions were represented, and the speakers were spitting truths.
Then the cooking prep continued. We had a friend coming for our 5 p.m. dinner, and everyone helped put the meal together.
Friend Grace brought a vegan "dirt dessert," without the gummy worms, and that was delicious.
The rolls didn't get baked until after the meal was over, and we forgot the sweet potatoes in the microwave, but overall it was a delightful dinner.
After we ate we watched a couple Twilight Zone episodes since Grace is also a big fan. Rod Serling was from Binghamton.
Buds and I both remembered this episode with a lot more terror.
After I ran Grace home, we opened Advent calendars, talked about our upcoming days, and then spent hours watching the TV cycle through family photos. We were laughing until we cried as we remembered travel and events, loved ones, and how all of us have changed over the years. The delight of reminiscing with this crowd...
Friday
Buds, Yessa, and I went to open gym at CrossFit. People were so glad to see Yessa, and we all got in a good workout.
Buds is working hard to get bar muscle ups.
Buster and Yessa got some school work in, and then the whole family watched a video about investing.
Saturday
Again we started with CrossFit and another partner WOD. The big plans for today were grocery shopping at the International Market and Trader Joe's for the Bing Twins to take back to school with them.
We found lots of fun treats to try at the International Store.
Before we went into Trader Joe's, Buster suggested we take a tour through Barnes and Noble, which got an enthusiastic "Yes!" from everyone.
Back home, we sampled some Turkish delight in pomegranate flavor, which is much more tasty than the original rose water.
When we walked in the International Grocery Store, the first display we saw, Yessa said, "I know what that's for!" pointing to a random assortment of items. "It's to make Dubai chocolate," she explained. We purchased the supplies, and added making Dubai chocolate to our evening plans.
We didn't have the mold, or the food coloring, but the rest matched.
The rest of the day was studying, chatting, laundry, packing, tv watching, and being together for our final evening.
Sunday
We did not have to leave until 10 a.m. because the dorms didn't open until 2. The morning was relaxed and I tried not to be sad.
Monkey decided to stay home and take care of Mocha. And she surprised us by having the front room Christmas decorating started for us.
The drive there and back was pretty easy. We grabbed meals for everyone from Lover's Sushi, and Buster kindly/accidentally took the bag of trash in with him rather than his teriyaki chicken, which we discovered when we got back to Rochester. Monkey and Buds enjoyed it for their dinner, and Buster has informed me I owe him a delicious teriyaki dinner when we pick them up for Winter break.
It was a magical time together, and it was made even better knowing that we'll be picking them up at the end of the semester on Dec. 11th. Time will fly by.
