Thanksgiving!

Before I start, I should probably admit that I'm currently procrastinating. I have more deadlines than friends at this point and the final two weeks of the semester are well and truly destroying my soul. I have nine more days of sleep deprivation, constant work and irrational stress before I can relax for a month. But obviously, writing a blog post is more important.

So, Thanksgiving. That was a thing!

Sydney Dickens, freshman, and UK enthusiast offered to host me for Thanksgiving right at the start of the year. Who was I to say no to that? She lives in the most suburban suburb imaginable in Fort Collins, Colorado, so that's where we headed on Wednesday morning. The seven hour journey was made considerably easier by obnoxiously loud music and singing, as well as the anticipation of an actual real home-cooked meal. Given my budding and sturdy relationship with ramen that's built up over the last 5 months, I was excited to say the least. 

Fun fact: Colorado gets COLD. Most of the nights I was there dropped to around -10/12 Celsius. I like it cold, but I don't like it that cold. Even my gums were cold. I didn't realise that was possible. On the upside, there was snow all weekend and it was beautiful. It began to snow just as we reached Fort Collins and we woke up the next morning to a nice, thick blanket of snow, which stuck around all weekend. Perfect timing, really.

Sydney's parents, Cary and Suzanne, were absolute gems. They're such lovely people. They reminded me of people I know back home, which was a big comfort. There was no awkwardness or anxiety when talking to them or asking them for anything - we got on like a house on fire. They are my kind of parent-people. Plus, we didn't want for anything all weekend. I was completely and utterly spoiled. I owe them a big, big thank you for that. Plus, they went through the trouble of making a proper beef roast for me on the Friday night. Yorkshire puddings and everything. What a night to be alive.

On to actual Thanksgiving. We ate dinner at Sydney's aunt and uncle's house. There was a pretty big crowd, around the same size group as a Christmas dinner gathering at my grandma's house. It was homely and welcoming and lovely. I couldn't fault the food, with the exception of 'candied' sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes covered with marshmallows. What's all that about? It wasn't for me. The rest of it was, though. Needless to say, I stuffed myself.  After eating, everybody spent the afternoon playing games and chatting. It was really enjoyable. It was very much like Christmas day if you took away the fuss of presents. There was also an ongoing joke that I was the 'replacement Ashleigh'. Sydney has a cousin Ashley (incidentally, her name is Ashley Rose, which was a bit weird) who couldn't make it, so I filled in. Apparently, I was a decent enough replacement.

Saturday was spent with Sydney's grandma on the other side of the family. She was adorable. Really. She took an interest in where I came from (she made me point out my exact home town on a map), as well as my views on American politics and other such topics. She was just a really great person to talk to. In the evening, Sydney and her parents took me to a pizza place for some kind of special Colorado pizza. The main difference was the fact that the pizza crust alone was probably big enough for a decent meal. It was big. When we got back, I made Sydney watch Gavin and Stacey with me. I think she enjoyed it. If she didn't, she's a good liar. But who doesn't love Gavin and Stacey?

Before we left on Sunday, we went for breakfast at a place heavily decorated with dead animals. I tucked into my breakfast sandwich being stared at by a stuffed mountain lion and countless wall-mounted fish. It's a good job I'm not easily put off food. It was at this meal I learned that you can add eggs to absolutely any food imaginable, and Americans will call it breakfast. Steak and gravy + eggs = breakfast. Corned beef hash + eggs = breakfast. Fascinating. 

Armed with considerable munch (including British biscuits, much to my delight), Sydney and I left Colorado embarked on the eight-hour drive back to Albuquerque. The drive back took longer because of the dreadful weather. Snow is great to look at when you're not going anywhere, but it's an absolute nightmare to drive through. All in all, a wonderful weekend. Thank you very much to Sydney and her lovely family for putting up with me. It's very much appreciated and I won't forget your generosity in a hurry!

The only picture Sydney managed to successfully take of me all weekend.
It's an alright one, too. Thanks, gal x

Well, that was a nice break. Back to work, I go. December 10th can't come quick enough!