Today, I am thankful for banana bread, Philosophy bath products, dark chocolate fudge, champagne diamonds, kitties, Scrabble, holiday feasts, and all the other lovely things I shared with my family. Tomorrow, we will be thankful for malls and sales and puppy dog tails. And cheesy Christmas movie marathons. Huzzah!

Spending thirteen or more hours on the road with family members means you'll either find nothing funny or everything funny. Although we got off to a rather rough start, we were eventually able to band together in making fun of Indiana. (Sorry, Indiana readers.) I'll have to tell that story when I'm not posting from my phone, but in the meantime, rest assured that my brother and I laughed for five minutes straight about a street named "Garoffolo Blvd." My dad claimed there was a creature by that name that was part giraffe and part buffalo. We were so amused by this that it took us a good two minutes to figure out that "Sitting in the car hard to stand?" wasn't the stupidest billboard ever. So yeah. Good trip so far.

Tomorrow, I leave for Tennessee to visit my grandparents. This will be the first time in seven years or so that my family has actually left the Chicagoland area for the Thanksgiving holiday. Usually, we celebrate with my dad's side of the family, where I get to explain to my cousins that Thomas Jefferson was not the first president. Or "the light bulb guy." Fun times.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend, even though it could mean disastrous things for my NaBloPoMo streak. I get to hang out with my parents, my brother, and my grandparents in the coziest house on the planet. It's literally over the river and through the woods, and it is always fully stocked with cookies and pies and a warm fire. My mom and my grandma will play Scrabble while my brother and I eat pancakes for breakfast. My dad will pass on computer knowledge to my grandpa in return for book recommendations and other mysterious "grandfatherly wisdom." At some point, the girls will head out for a day of shopping while the boys go shoot arrows into the woods.

If I ever decide to come back, remind me to tell you about the time I cried myself out of a getting a detention. Or the time that Comic Sans made me cry in church. Or any other story that tickles your fancy. Otherwise, have a great Thanksgiving weekend, y'all!