Hey friends!!! How are you guys doing?  Recovering from the Thanksgiving holiday like me?  We had the best time with my sister, her boyfriend, my dad and little brother last week and I am definitely having some of those post holiday blues this week.  It’s so crazy how much time and preparation goes into Thanksgiving (the meal and festivities) and then it is all over just like that in the blink of an eye.  

We got to celebrate our first holiday in our new house in San Antonio, which was super fun.  Our new house is one story (compared to our 4 story house in Nashville), which is much more conducive to entertaining and hosting guests because everyone is always nearby at all times.  It made the week even that much more fun.  Speaking of the new house, the master bathroom renovation project is underway!  The workers started Monday morning… and I am already ready for them to be finished. 🙂  Those of you that have lived through major renovations (our is just a bathroom), I don’t know how you did it.  If the builder gets all the drawings approved by the city, they should be starting our new carport next week!  I’m excited to get these projects moving so we can enjoy them.  

Back to last week.  Relieving these fun moments makes the post holiday blues worth it.  We really did have the best week with my family. 

My dad and brother arrived to San Antonio late Tuesday night so I picked them up from the airport.  Another great thing about our new house location in San Antonio is that we are only 7 minutes from the airport.  7!!! It is amazing … for us and guests!  Riley went straight to Jacob and my dad when they arrived.  My doggies definitely recognized them and ran right up to them both.  

My sister and her boyfriend (and their two pups) actually arrived from Dallas (they drove) late Tuesday night too!  My husband, sister, and her bf all had to do some work Wednesday so my dad, brother, and I decided to go to the Alamo.  I had just driven past it previously.  

There are audio and guided tours available, but the neat thing about the Alamo is that it is completely free to tour.  We had fun walking around the old church, watching a short film, and seeing a few different reenactments.   

After touring the Alamo, we walked over to see the River Walk before it started raining and we headed back home.  

Wednesday night we had plans to go out to dinner and then go to the Spurs game. 

We had dinner at a little local Italian restaurant before the game.  It was so delicious!

It was such a great game that came down to the last second.  Unfortunately, the Spurs lost, but it was still a really fun evening.  

Cheering!

My sweet Jonny!

I’ve got the best siblings around! 

The whole gang at the game!

My sister’s boyfriend’s parents sent us this yummy package to enjoy!!! 

Thursday morning started off bright and early with the San Antonio Turkey Trot!  My husband I have made this an annual tradition each Thanksgiving no matter if we are in Nashville, Indianapolis, or even San Antonio!!  Starting Thanksgiving on an active note is my favorite.  Especially since the proceeds of each race entry went to feeding a family in need a Thanksgiving dinner.  That alone is reason to run! 

This year, our fury friends were allowed to tags along so you know we brought the whole crew (all 4 dogs!).  They were all very curious in the car. 

My dad and little brother walked the race and since Riley can’t run too far anymore Jacob walked with them.  

My dad carried walked Otis too since he has bad knees.  

My sister, her bf, Jonny, and me ran the course with Callie and Murphy. 

The race was just a 5k, which was the perfect distance for a morning run.  It was a little chilly at the start, but we all ended up a little hot by the end.  I am not hating this warm weather one bit. 🙂

I gave my husband one job this Thanksgiving and that was the turkey.  I love cooking and have made a Thanksgiving meal myself a couple times over the years, but this year I really wanted to enjoy the day and not spend the entire time in the kitchen.  I prepped a lot of the side dishes ahead of time and I didn’t end up really starting to cook until about 2pm (we ate at 6pm).  

When we moved into our new house last month, my husband told me our old grill didn’t survive the move and that we needed to get a new one.  This is his department so he decided to buy a wood pellet Traeger Grill.  He told me he was going to cook the turkey on the grill this year… I was a LITTLE skeptical, but hey, I don’t even eat turkey so if that turns out badly, at least my sides will be good.  This grill actually smokes meat and I have been told that the turkey was the star of the show this year.  I mean my casseroles were really good so…. 🙂 Magically our old grill just started working the other day…aka I’m pretty sure it was never broken and my husband just wanted an excuse to buy a new grill.  Men and their toys. 😉 

My husband’s coworker that is originally from Puerto Rico stopped by for a drink in the afternoon and brought us some homemade Coquito, a popular holiday drink from Puerto Rico.  This isn’t the exact recipe she used, but it was similar.  We eat had a couple sips and wow, it was strong!  It honestly tasted like a pina colada and now I want to go to the beach. 🙂

I’m going to save the rest for tomorrow!  I’ll be back soon with the second half of my Thanksgiving recap!!! I would love to hear all about yours too!!

Questions:

1. How was your Thanksgiving holiday?
2. What is one Thanksgiving tradition you do each year?
3. What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?