thankful

i think yesterday had to be my most favorite thanksgiving memory. ever. i laughed and ate and rested and ate and laughed and indulged and laughed and ate and felt loved. how can you go wrong with that? day of decadence 2008 began at about 10:30 am and ended around 9:00 pm. we started with champagne and coffee. when i arrived di was preparing fresh (never frozen) alaskan king crab legs and dipping sauces. sharon and i, of course, couldn't wait for the rest of the guests and got in there immediately. we were able to hold out on the entire platter until the final guests arrived after noon. michael and tim almost missed the fresh (never frozen) alaskan king crab legs. we wii'd and chatted and drank and indulged and laughed. then johna and jenn prepared their food. jenn made the most amazing stuffed mushrooms, which people were falling all over themselves to eat (me included), and johna's crab and chili sauce was stellar. she was going to do black bean and garlic sauce but she was feeling, well, saucy! in the middle of all of this we had my rice crispy treats, tim's AMAZING cringle, jana's granny's famous rum cake and tim's chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin pie. oh, and michael's artichoke spinach dip. then a walk was had. however, i wore my slippers and it was raining so me and a few other's stayed in. when the main course came, i didn't think we'd have any room but lo and behold, we did! diane seriously outdid herself. all the usual suspects; turkey, masher's, THE BEST STUFFING EVER, gravy, brussel sprouts, yams, cranberries and spinach salad. jenn also made homemade kahlua - so johna busted out a mexican coke and kahlua with a splash of cream. no? yes! we finally came to fully understand the day of decadence, i think. it's all in the pacing and the mixing of the sweet and the savory. michael got sucked in by sharon and di's couch for a few minutes and me and jana spent only a few minutes groaning and clutching our stomach's. it didn't stop us, however, from the final indulgence of desserts with diane's hand-whipped fresh whipping cream.
it's a little cliche, but i am so grateful for sharon and diane, jenn and johna, michael and tim, and helen and jana. it was the best day i had all week. thanks girls (oh, and tim and michael but close enough!). only 365 more days until day of decadence 2009!
peace, for now, as i prepare my leftover plate for breakfast...