First Thanksgiving in Texas

A 75-Degree Thanksgiving
Lauren, Baxter, and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together in Texas on Thursday. Aside from being over a thousand miles from the Poulters and Glanzers, we did alright for ourselves and had a merry little day even if the warm weather didn’t necessarily get us in the traditional holiday spirit. But then again, from what I heard, the weather was abnormally warm in the Midwest too.

It began with an hour hike for Baxter at Walnut Creek in hopes of wearing him down so he’d be on good behavior for Thanksgiving, and it worked to perfection! We returned home and Lauren got to work in the kitchen preparing a massive feast for two while Baxter went out to rest in a warm spot on the balcony. I helped out here and there, peeling parsnips and potatoes and carving the turkey, but it was mostly a one-woman show in the kitchen.

While Lauren cooked, I thought it might be fun to try video chatting with the Glanzer family, so I contacted Jordan who I figured would have a webcam on her laptop. Within minutes we were able to see inside the bustling Glanzer house. We chatted with Jordan, Mom, Peyton, Emerson, Hudson, Dad, Granny, Grandma Bell, and Calvin throughout the afternoon. I figured Granny would be confused as to how I wound up inside the computer, but she had a pretty good grasp on it!

As usual, Lauren once again outdid herself with another memorable feast of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes (with parsnips to be healthier!), candied butternut squash, cranberry sauce, green beans, gravy, and individual pumpkin pies. Afterwards we attempted to watch the Cowboys game but quickly crashed hard on the couches. I slept for a couple hours and Lauren slept a couple more. That snoozing is the scene I had come to know at family holidays on the Bell side over the years, with the men usually passed out within an hour of eating… Great-Grandpa Clifford, Grandpa Bell, Uncle Stuart, maybe even me a few times in later years.

Other Snippets

• November is turning into one of my lightest blogging months ever, with this just the fourth of the month! There have never been that few in a month since I killed ryanglanzer.com and switched over to WordPress in 2008.
• Last week Lauren and I, along with friends Kristin and Brian, took in the Texas Stars hockey game vs the Houston Aeros. The Aeros are the minor-league affiliate for the Minnesota Wild, after all. The first five minutes were the most entertaining with a goal for each team including a shorthanded goal for Texas which resulted in fans throwing over 1,600 teddy bears onto the ice for some sort of charity. Also there was a major fight 90 seconds into the game. After that, just your basic hockey game.
• Baxter will be beginning obedience school in early December. Among the many, many things he needs to work on include not jumping into the face of every person and animal he sees. And if we could get him to stop soiling the carpet altogether that would be well worth the money too.
• Wednesday night Lauren and I went to a movie with my co-worker Eddie and his girlfriend Kristin. We saw “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne who also directed “Sideways,” one of my favorite movies ever. This was no “Sideways” but pretty decent. Kind of a sad movie with some comic undertone. Some good performances but ultimately probably will be fairly unmemorable for me.
• Lauren and I recently were asked by a friend to help film some B-roll footage for a PSA video he is shooting about the dangers of underage drinking for the states of New Jersey and Indiana. We went to his apartment and acted out quite a few scenes of opening beer bottles, clinking glasses, and playing beer pong. These were shots only from the neck down… not so sure Lauren and I could pass for teenagers at this point.
• I am getting pretty excited for our trip back to Minnesota/South Dakota over Christmas. Maybe a Shed Party reunion show is in order!
• A couple of dates I have circled on the calendar down the road a ways include some basketball games in March. First the Sioux Falls SkyForce are in town for a couple games against the Austin Torros. Also in March, now that the lockout is over, the Timberwolves will visit San Antonio which is just an hour south of us. I know Lauren is thrilled.
• Late November is the busiest time of year for birthdays. The biggest milestone birthday this November is my mother, Marcie Glanzer, who turned 50 on the 19th! Also happy birthday wishes to Steve Poulter, Chris Ahrendt, Jason LaPlant, Travis Bolton, Jordan Krogman, and Betty Bell!