Thanksgiving in Georgia

For Turkey day we drove up to Atlanta to spend the day with Taylor's parents and sister. It's amazing how getting away from your daily life to spend a couple days eating, sleeping, cuddling and doing a bunch of nothing will make you the happiest person ever. Also, it gave me the opportunity to experience fall, which doesn't really exist in Jacksonville.

Thanksgiving day Taylor's mom, Corinne, and I spent all day in the kitchen. Taylor came in after catching up with his dad and the three of us busted out a delicious, southern meal. I made my first pumpkin pie (recipe off the can) and I was about to pour it in the crust when I realized I forgot to add sugar! Thank goodness I didn't ruin the pumpkin pie, I never would have lived that one down. And, yes, my mother-in-law is shoving butter under the turkey skin. Welcome to the south!

The next day we drove down to the University of Georgia to check out the law school. It is gorgeous! The day was warm, the campus is clean and quaint with all the brick buildings and we ate a lunch of turkey sandwiches and Taku ginger cookies. We decided we're not interested in transferring to UGA because there's nothing there, which would be really tough for me. Helped us appreciate all the things Jacksonville does offer.

Taylor and I took an afternoon to ourselves and he showed me around Acworth, GA. On one of the buildings in the little downtown was an historic, Coca Cola advertisement wall. Taylor then told me about an NPR article he heard about how Coke holds records for selling coke for the same price for decades, and why that happened. Check it out, it's really an interesting story.

We then stopped by a park that has a couple pecan trees, and when we realized there were still some fresh nuts on the ground, we collected a bunch to make into a pie. It's proof I'm maturing nicely that I love pecan pie so much, I use to be turned off by it because there was no chocolate.

Making the pie was the best event of the weekend. We collected the pecans in the fall light, then cracked them together at the kitchen table; trying to crack the shell while keeping the nut in one piece, then as Taylor prepared the nuts I mixed the filling and Corinne built the crust. It was a unique, simple and bonding experience. Yes, mushy, but I'm a romantic and it was wonderful. And the pie was freaking delicious!!! Seriously, check that baby out. I ate it for breakfast the next day.

We ate the pie while playing Rummikub, and Siam, the cat, liked the crust so much he helped himself to my lap.

He also really liked boiled peanuts, which is why he was always underfoot in the kitchen. But how can you say no to an adorable, old cat like that?