Zoo and Turkey!

After a passing an entire Saturday inside, watching the rain fall outside, and completing a sizable amount of cleaning an organizing, Steve woke up on Sunday (November 14th) and said, "Let's go to the zoo today." Since this was the day I had previously chosen to cook my first turkey (yes, I'm 32 and until this particular Sunday, had never cooked a turkey). This fact has in some small way kept me from crossing that fine line between child and adult. It is a right of passage, don't you think? So I quickly shot Steve's idea down. Something I've been told I do quite easily and often. Sorry, Steve. But since he's not deterred from a little bump in the road, he persuaded me that contrary to American belief and culture, it is possible to do something on turkey cooking day BESIDES cooking a turkey; or football. So, we bundled up and headed up north to The Point Defiance Zoo before we set out to cook our first ever Thanksgiving/turkey dinner together.



The best part about being at the zoo on a dreary fall morning, a Sunday no less, was the lack of crowd. It was a ghost town and delightful.


On the way home, well into the afternoon by this time, I was ready to turn my back on my passage way into adulthood and skip the turkey altogether. After all, I didn't have a meal plan, or the groceries yet, let alone a shopping list to guide me on my maiden voyage. Lucky for me my husband loves a good challenge, was willing to have faith that everything "turkey" would be on display in plain sight and HAS cooked a turkey on several occasions. So, we drove straight to the store on our way home, bought the fixings for a scrumptious meal and arrived home apparently just in time for Steve to cook a turkey that was ready in just a few short hours for dinner. It was in the oven by 3:00 and done by 6:00 and it was DELICIOUS!

A proud Steve carving the turkey - proof that 3 hours can cook a 12 pound bird.

Wait, who am I kidding, I don't really like to look at, touch, smell, cook or even eat anything meat. I'm not sure this attempt really counts as my maiden voyage and probably hasn't earned me a seat at the "adult" table just yet. Steve really did what he does best, he cooked the meat and I did what I do best, I watched. Oh, and I accessorized. It was delicious and from what I observed, it was really easy!

The feast - proof that I can accessorize a meal, well, I might add!

So, my lesson to all of you this holiday: go to the zoo, or just monkey around and be a kid (apparently I'm still one) a little on Thanksgiving day. Whatever you do, enjoy some quality time with your family first. Oh, and have your husband do the cooking! It makes for a delicious meal and a fabulous day.

Our first Thanksgiving dinner - our hands, our hearts, our bellies!

Happy Thanksgiving!