First Thanksgiving in Oregon

My first Thanksgiving away from Ohio was wonderful.

My story begins the Wednesday before Turkey day.  In every job prior I had the Wednesday before off.  That was not the case here at Oregon State.  It was not one of our paid days off.  I could have taken a vacation day, but didn’t see it as necessary.  I got up and made my way to the office.  Roads were a little icy, but not bad really.  I arrived on campus and noticed a hoard of students hanging outside of Gleeson (Electrical Engineering Building) and I wondered what was going on.  I was actually most interested in the student in shorts and a tshirt in 30 degree weather.  He was obviously not thinking he would have been standing outside in the cold.  I weaved through the group of students and made way to Kidder Hall.  It was very dark inside.  I knew something was going on.  I made my way to my office and noticed that no lights were on.  A student was waiting outside.  I knew one of the advisors was holding preceptorship interviews and assumed by the girl’s attire that this was the reason she was waiting outside the door.  I unlocked the door, but my key was stuck.  The door is notorious for eating keys.  The commotion caught the attention of Ariella who came out of her dark office.  We both tried to get the key out and during all of this Ariella told me that there was an electrical fire in the steam vents on campus.   I wasn’t going to stick around if I couldn’t make phone calls, operate my computer or even see to do busy work like filing or cleaning.  I called the facilities to have them come over to secure the door and retrieve my key.  The lady on the line told me that Kidder was closed and I needed to leave for safety reasons.  I said fine, and left.  Ariella stuck around to finish her interview and to reschedule the remaining interviews on her schedule.  I hadn’t had breakfast so I went downtown to get some grub.  I did try later to access my email from home, but that wasn’t working apparently.  I got the day off anyway.

I took advantage of having the day off to bake my famous peanut butter chocolate cheesecake to take to Eric’s Grandparents’ house for the holiday.  It’s a recipe I actually know by heart.  My dear friend Tracy passed the recipe on to me a few years back.  She is the cheesecake queen, but I have mastered this recipe.  The dessert always goes to major functions with me.  It makes me miss my almost-in-laws a lot because I would make it for Carol and Diane all the time.  I should maybe look into perfecting a new recipe. 

With the cheesecake in the fridge and warm cuddly cats to snuggle, I spent the rest of the day in my warm bed.  I kept thinking about physical activity I could do to feel less guilty about the meal I would eat the next day, but bed was so cozy and my cats were glad to have me home.  I stayed in bed.  After getting some texts from friends back home telling tales of Thanksgiving Eve fun, I tried to get my Corvallis friends excited about the endless Pre Thanksgiving we could be having.  No one took the bait really, so I continued to watch television programming with the help of Hulu and Netflix. 

The next morning I woke up refreshed and excited to go to Elkton, Oregon to meet Eric’s family. Eric, Lindsay and I had made plans to stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s so we wouldn’t have to drive the 2 hours home.  Also, we would be able to take advantage of the scenery and attractions the next day.  It was a lovely drive to the small town of Elkton.  Grandma and Grandpa have a house right on the Umpqua River with an adorable yard and a spectacular view.  Lindsay took me for a walk around the yard before dinner.  I was in love.   It is my dream to have a home on a body of water. 

Dinner was ready soon after our walk of the yard.  Since Eric is also a vegetarian there was plenty of food for me to eat.  It was a beautifully prepared meal and it was nice to spend it with a family.  It may not have been my family, but it was very nice to be a part of a family gathering.