Success.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. So much food and such wonderful friends. And the turkey was great, which was a total relief! Though I needn't have worried. Laurent and I are a pretty stellar team when it comes to kitchen-related endeavors.

Undisputed turkey champions of the world.

After we had eaten, we put some football on (American, of course) and just kind of laid around our living room. At one point, someone suggested games, but that got vetoed because we were all too full to move...which is how you know your Thanksgiving is a success: food-induced lethargy.

It was a lovely evening. I went to bed feeling very blessed.
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was Thanksgiving, even though it didn't really feel like it.

I spent the day at work, because apparently England doesn't have anything to be thankful for. I would have much preferred to have spent it surrounded by family members while I ate myself into a food coma, like a true American. But alas.

I settled for this.

Did anyone else spend their Turkey Day at an Irish pub?

Not your traditional Thanksgiving meal, but at least it was tasty and shared with friends. Plus, I still have Saturday to look forward to, when we'll celebrate properly.

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours.

Thanksgiving abroad (round two).

There is a turkey in my refrigerator -- my teeny tiny, shoebox of a refrigerator. I'm not sure how we fit it in there, what with the 5 individuals already sharing the cramped space, but it's there nonetheless.

   

It's there because it's Thanksgiving -- well, almost. Tomorrow is the actual holiday, but as the UK doesn't recognize it and therefore does not give you the day off, we're postponing our celebrations till the weekend. Because as anyone who's ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner can tell you, it's impossible to prepare the kind of feast warranted by this occasion unless you have an entire day to do it.

 

This is my second Thanksgiving abroad. Last year was kind of crazy, because (1) it was my first Thanksgiving away from home, (2) it was the first time I'd ever had to plan a Thanksgiving dinner, and (3) I had never made a turkey before. This year it isn't quite so intimidating, seeing as how it's not all new. Still, I kind of get nervous whenever I open my fridge and see that turkey sitting there, large and imposing, reminding me that I don't really know what I'm doing. But we pulled it off last year, so I'm pretty confident we'll be able to do it again.

 

And, even if nothing else goes right, we'll still have pie. I'm good at pie.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Time travel.

I'm convinced the closest thing we have (and perhaps will ever have) to time travel is music. In seconds, a song can take you back years. There are other things that trigger memories -- sights and smells and such -- but music has this rare ability to transport you back to a particular moment (or even particular people) from your past. 

It might be purely accidental. A song comes on the radio, one you haven't even thought of in ages, and all of the sudden you find yourself back in your hometown, riding in the bed of someone's pickup a couple days after your high school graduation, feeling that this night is somehow incredibly significant -- that soon, people will move and things will change, and that you should try to take it all in because someday in the distant future, you'll want to remember how things were.

And for those three minutes and thirty-four seconds, you do remember. And quite clearly.

Or maybe it's purposeful. You're missing your best friends, so you put on that CD you always used to play in the car when you made your weekly run to Sonic for happy hour, and the memories come flooding back and you can't help but smile as you sing along.

Regardless of how it happens, it happens. And it's a wonderful and incredible thing.

I put this on, for example, and it's suddenly 2006, and I'm getting the longest hug of my life, because we both know that as soon as we let go, one of us will be moving far far away.

  

And this will forever remind me of the summer of 2008 and asking if Penland was open and whether or not we should just go play volleyball at the SLC and order pizza.

 
  

This one (forgive me) makes me laugh, transported back to my graduation from Baylor, and how "the party don't start till I walk in" played as we pulled up to the ceremony.  

 

This makes me think of winter in Illinois -- watching the white slowly pile up against our window while we stayed inside and baked our way through the Snowpocalypse.

 

And this makes me think of dancing spontaneously in the kitchen, but only during the chorus, because once the verse hit we went back to nonchalantly tending to the pots on the stove.

There are so, so many more. And more often than not, they catch me by surprise. Not only that I remember all the words (which, by the way, how is that even possible?) but also how an event that hasn't crossed my mind in years is instantly brought to the forefront, crystal clear, with all the accompanying emotions. It's an incredible thing.

What songs take you back?

 

Wednesday randoms.

Well, I’m back in England, where there is significantly less sunshine. Here are a few Wednesday randoms:

 

The highs here have been around 45 (7ish degrees C), and I’ve been wearing tights and scarves for about two months now. But when I got off the plane in Dallas, there was sunshine galore, and at 85 degrees (30ish degrees C) I instantly realized I was wearing too many clothes for Texas.  

 

The UK changes their clocks back a week earlier than the US. And since I was in the US a week after the time changed, I got to fall back twice this year. Which is fine with me – I can use all the extra time/sleep I can get.

 

With the time change, the sun sets earlier these days. Pretty standard, right? Except here, because we’re so far north, that means that by 4:30pm, the sun is gone. It’s really sad having so little daylight.

I missed out on being in the States for the presidential election by one day. Not that I was particularly heartbroken by this (I’d already voted absentee). Watching even an hour of election coverage at the airport was enough to make me want to run away from all things political.

 

You know how we say “what’s-her-name” when we can’t remember a name? Well here, a lot of people just say “thingy.” As in, “I was just talking to thingy.” It’s not my favorite bit of terminology.

 

Great news! I went to Asda the other day in search of tea, and guess what I found. Cocoa. HERSHEY’S cocoa. I haven’t seen it anywhere else in this country, so that made my day.

  

There's no place like home[coming].

I'm sitting at work, smiling maniacally and buzzing like I just drank a lot of coffee. But I haven't had any coffee at all. This, my friends, is what you call a natural high.

 

I'm just so excited to be heading to Texas tomorrow! Why am I going, you ask? Because of this:

 

That's right. I get to go to Baylor Homecoming this year! 

Here's what I'm most excited about:

 

Driving -- I say this all the time, but I can't tell you how much I miss it. A car gives you so much freedom. Plus, where else am I supposed to sing loudly without fear of embarrassment?

 

Christmas -- But it's barely Halloween, you say? Well when you're not going home for the holidays, Christmas comes early for the ones you love. I've been planning, and I'm really excited to make people feel loved and special with an assortment of British goodies.

 

Football -- (American style.) When I was at Baylor, I never missed a home game. I've watched online, but it's been two years since I've actually been to a game. I can't wait.

 

Campus -- Apparently, a lot has changed around my alma mater. Still, I'm sure it will still feel like home. I'm excited to grab a cowboy coffee and walk the Bear Trail like old times.

 

Sunshine -- I've checked the forecast, and it's supposed to get into the mid 80s (that's 30 degrees for all you silly Celsius users). I haven't been that warm since my visit to Italy last June. To give you some perspective, our highs for London are expected to be 50 and below this week. God bless Texas and it's complete lack of regard for fall...even in November.

 

Food -- I've already made a list of all the restaurants that I absolutely must visit. Judging by what I've got down so far, it's possible that I could spend my entire trip eating. But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

 

Target -- I don't even need to buy anything. I just need to go. Don't judge.

 

And of course, friends and family -- To me, that's what Baylor Homecoming is all about. In fact, when my friends and I were interviewed at Baylor a few years ago by some local news crew, that's the answer I gave. That's also the answer Alexis gave, immediately following mine (I think she panicked). So the camera panned across our group as we listed off our favorite things about Homecoming, and it ended up sounding like this: "Football. Pigskin. Friends and family. Friends and...family." It was hilariously awful. I'm pretty sure we never ended up on TV.

 

-------------------------

The point is, I can't wait to get on that plane tomorrow. I absolutely love living in London. It's such a fun city, and I've met some incredible people who mean the world to me.

See what I mean? Lovely, wonderful people.

But there's just something about going home that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So all you lovely Texas people, get ready. I'm headed your way.
 
And I can't wait to hug you.

  

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

It's officially fall. Time to bust out the coats, scarves, and pumpkin recipes. 

This is my favorite season for baking. And there's so much you can do with pumpkin. But despite the myriad of choices I faced when I pulled a dusty Libby's can from the depths of my cupboard, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are exceptional. They're full of flavor and so soft that they're almost more like the top of a muffin than your standard cookie. And they're super simple. 

So grab yourself a can of Libby's, and whip these up on a crisp fall evening. Your kitchen will smell amazing, and your taste buds will thank you.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

(c/o Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp (heaping) nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with nonstick spray. 

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. 

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until smooth. Then add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla, and mix on a low speed until it's all blended together. 

Add the flour mixture, and stir until combined. Dough will be very similar to a muffin batter, but it should hold its shape when scooped.

Fold in the chocolate chips. 

 

Scoop out about 1/4 cup (or a large spoonful) of dough and place on prepared baking sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between each cookie, because they'll grow quite a bit in the oven. I think I only put 6 on my standard baking sheet. 

Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and they pass the toothpick test. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Then, enjoy!

 

Note: I got about 18 cookies out of this recipe. I baked them last night, and currently there are only 3 left in my kitchen. So while these could hypothetically last about 4 days in an airtight container, expect them to be gone long before then.