Turkey Lurkey

Well folks, it's that time of year again. The holiday season is once again upon us. Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is peeking its head around the corner. Thanksgiving was very special for me this year. I was actually able to celebrate it twice.

The weekend before the actual holiday I traveled up to Northern New Hampshire to spend a Pre-Thanksgiving weekend with one of my best friends Jeff and his girlfriend Erin. Although the 9 hour car rides there and back were a bit taxing, it was an extremely worthwhile trip. I've known Jeff since I was 5 years old and don't get to see him too often anymore, so I was eager to make the voyage. And I did have company on my travels. Jeff's brother Brendan and his girlfriend Nichole accompanied me on the journey.

Although the drive was much longer than I am normally accustomed to, it was rather scenic at times. I must have laughed out loud at least a half dozen times on the way there. When we started to get into the mountains there were signs on the side of the road that said "Beware of moose crossings, 100's killed every year". At 1st I was unsure if they meant 100's of people, or the moose that had met their demise. When we arrived at out destination Erin confirmed that it was the moose that were killed. It sucks to crack your vehicle up, but you get first dibs on the meat if you were the driver. And call it coincidence, but guess what we had for lunch the following day. MOOSE BURGERS!! And boy were they delicious. Jeff grilled them over an open fire in the back yard. If you have the opportunity I highly recommend trying one someday.

The dinner we feasted upon on Saturday was quite delectable. We deep fried the turkey and had the customary sides. After all of our bellies were filled with vittles and booze, we retired to the living room for conversation. Erin suggested we play a board game and we all agreed. And that's when the shenanigans began. We played a spirited game of Cranium, guys vs gals. I'd never played that game before, but from what I remember through a beer induced fog, it was a combination of charades, pictionary, and other trivia. One of the clues the girls had was under the charades category. I don't remember what Erin's mother was trying to act out but she was gesturing with her hand. Now this is where things got interesting.

Nichole started yelling "Hand! Hand! ....... HAND JOB!! HAND JOB!!"

I'm not sure if she got caught up in the moment, or perhaps it was the 4 bottles of wine she had consumed. The roar of laughter from the guys team was deafening. And the looks on Jeff and Erin's Mom's faces was worth the price of admission when Nichole bellowed her guess at the clue.

But the shit show wasn't just limited to our time up North during the holiday week for me. Wait until you hear what went on at my Mom's house on Thanksgiving the following week.

After another stellar, festive meal in less than a week, once again we retired to the living room for some Thanksgiving football and chatter. I was focused on the Packers and Lions game when it dawned on me that everyone was talking about what's going on with Oprah, Regis and Kelly, and the ladies from The View. It was bad enough that my Mother and sister Donna knew what was going on in their worlds. Then I realized Donna's boyfriend and my brother Kevin were actively involved in the conversation! WTF!! I wanted to go turn the oven back on and stick my head inside until their debate about Oprah's relationship with some douche named Stedman was over.

All in all, it was one of the best Thanksgivings I've ever had. There were plenty of friends and family surrounding me for the better part of a week. I gorged myself on delicious food and consumed what seemed like gallons of alcohol. I can only imagine what's in store for Christmas. Stay tuned.......