Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving is the big holiday in our family, well on my side. You see we aren't religious, despite always celebrating Christmas & Hannukah growing up, so as we've gotten older and split our holidays with in-laws it was easy to pick Thanksgiving as the big holiday on my side. For the past 10 years or so we have all made the trip up to my grandparent's house in Angels Camp California. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains this place is quaint, crisp, and holds a really special place in all of our hearts. The long weekend is full of family, food, games, long walks, trips to the cute town of Murphys, and usually a caravaning 8-hour drive up the coast to get there from southern California. The past two my now husband has joined us, and, in fact, it was 2 years ago that he proposed up there the day before Thanksgiving! So to kick off a little tour of what our Thanksgiving looks like I'll start with that car ride... The most important part of the car-ride, especially now that there are kiddos in the fam is that we stop part way at Bravo Farms to stretch our legs, eat a meal and climb the crazy cool treehouses...

This is from two years ago when we were driving up and I had no idea he was proposing but he sat in the back seat with my dad apparently whispering about the plans the whole time...little did I know

Once we get there we usually spend the first day in Murphys eating at our favorite pizza/taco spot Firewood and popping into the cute stores like Kristine’s. Plus we usually make a stop by the yummy bakery and the park/creek for the kids to play around... and if we have a whole lot of extra time we even head over to Columbia which is like a fake little old fashioned gold mining town, where you can take a carriage ride and a bad guy even tries to rob you. That's always a hit with the youngins...

At some point during the weekend the guys play golf while the gals hang, take walks around the beautiful development and generally just enjoy time at my grandparents perfect fall home... there's also usually a few golf cart rides, deer sightings, and of course the little cardboard house we once bought from Walgreens that has become a beloved fort for my nephews.. 

And then, of course, there are games....

And some family photos...

And occasional engagements...

But most of all there is FOOD & FAMILY