I can hardly believe it's already December...it seems it was just Halloween. No surprise here though, November is a month that always seems to fly by, and before we know it, it will be Christmas! So, as usual, November was flying by--Eric was set to travel a bit before work and I was set to go back to NY 14 November. Life had a different plan for us though. After months of searching for the right job, I finally got my name in to substitute at an International private school, which was awesome. I ended up subbing for over a week for the ESL coordinator. What an amazing place! That week, I also got a call for a job interview for a January to May grant position at a Houston-area school. The following week, I got a call for another ESL position. When it rains, it pours! I ended up changing my flight to fly home with Eric on 18 November and went on the interviews which both resulted in offers. I am staring my new job in January to help boost test scores for the English Language Learners who must take the state test after one year in the country. I'm very excited!
The night before we left to go back to NY we were gifted tickets to the French Food and Wine Festival to celebrate the Beaujolais Nouveau 2011--a red wine harvested every year (from gamay grapes from the Beaujolais region). This type of grape is only fermented for just a few weeks before it is released (each year) on the 3rd Thursday of November. It certainly brought back fond memories of our time living in Paris. So, we wined and dined and then headed back home to sleep and dream of NY.
My parents picked us up...and we had the pleasure of being with both dogs, Aldo and Combo. It was a little cramped, but we love them :)
We stopped off at Grandma's house to say a quick hello. I found this cute pic of Eric as a little boy.
Aldo
Danny and Megen, Eric's brother and girlfriend surprised us all on Tuesday night when they arrived at the Pickett house. It was a wonderful surprise and so happy to all be together. We spent a few fun days. Mom P's birthday is 28 Nov and Megen's birthday is 1 Dec. Megen and I wanted to bake some things to bring to Eric's aunt's house and a little surprise for Mom P's birthday celebration so we made cupcakes. Little did Megen know that I added her name to the cupcakes :)
We also made some pie for my parent's Thanksgiving dinner. Way to go Meg!
A little pause for some Combo/Aldo love
The night before Thanksgiving, we went to the Pickett house for pizza. Both families were there...it hasn't been like that since our wedding so it was such a treat. After some fuel, we all headed out together that night to Derby and then Shadows. Shadows has transformed itself into a city club. They've installed a million dollar sound system, had female dancers scattered about (sorry, no photos) and a bass that rocked your core. It was fun to all be together...Jon-Carlo and his girlfriend, Alex, me and Eric, Jedd and Dan and Megen. It is the "biggest bar night" of the year but it definitely has become a younger crowd...aka, we're getting older so we didn't see quite as many people as usual.
Jedd, taking a little break after working day in day out for months for our family business.
Now on to Thanksgiving day. Eric and I spent the morning at my parent's house which was great. It was the only day Jedd could be home due to work so it was a nice morning. Around 1pm, we headed down to Eric's aunt and uncle's house for some delicious Thanksgiving food. Eric's uncle, Peter is a phenomenal chef and always makes me something special. This year was no different, we ate appetizers of cheese, nuts, crackers and other goodies. A first course of melon and mint, (with prosciutto for the non-veg, ravioli from Arthur Ave, and homemade sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, and a Thanksgiving meal of the most delicious stuffing, mashed potatoes and marinated grilled tofu (turkey for the rest). I know I'm missing something, but you get the gist. Plus a spread of desserts that put us all over the edge.
Luckily we "worked" out a bit before our meal by playing one hand catch football in the road.
Of course Patti made some fun things for us to wear. This year we were pilgrims...can you tell she's a teacher ?! :) Peter and Chris posing.
Megen and Lexy giving each other a helping hand :)
Mom and Dad P as pilgrims
Ha!
Little bitty pumpkin pies that Megen jazzed up!
Our dessert spread that has Grandma looking very surprised :)
We were of course missing Aunt Linda and Uncle Kevin but Linny sent some fun cakes which were delicious. Also pictured are Patti's yummy candy apples.
After we left rolled out of Patti and Peter's house, we headed to Mom P's side of the family for some MORE dessert! I wish I had forgotten my fullness and remembered to take photos! No surprise, this dessert spread was ginormous!! All the family was there minus a few cousins who were with their significant other's family. It was again, wonderful to have everyone together. On the way back home, we witnessed many shoppers headed out for the black Friday deals....Mom P said this and I agree, that there is nothing I could want enough (or a good enough deal) that would possess us to go out for black Friday shopping.
The next day was a busy one. It was Eric's 10 year high school reunion and also a football game in the afternoon with all of his classmates. First, we stopped off to see Ant Merry.....a dear, dear family friend that although isn't blood related, is family just the same. A long time ago, I wrote a card to "Ant Merry" spelled just this way....and has since stuck. You might remember Mary's beautiful story of two trees that she told at our wedding. We always enjoy going to her house and this time was no different. We sat and chatted for a bit and also solved some of her "problems" with squirrels.
Afterwards, we were off to the Spackenkill football field for some good ol' fashioned two hand-turned tackle football.
Some action shots
Jon-Carlo even got involved....and was very tired afterwards :)
Group shot of the players. Yes, that's Eric's Dad!! He was out there playing like a champ!
A little cleaning up, a little stretching, and then on to the reunion which so happened to be at one of my favorite places..the Brown Derby.
Me and Amanda
Thanksgiving is definitely my (and Eric's) favorite holiday and we really enjoy being back at home for it. It was so wonderful to be able to see so many family members and friends. We have so much to be grateful for in our life. We'll miss you all at Christmas, but we'll be there in spirit.
The night before we left to go back to NY we were gifted tickets to the French Food and Wine Festival to celebrate the Beaujolais Nouveau 2011--a red wine harvested every year (from gamay grapes from the Beaujolais region). This type of grape is only fermented for just a few weeks before it is released (each year) on the 3rd Thursday of November. It certainly brought back fond memories of our time living in Paris. So, we wined and dined and then headed back home to sleep and dream of NY.
We stopped off at Grandma's house to say a quick hello. I found this cute pic of Eric as a little boy.
And a sweet photo of Eric's grandfather Pop.
We were home nearly 9 days but they were absolutely jam packed. Here are some of the highlights.
We headed to our favorite dinner spot one night, Brasserie 292. It is delicious! One of Eric's friends from high school is part-owner. Every time we visit, we feel transported back to our life in Paris. The decor and the vibe is perfectly on point, as is the food. 
Danny and Megen, Eric's brother and girlfriend surprised us all on Tuesday night when they arrived at the Pickett house. It was a wonderful surprise and so happy to all be together. We spent a few fun days. Mom P's birthday is 28 Nov and Megen's birthday is 1 Dec. Megen and I wanted to bake some things to bring to Eric's aunt's house and a little surprise for Mom P's birthday celebration so we made cupcakes. Little did Megen know that I added her name to the cupcakes :)
A little pause for some Combo/Aldo love
This happens on a regular occurrence. Aldo and Combo climbing on Jon-Carlo when he's on the tiniest seat in the house.
The night before Thanksgiving, we went to the Pickett house for pizza. Both families were there...it hasn't been like that since our wedding so it was such a treat. After some fuel, we all headed out together that night to Derby and then Shadows. Shadows has transformed itself into a city club. They've installed a million dollar sound system, had female dancers scattered about (sorry, no photos) and a bass that rocked your core. It was fun to all be together...Jon-Carlo and his girlfriend, Alex, me and Eric, Jedd and Dan and Megen. It is the "biggest bar night" of the year but it definitely has become a younger crowd...aka, we're getting older so we didn't see quite as many people as usual.
Now on to Thanksgiving day. Eric and I spent the morning at my parent's house which was great. It was the only day Jedd could be home due to work so it was a nice morning. Around 1pm, we headed down to Eric's aunt and uncle's house for some delicious Thanksgiving food. Eric's uncle, Peter is a phenomenal chef and always makes me something special. This year was no different, we ate appetizers of cheese, nuts, crackers and other goodies. A first course of melon and mint, (with prosciutto for the non-veg, ravioli from Arthur Ave, and homemade sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, and a Thanksgiving meal of the most delicious stuffing, mashed potatoes and marinated grilled tofu (turkey for the rest). I know I'm missing something, but you get the gist. Plus a spread of desserts that put us all over the edge.
We were of course missing Aunt Linda and Uncle Kevin but Linny sent some fun cakes which were delicious. Also pictured are Patti's yummy candy apples.
After we
Afterwards, we were off to the Spackenkill football field for some good ol' fashioned two hand-turned tackle football.
Jon-Carlo even got involved....and was very tired afterwards :)
A little cleaning up, a little stretching, and then on to the reunion which so happened to be at one of my favorite places..the Brown Derby.
Spackenkill HS class of 2001
Eric and Miketo
Apparently I'm a class of 2001 too! I'll take it :)
Thanksgiving is definitely my (and Eric's) favorite holiday and we really enjoy being back at home for it. It was so wonderful to be able to see so many family members and friends. We have so much to be grateful for in our life. We'll miss you all at Christmas, but we'll be there in spirit.
Saying goodbye with Combo and Aldo
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