Brandi and I spent our first major holiday together (Halloween being a mid-major) in Houston, College Station, and Jasper. Our trip began at the Neely's (my aunt and uncle's) house, where we had a great time. We went on a run with Sarge, the Great Dane puppy with the taped-up ears, and I did well in basketball but not so great in soccer (lost 5-4 to the team of Cecilia and Brandi). On Wednesday night, we played Scrabble, watched Frequency, and ate pizza with Alicia and Cristina. Did you know that the day before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest pizza delivery days of the year (rivaling Super Bowl Sunday)? Makes sense.
Thanksgiving Day was Alicia's first to host, which means that I got to prep my first turkey. The meal was very good, even the very nontraditional dessert of cheesecake that made an appearance for my mom's birthday. On the Thanksgiving All-Star team for 2007 were the squash casserole, dressing, and the pumpkin cobbler. The Thanksgiving MVP was the gravy, a gametime decision, that ended up being pretty much the best gravy I've ever put on turkey and dressing. The turkey was remarkably moist, too.
The big day for me was Friday, where Brandi and I attended our first Texas/Texas A&M game together. Our only other college football game to attend (and Brandi's first college---or pro---football game) was last year's Texas/Baylor game, which, apart from being a Baylor game, took place somewhere other than Kyle Field. We arrived just in time to tailgate with my uncle's family, and I threw the football with Eric before we headed into the stadium, arriving just in time to sing the Spirit of Aggieland. The game was incredible, with plenty of big plays, most coming from the home team. At halftime, we were treated to the Show Band of the Southwest, which performed a tribute to super heroes (including, oddly, Robin Hood), and Brandi got to see the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band for the first time. When we arrived in Jasper, Brandi's mom had made sugar cookies, and I got to watch them all decorate them.
On Saturday we went with Brandi's parents to pick up their Christmas tree. It was rainy and cold, the closest you can get to wintry weather in late November in Southeast Texas. We spent the rest of the day decorating the tree with lights and ornaments, ate Connie's great chicken and dumplings and a wonderful peach cobbler, and watched parts of a couple of movies. On Sunday we attended mass, ate lunch out, and took inventory of Cabbage Patch Dolls and Star Wars figures. Then we got on the road. Our first holiday together was a wonderful one, and it was a great dress rehearsal for the big one, which is right around the corner.
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