Our Vegan Thanksgiving

While we're not big on the holidays around our house, we do get into them a bit.  Last night and this morning, Mike cooked up a storm of food for the day while Rowan watched him from the couch. 

After taking the girls for a walk, we loaded up the car with the food and drove to one of Mike's brothers.  The food included three recipes from the Happy Herbivore cookbook- cajun meatloaf, stuffing and cornbread, as well as yams (baked with mandarin oranges, pecans & maple syrup), a bottle of wine and a cheesecake, complete with strawberry and mixed berry toppings.  All of the food went over quite well with everyone!

My brother in-law made this crockpot lentil soup and was it ever amazing!  My father in-law loved it so much that he ate four bowls!  I've already printed out the recipe so that we can have it again.  

Mike donned a mustache for the day, then shaved it later.

We also got to visit with my brother in-law's pup, Rigsby.  He's so soft, fluffy and sweet.  I hung out with him and Jonas (my other brother in-law's dog, who was way too squirmy & excited for me to take pictures of) while everyone watched the Packers.  Football makes my eyes glaze over & my brain go numb, but dogs never bore me!

I've got to admit that the holidays are most definitely not my favorite time of the year. The sun barely comes out and even when it does, it sets way too early. It's cold, snow is right around the corner and Mike has to work long, exhausting hours (as do I, as of recently). Worst of all, though, is that hunting season has started and consumerism reaches epic gluttonous proportions. Last night while we were walking the girls, we heard several gun shots in the woods nearby. Ugh. With all of that combined, it's easy for me to get into a funk and focus on the negative. This week, I've been finding myself going into a silent withdrawal, which I tend to do from time to time. Instead of staying silent for a while and retreating inside myself, I'm trying to focus on the positive things. Even if it doesn't work, at least I can say I tried, right?

I'm thankful for......

Mike and our sweeties, who make my life complete.

All vegans, who give me some hope for humanity.

Nature and all of her gloriousness.

Health for myself and my loved ones, because I know all too well what life is like without it.

Our jobs.  While not perfect, I know how lucky we are to have them.

Our home, which is our sanctuary.

I can think of a jazillion more things, but those are the main things.  I hope everyone had a wonderful day!