So Beyond Grateful

 I know that it is a little late now, but I am finally sitting down and writing about Thanksgiving! I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving and that is all thanks to my new found friends; The Sherwood Family! So long story short, my neighbors back home; Lynnette and Mike Larsen have a daughter in Pennsylvania who they were planning on visiting for the holiday. When they found out I didn't have any plans they invited me to come stay with them in PA. 

First of all, their home is beautiful. They live in this stunning part of the country, right near Washington's Crossing! It was so nice to be away from the loud city for a few days. I had never been to Pennsylvania so I was super excited about taking the train from Penn Station and crossing state lines. Kind of a dorky thing to be excited about, but I was. I got there on Thanksgiving Day just in time for some pre-meal snacks. Josh, Amanda, their two kids (Zach and Emma), and their Great Dane Paisley were so welcoming and made me feel right at home. Seeing Mike and Lynnette was really great, I miss faces from home. As we all got acquainted I learned that we have a lot in common. I have the same American Girl doll as Emma! Zach can do magic tricks, and I love magic tricks! And this family is addicted to Disney Cruising! I fit right in! Emma is 7 years old and a darling! She showed me all of her princess dresses and we talked forever about American Girl dolls! Zach is 13 and he has some of the coolest Lego sets I have ever seen! After 5 minutes we were best friends!

I don't even know where to start on the food. This food was so good. So good. It started out with these delicious apple-bread-nut-appetizer things (I obviously don't have any idea what they are) but they were seriously so delicious. Before I even being talking about dinner, the table was absolutely gorgeous. The stunning plates were hand painted from Mexico City! Thanksgiving dinner was so delicious. Everything tasted amazing! The stuffing was a completely different stuffing than I have ever had before, and it was so great! Everything about this meal was perfect! Beyond how delicious it all was, it was so nice to have a home-cooked meal. I am so very grateful I had the opportunity to have such a yummy dinner on Thanksgiving. 

Throughout the rest of the night Emma and I braided each other's hair, and Zach showed me tons of magic. Josh, Amanda, and I exchanged Disney Cruise Line stories. They have been to some of the coolest places! They got to see the crowned jewels in Denmark! They showed me tons of photos which was super awesome! Over the whole weekend we played a ton of card games. I was introduced to a new game called Wacky Six! It was super fun! Zach and I played so many rounds of card games and Emma made for a great teammate! 

The next morning they had a wonderful breakfast spread out of waffles, bacon, eggs, and fruit. It was the first real breakfast I have had in quite a while so that was such a treat! As I am eating my breakfast I look out the window and I see deer! Deer! In their yard. A whole bunch of them! They were telling me that it is a pretty normal occurance and sometimes Paisley would go out and chase after them! I am telling you, that dog is twice the size of some of those fawns! Originally I was going to go home at some point on Friday afternoon, but all of a sudden it was Friday evening and we were still playing card games and I just couldn't leave yet! They were planning on going to the new Wreck It Ralph movie on Saturday and invited me to join! I haven't been to the movie theatre since summer so that was exciting too! The movie was super cute by the way! but the best part was the entire ride there Emma and I sat in the back of the car singing to Wicked! She knows every word! We had a blast jamming out to the whole soundtrack! Zach was a good sport, haha! But I have a feeling he likes it more than he let on! I loved driving through PA, it was so beautiful, and I really had no idea!

So I ended up staying all the way through Sunday because the Sherwoods found out I had never seen A Christmas Story all the way through. I just had to stay for Sunday family movie night! On Sunday I went to church with them. At church, Amanda mentioned to a few young women that I was going to school in NYC studying to be on Broadway. They were like "Oh my goodness?! No Way!? Can I have your Instagram?!" Haha! Amanda said "Well sorry I have known you for three days and I am already embarrassing you!" She is the greatest! It was super funny! I just loved getting to know this amazing family, including my fun neighbors Mike and Lynette! 

I am so beyond grateful for the Larsens and the Sherwoods! I just met this family on Thanksgiving and it feels like I have known them forever! They were so kind to welcome me into their home and allow me to stay for so long! Their kids are so much fun to hang out with! The whole weekend was such a treat. I got to stay in a real home, with a wonderful family, I got to eat delicious food, and hang out with the coolest people who I will never forget. I had no idea Thanksgiving was going to be this incredible! I am so grateful to live in this amazing city and to be doing the thing I love every day. I am so grateful I am having all of these new and crazy experiences. The opportunity I have been blessed with makes me grateful everyday! Thank you to the Larsens for thinking of me and inviting me over and thank you to the Sherwoods for making me feel at home for the holiday! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!