Family Thanksgiving
My family on my Dad's side is spread out all over the country, so each year we pick a random city to meet up and do Thanksgiving. This year, we went to La Jolla, California for the annual festivities. (Last year was Vegas, the years before were Phoenix, Austin, Naples, etc.
The family from Iowa
Jim, Tom, Linda, Jon
The family from Oregon
Kandy and Brian (who have two kids, Colin and Meghan)
Cousin from Tacoma
Meghan's now engaged which makes Vince the newest member of the family
Grandpa from S. Dakota and Arizona
Grandpa and Marge
The parents from Texas
Mom and Dad
Brother from Arizona
My brother Charlie and my sister in law Stefani
Signed $2 Bills
Everyone has a $2 bill and the tradition every year is to have all of the "kids" or all of the "adults" sign the bills and see the progression of the family. Pretty cool too look back at all of the cities we've done for Thanksgiving, not to mention the addition of younger cousins, spouses, etc.
Gift Exchange
Another yearly tradition is doing two gift exchanges. The first gift exchange is always the white elephant gift and the second is a nice gift. I think it's kind of hard to shop for a $30 gift that's equally good from a 15 year old male and a 80+ year old woman. However, that also makes it a challenge and it's always fun. Pictured here my Uncle Tom proudly displays his new tongue brush. Interesting...
Family at the beach
One afternoon we hung out at the beach, watching the sea lions and taking in the rainbow and a gorgeous sunset.
Mom's biggest online purchase
Once mom figured out the whole internet thing, she jumped into it head first... purchasing herself a 32 ft long trailer from a woman online! Pretty impressive! Pretty impressive trailer, too! Thanksgiving was the first time I saw pictures of it since they picked it up in Virginia or where ever.
Charlie's receding hairline
Apparently Charlie is pretty concerned about a receding hairline. Personally, I don't think it's too far gone though... especially compared to many folks I know.
My cousin Jim
Jim's a few years younger than me and it has been tons of fun watching him grow up. He's now in his second year of college in Chicago and seems to be doing quite well.
Lego Castle
It's a Mormon temple really, but it sure looked like it was made of Legos. You decide! Either way, it was quite stunning and definitely unexpected across the street from the strip mall and movie theater.
Just the Girls
Stefani, me, and Meghan take a photo together at the Sea Lodge Resort, site of our family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Water
Because I'm allergic to wheat, gluten, and soy, we hit the grocery store to look for alternative foods I could eat for the weekend. I was quite entertained in Ralph's grocery store by the "new age beverage" sign... though I never really figured out what a new age beverage was. Crazy Californians!
My parents
Another beach photo! Note the coats... yep, sunny San Diego wasn't exactly sunny when we were there. In fact, it was quite cold and rainy for most of the week. That's okay though. The sun broke for a little while during our trip to the beach.
Charlie and Stefani
Another beach photo!
The End! Overall, a lovely weekend. Jon played some soccer. Most of us hit the beach, or the zoo, or did some shopping, or watched Shrek on HBO. Was fun. No fights. Decent food. No complaints from me! Was nice to see everyone and especially nice to hang with the cousins and catch up with our younger generation.