Thanksgiving Bake

As soon as classes finished up on Monday, I practically sprinted off campus to get to the train station. My beautiful best friend's face was there to welcome me back home & we caught up all afternoon - plus we baked Pinterest-style oreo brownies. I ended my first day home with a trip to a diner with an old friend who seemed better than ever as far as mental states go, which made me so happy.

I got up early and went to my high school for the all of the next morning. The vibe was different, but mostly the same. There were so many faces I wanted to see, but only so much time to see them. This ended up being my motto of sorts for all of breaks - I wanted to reconnect with lots of people but there are only so many days in a week. That good old Catholic guilt washed over me about not being able to see everyone. Spending time with my very close friends and my family were high priorities for the break, but I also wanted to work and bake and relax. Maybe winter break will give me enough time to get everything done and see everyone.

I made these two-ingredient pumpkin cookies, to which I added a from-scratch Nutella frosting with chopped hazelnuts. I brought them to Sam's house for the first of our two Thanksgiving dinners and I think they were a decent success. We started off the day of eating by participating in the Turkey Trot, a 5K race that runs through downtown York. 

Probably a good call on our part.

We also ventured out to the outlets at midnight, mostly to observe the crazy people rather than search for deals ourselves. We went with Erin and Ian - our favorite couple and the only people willing to do this sort of thing with us. Being the boring people we are, Erin and I were tired by about 1:30 and everyone went home, though the boys insisted on stopping for fast food.The next day was beautiful, and unseasonably warm, so we went for an afternoon walk and playground date in the park across the street which holds mixed memories for him and I.

I caught up with my work family at work on Friday and at our holiday party, which was fun because the whole dynamic feels a little different now that I've been at school. Not in a bad way, but not completely in a good way, just a new way. Sam and I also went with Sam's parents, his brother and brother's girlfriend, to get a Christmas tree. As soon as they started pulling out the decorations, I started to re-fall in love with the Christmas season. This much happiness is going to make it hard to be at school for three more weeks. Smiles, Morgen.

(look how cute our new favorite ornament is!)

Falling leaves , puppy dog tails and denim jackets

I got out of the city again because someone asked me to work. I wasn't totally sold on going back home for the second weekend in a row, since it always takes me a bit to get back into my groove into the city when I go back and forth. My dog, as well as my parents, seemed happy to have me back and I enjoyed seeing the leaves and relaxing.

I was barely home long enough to eat spoonfuls of Nutella and grab my denim jacket to bring back to school. York was very pretty in the autumn sun but I got back on the train on Sunday morning to meet my friend for brunch. We went to this adorable little cafe in south Philly called Ants Pants Cafe. I had a sandwich with eggs, ham, tomato, avocado and brie. Delicious! I would recommend it as a treat, because it's a little pricey but even the coffee was a memorable aspect. I'm also happy to have my denim jacket, now it feels like fall.

    

Home [bitter]sweet home.

As I rode my train, that I almost missed, from Philadelphia to Lancaster I was half-listening to a podcast about Marxism. I was mostly thinking of what going home would be like, and making a point o picture all the details of home I could remember. It's only been three weeks since I left home, but the distance of time and space has caused my memory to blur. 

My brother and his girlfriend picked me up from the station, as I glanced at Downtown Lancaster which had at one point been my source for doses of city life and cultural knowledge. Now it just looked calm in comparison to the constant bustle of Philadelphia. In a hurry I tried to catch up with my brother and explain some of the happenings of living in Philly. When we pulled into the neighborhood that had been home for the past 13 years, I was overcome by deja vu and an uncomfortable confusion. I had thoroughly enjoyed growing up here, but as I walked into my house I realized it wasn't really quite home anymore. Everything was familiar, from my dogs jumping into my lap or the site of my bed. But at the same time, everything had moved on in my absence. My bedroom was covered in my mom's study materials, the bathroom had been redone and there was nobody home to greet me. It was at that moment that I realized I didn't really have a home anywhere, this house was only home in concept and my dorm was only home in practice, but nowhere has the complete feeling of home. 

I moved on from this realization, and worked a shift at work before being reunited with the boy. The following day we trekked out to Sam Lewis Park, which was the location of our second date, and a couple other poignant moments in our relationship. In the same way home had gone away, so did our ties with York. The park still has romantic ties, but as Sam said, I'm now part of Philly, not York, and thats my association now. 

 

We went to dinner with Sam's parents and then went to our spot at Maple Donuts. In all the craziness of things not being the same as they used to be, I can promise that the donuts were still equally delicious!

Thankfully I also finally got some DIY supplies so I can go back to doing-it-myself, in the form of yarn for christmas crocheting projects. Also, got to try my hand at cheese making with my dad - we made our own mozzarella balls! It was a lot of fun, but we over developed our cheese and it turned out a little more firmed than we wanted it. I would love to get to explore more cheese making sometime when I actually have a kitchen!