Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very important holiday in the United States. Everyone returns home to their families and spends the day/weekend eating... and giving thanks, of course. The day is very much like an Australian Christmas, but without the presents and the hype. As Diogenes and I don't have family here, we were invited by one of our housemates to have Thanksgiving with his family. Of course, we felt very honoured and accepted immediately. So we spent our Thanksgiving celebrating with a very traditional American family in a very traditional way. We all held hands and gave thanks and said Grace before the meal. Everyone brought a dish from home and we sat, and talked, and drank and were very merry, I can assure you. Naturally, turkey was the main dish. The evening was a true delight and I can't think of a more lovely holiday; a day just to give thanks and be grateful.

A Big Sur Birthday

My birthday weekend was to die for! I have never felt so blessed. I came home from work the night before and the house was decorated with streamers, balloons and fairy lights. On my actual birthday I woke up to flowers delivered on my doors step from family and Diogenes. I ran work-related errands for most of the day (no rest for the wicked), but came home to Diogenes waiting for me with surprises in my room. He bought me a new bike, it is beautiful! He also bought me some vintage Pinot Noir, a leopard print snuggie (that is kind of an in-joke), and some gorgeous little tid-bits like a photo-viewer key chain, etc. I also received incredible presents, letters and other messages/phone calls from friends and family all over the world, and felt completely showered with love. My gratitude-o-metre was flying through the roof. Later in the evening we celebrated with friends drinking wine, eating glorious food (including a home-made birthday cake from a friend), dancing in the living room and finally we went to bed in the early hours of the morning. The next day Diogenes and I took off to Big Sur. Big Sur is a region south of Monterey, and is renowned for its natural beauty and breathtaking camping and hiking. We arrived on Friday night and stayed in a Yurt overlooking the ocean at a secluded eco-resort, and spent the next day taking it easy and exploring the coastline, eating at incredible restaurants right on the cliff edge and enjoyed long walks along the beach (tres romantic, I know). We camped the second day, right in front of the ocean again and enjoyed a delicious 5-Star dinner in front of a fireplace with a beautiful live band and freshly made waffles at our campsite in the morning. We slowly made our way back home on Sunday, continuing to explore the National Parks and local attractions. I am so grateful to everyone who made my day/weekend so special. It surely was a Big Sur Birthday!