Thanksgiving Party 2009/The Ginormous Feast Where Tara Actually Stayed Calm The Entire Time

It’s true. This was my first time cooking for that many people (about 25!) and our first party at our house as “grownups”. It should have been nerve-wracking. I shouldn’t have been able to sleep for days before hand. I should have gotten stressed to the point of tears and enormous knots in my back. I’m a worrier with extremely high stress and anxiety levels as I’m sure most of you know by now. Planning a Thanksgiving party at our place and then telling nearly everyone we know to come over should’ve sent my heart rate through the roof. But it didn’t. Thanks to drugs! Had I known about 10 years ago that I could go through life without having crazy heart palpitations and freaking out at the drop of a hat, I would’ve given up my Middle of Nowhere CD to feel the way I do now! Well, actually…I probably wouldn’t have given up something as precious to me as my first ever Hanson CD, but I maybe would have considered it. Wait. No, I wouldn’t. But I would’ve done something significant to get my hands on these drugs!

The whole day, when things weren’t going as planned at times, I kept asking myself, “Why am I not freaking out?? This isn’t me at all. Who the hell is this super chill chick??” It was awesome but really really weird. I guess I really put my medication to the test on Thanksgiving and it totally passed. And that’s when I realized how much they’re really helping me. At any time in my life, if I was put into this exact same situation, I would be a mess. I would be yelling at people, getting annoyed, slamming things maybe, definitely hyperventilating, probably crying, and just totally tearing my hair out. And I knew this. Yet, I was just going with the flow and was just happy to feed so many people feel popular again. I was extremely tired but it didn’t make me cranky. I was laughing and socializing a lot the whole night and it just felt right.

Now, since it was such a crazy day and all, I totally forgot to take pictures of everything. It happens. Here are some shots of the setup way before anyone had gotten there. We rented the chairs from Outdoor Rec and were gunna rent tables from them as well but they were totally out 2 weeks before thanksgiving. I was gunna call them the first of the month but I do this thing where I procrastinate. It runs in the family. Well, Dustin’s family but still. Luckily, the ever so lovely Banyan Tree Club let me borrow two of their six-foot tables. And thank God because otherwise, I wouldn’t have anywhere to put all the food.



I was only able to take pictures of the setup before hand. Because then I was super busy and it completely slipped my mind that I should be taking pictures.

Yea, that's Danny Devito on my TV. Apparently Twins was on.

Where all the food was gunna be later on. We still almost didn't have enough food. People brought more stuff than I thought they would.

This is Mitsuki. He works in the snack bar at the Club and is the most polite person you will ever meet! Him and Dustin really get along so Dustin invited him. He was very excited to be celebrating an American holiday for the first time. But him and his friend were super shy and nervous when they first got there. And I don't blame them. They were the only Okinawans in a room of 25 loud mouthed Americans.

But then the guitar got brought out and it bridged that cultural gap and the language barrier practically disappeared. Thanks to Blink 182 and Green Day, our Japanese boys felt a lot more at ease.

Dustin wants you to watch this video of the magical bonding happening. It's really quite silly.

Later, my friend Melissa and I wrapped up some food and took it to The Banyan Tree where some of our friends were still working. That was my one good deed of the year. When I got back nearly everyone had left. So naturally, we took some awkward pictures.

Oh, Mitsuki.

We figured out the timer on my camera. And I love how Shedd (far left) is looking at some other camera that I don't think was even taking a picture at the time.

All in all, the party was a HUGE success. A lot of people came and applauded my cooking skills. I also got to know a few people better. But damn, were we tired after everyone left! I haven't decided if I wanna do this again next year but we'll see since Beth would be here to help me and that would be nice.

Sorry this was so late guys. I swear, I'm trying to post as often as physically possible. But it is the crazy holidays, you know.