I like it when things get better

Rich and I had our first ever thanksgiving in our own home this year, and it was a success. We talked about it in the morning, and I said something like "I want us to remember that we’re doing this because we love our friends,so let’s let it be nice and easy and fun." and he agreed. And it was. We cooked with only a little fuss- I wanted to add garlic to the mashed potatoes, he didn’t. We compromised by adding garlic (garlicking??) enough for a few servings and having a potato option. 

I wanted to make a broccoli rice casserole, but hate all of the recipes that I found. They all wanted frozen broccoli (I don’t cook veggies that aren’t raw, organic, and local), instant rice, or cheez whiz. After looking at a few of them, I realized, if I have to cook the broccoli and rice beforehand anyways, it doesn’t matter. I made some rice in the steamer, and steamed some broccoli from the market at the same time, and then my my own cheese sauce with a pound of cheddar, some butter, and Amy’s cream of mushroom soup. And it turned out awesome. Mmmm.

So we had a smoked turkey (fuck yeah it was good!), mashed potatoes, broccoli-rice casserole, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, giblet gravy, and pumpkin bread with honey-almond cream cheese. It was just me and Rich, and his mother, and one of my students who had told me that he was just going to spend the day hanging out at his apartment eating avocadoes. I was a holiday orphan for years before I found a family to spend it with here, so I always extend invitations to ones that I encounter. He’s also one of my student teachers that I’m mentoring, so we’re friends. It was good.

Speaking of mentoring and things that are good… the mentorship program that I’m running has been noticed by our yoga teacher training faculty, and they’ve asked me to join the faculty! I’ve been angling for a job with them for two years, and it finally happened! I was hoping that they would ask me to teach classes on adjustments, modifications, and languaging, but instead they’ve offered me leadership of an entire class. That is, I’ll be working with another lead teacher to traing a group of 30 students to be teachers in a 9 month, 200 hour training course. I’m so happy, and grateful.