weekend guest

i may or may not have noted, T and i had a new guest stay with us the weekend before thanksgiving. and who, you may ask, was our guest? none other than my aunt theresa! between our schedules, it was quite the trick to figure out a time she could come up to stay but, man was the timing perfect. post-halloween, pre-thanksgiving, we were in that sweet spot of a lull that makes for a relaxed house, just how i like it for having guests. i wish i could convey my excitement waiting for her to pull into our driveway. i'm pretty sure i jumped, cheered, and ran out the door before she'd gotten out of her car.  

for her first night, i thought i'd whip up some comfort food in the form of soul food. i made my fried chicken, white cheddar mac 'n cheese, a collard greens...well, i should say, aunt t taught me how my grandpa makes his greens. another one of those family recipes that goes on sight, smell, and personal taste (no writing down needed). plus, a funny story where i stole my grandpas greens when i was little.

[yum]

we kept warm by the fire, watched the game (so stressful but, a win is a win), sipped on cocktails, and enjoyed the company (thanks for coming m+j). 

the next day, T and i gave aunt t a tour of campus. the last time aunt t came up was for my college graduation, and that weekend was jam-packed with events. so, sadly, she didn't get to see where i went to school. we thought it was high-time we remedy that. plus, T's quite the tour guide. not only does he know a good amount of history to the buildings but, he very aptly pointed out every roof he'd checked out. how he never got caught as a student is still a mystery ;)

[one of my favorite places on campus]

[art installation that i wasn't supposed to touch...oops]

while on our tour, we introduced her to one of our good friends who is an art professor for the school of art. T still models for him so, it was fun for her to see the pieces he'd been featured in and hear the stories behind them. 

after all that walking (and stair climbing), we were ready for a sit and a sip. and what better place than our favorite spiked shake place right on campus corner. to make the trip even better, larry and alex came out to say hey. 

[sweet decisions]

that night, we hung in, chowed down on delicious chili, and dived into a marathon of jessica jones. by the way, if you haven't watched that show, it is so good! 

the next morning, aunt t and i went up to the city for: coffee and sweet treats in a double-decker bus (more on that later), a driving tour of downtown, and a small viewing of all the christmas decor installed. from there, we ran a couple of errands before heading back home. i got started on a few thanksgiving day recipes while she supervised with wine. 

probably one of my favorite mondays to date. 

[pre-layering madness]

for her last night, i of course had to whip up my lasagna. so many layers, so many flavors, and so delicious, every time. a perfect meal for her last night staying with us. 

[family photo]

we had so much fun while she was here, and, i'd be lying if i said we all weren't a little blue when she headed out the next morning. can't wait until you're back again!