a thankful week

i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday week. T and i had a great time away with some of our family and friends. i just love how time seems to be so full and slowed at the same moment. a normal week would feel like it flew by, but this last week felt like the timing was just right. 

to kick off this recap, we are starting with friendsgiving sweetly hosted by our friend michael last monday. this crowd can be difficult to bring together since everyone's schedules usually conflict with one another, but thankfully, we were all able to make it work - which made it all the more meaningful. 

[cheers]

the food was absolutely delectable. thanksgiving food isn't necessarily my favorite, but everything was so, so good. and, everyone's dishes paired so well with one another, without even meaning to! plus, i thought it was a good opportunity to try out a new chocolate cream pie and apple pie recipe i had my eyes on...they were quite the hit :)

[friendsgiving 2016]

midweek, T and i made our drive back to tulsa to celebrate the remainder of the week with my family. our first night in, my parents took us to a local brewpub to sample some amazing eats and drinks. 

[my sweet potato casserole]

turkey day we spent soaking up all the quality time possible with my aunt, uncle, and many cousins. we honored old traditions, shared funny stories, and caught up with each other. i loved it!

[my cousin, ain't she cute?]

the next day, we brought boba and solo over to my cousin becky's place for a little play date with her pup buddy. there was a good amount of tree marking, playing with extra large branches, and exhaustive sprinting. i don't think i've ever seen solo get that tired from running with another pup.

[new sushi spot]

[happy hour]

our last day in, my mom and i got a little shopping in while T and my dad watched the game. later, we had dinner at a place that had me swearing i was in chicago. the style of italian food, the atmosphere, and even the people had my heart singing. the only thing missing was walking out into freezing temps with whipping wind after...but, i can't say i was really missing that part as much ;)

[the most delicious tiramisu and limoncello cake]

after dinner, T and i met up with our tulsa crew to celebrate our friend matt's birthday. we had such a great time bar hopping downtown to kick off another year around the sun. my personal favorite was a catch between singing 90s boy band ballads with the gals, and seeing the guys order the prettiest floral punch bowl to share together. 

[festive]

[guys (above) and gals (below)]