Birthday first: Jenelle surprised me with dinner at formidable The Farmhouse in Emmaus and the food exceeded expectations. Salads and bread to start, then I had a pork chop which was remarkable for the roasted parsnips on top and the rosemary polenta below the tender meat and Jenelle enjoyed a rich duck with butternut squash and pears. Dessert was quite exquisite, too, with cranberry financier a la mode (with cranberry ice cream that was best-ever delicious) for me and a definitive crème brulée for Jenelle. Also, celebratory phone calls and a smidge of packing for a trip!

Our TG holiday started after work (and lunch with Ryan at Wing Man's) on Wednesday with a 9 hour drive to the Great Lakes State. Thursday was mostly filled with Irish relatives prepping, basting, carving, and eating one of Jenelle's great turkeys. We walked along the Polly Ann trail and got caught up with relatives, too, but it was mostly about the bird. Friday was a day in Lansing with Bruno relatives enjoying soup, salad, and cake before venturing out into the cold for a walk along Grand River Avenue and through MSU's campus. Saturday was a day with Grays checking out Detroit's Eastern Market and then Justin's apartment. Sunday was a little slower, filled mostly with driving home to see some stir-crazy cats and sleep in our own bed.

Today was back to work, hitting the ground running on existing projects and beginning the pre-formative stage of another which may require a whiteboard. Tonight was back to the old grind, so to speak. We made an awesome saute of Eastern Market Brussels sprouts and Michigan leeks to side pork chops and mashed potatoes, watched Top Gear, and put up four vacuum-sealed servings of sprouts for the winter.