I couldn’t have been more thankful for Thanksgiving Break! It was unbelievable how quickly this college break arrived this semester and how brief these past few days have passed with my family. It all began on Tuesday night, when I drove in from College Station and Jason flew into Houston. He wrote our weekly plan in “Egyptian Code” and it was hilarious attempting to decipher the message. His flight arrived super late, but it couldn’t have been sweeter to be reunited with my best friend. He brought Christmas home with him from North Carolina and we ripped open all of the countless gifts; ring pops, holiday cups, pizookie makers, and a dollar-tree microphone. Between pillow talk across the hallway and all the silly gifts, Jason always found a way to keep us laughing! The next day, we ate lunch at our favorite Sugar Land spot, Thai Cottage, and did some shopping. That night I went out with several of Jason’s best friends, my parents, Katy Lowery, and the Colborne girls. We had a good ol’ time hopping from one place to the next in Town Center and checking out the newest bar, Flying Saucer. They started awfully early in the afternoon, and with that said… they finished awfully early as well. We were back at the house before eleven, and Lauren, our little registered nurse, finally arrived home from Austin! The next morning was the start of Thanksgiving Day! The entire Engle gang headed up to College Station to tailgate and watch the infamous Thanksgiving Day Showdown for the last time: Texas A&M vs. Texas. With A&M heading to the SEC next season, this was the end to the greatest rivalry. This game meant a lot to everyone in the state of Texas. Several families from Sugar Land came into town with their best Thanksgiving recipes and we feasted together at the tailgate. I was able to catch up with several familiar faces and spend the entire day surrounded by friends, family, food, and football. I loved that I was already back in my favorite place in the world for the day. We were literally outside tailgating the entire day before the game finally started at 7 pm. I pulled with some of the older Tri-Delt girls— Sarah Hosea, Ellie Spears, Stephanie Denton, and several others. We were seated on the third deck, 50 yard line, and second row. They were great seats!!! We had turkey for lunch and we were ready to have some Bevo for dinner. Despite the outcome of the game, it was amazing hearing 88,000+ fans cheering from the pits of their stomachs. When it comes to football, the Ag’s always find a way to break my heart. That night I was beyond thankful to be a part of the Aggie family, and I always will be. Jason and I drove home after the game to make it home for Black Friday. It was a long, painful drive back to Sugar Land. Despite arriving home at 2 AM, we woke up and participated in Black Friday with the rest of the family. I am still not sure why I continually go out into the madness the day after Thanksgiving. I have been doing so for years and years, and I can’t break the tradition now. We were able to snag some deals at various stores and successfully shuffle through the chaos of the mall without dying. We were very productive bargain shoppers, but not without some frustrations and a few massive headaches. Since we celebrated Thanksgiving with over one hundred other people, we decided to have our own feast the day after Thanksgiving. My Mom made all of our favorite dishes; we grabbed our paper plates and ate together as a family in our backyard. It was by far my favorite Thanksgiving meal to date. We grubbed on our favorite “Thanksgiving Sandwiches” and were thankful for each other’s company. I was able to reunite with my favorite people from high school and visit the Tea House. However, they were out of Tapioca which was awfully depressing. Despite that minor setback, we were all reunited and it felt so good. You know you have true friends when you can grow separately, but not a part. I am beyond thankful for the time I was given to spend with my entire family this break and wouldn’t take back a single second. Now that we are growing older, the times we do get to spend all together are cherished that much more. I am so thankful for the support of my family, the love from my friends from back home, the liveliness of my new friends in College Station, and the never ending grace from Jesus Christ.
