some turkey and a little 311

Jason and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year we decided that it wasn't worth it to go to a restaurant and we could make a much better meal at home. So Jason told me he would help, we put together a menu of all of our favorites, and started cooking. It did help that my parents sent us a smoked turkey again so we didn't have to fuss over trying to figure that one out. But I have to say, I was very impressed with how everything turned out and that we were able to have it hot and ready to eat all at the same time. It was so nice to just sleep in, enjoy the parade on TV, watch Christmas movies and enjoy this wonderful holiday as a family of two. That evening we went to our friends for some amazing homemade pie and enjoyed spending time with some of our NY friends.

We went to the parade our first year in NY and swore we would never go again, but I really wanted to see them blowing up the balloons the night before and since we are within walking distance, we decided to go have a look. They line the balloons up around the Museum of Natural History and then they line up the crowds and you can walk around the block and see all of the balloons almost fully inflated. We thought if we went late that we might avoid the crowds but I am finally realizing that avoiding the crowds around the holidays is not possible. In fact, there were so many people that we were getting claustrophobic and ended up jumping the line after one block. But it was fun to see just how massive the balloons are up close and we even got to see the return of Spiderman.

The day after Thanksgiving we did a little shopping later in the afternoon and then prepared for another crazy evening with 311. This is now the 6th time I have seen them in concert and according to Jason, won't be the last. They played in Central Park this summer but it was the day before Jason took the bar so he couldn't go. So you can imagine how excited he was when I called and told him that 311 was playing at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

The last time we were at the Hammerstein Ballroom was to hear Elder Holland speak to our stake so I knew this experience would be slightly different then the first go around, to say the least. I actually preferred seeing 311 in an enclosed smaller space. We were on the front row and it made the experience so much more enjoyable then last time. If you don't remember, last year I was in the middle of several mosh pits and kept getting slammed and stepped on by a bunch of drunk/high kids. This year all of that was going on behind me and I was able to just hang on to the fence that stood between me and the stage, and enjoy the music. Every once in a while there would be a crowd surfer that would have to get out of the crowd but I had my little protector (Jason) to graciously lift them over my head so I wouldn't get smashed.

This was by far my favorite 311 concert and I will say the only way to see 311 is from the front row. I was so close that I even got my hand touched by Peanut (the base player). So I guess it's finally official - I am a fan, and Jason couldn't be more proud:)