Thanksgiving 2017: food, family & a lot of photos

Traditionally, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Thanksgiving food. I was irrationally afraid of a lot of them, but the past few years have been different. In particular, I didn’t try to overcompensate with exercise this time. I woke up and decided today would be a day of food, indulgence, and no exercise. (Yes, you read that right!)

If you wake up on Thanksgiving with anxiety about food, I’m here to tell you one thing: your body is less judgement of the food you eat than you are. Your body processes oatmeal the same way it does jellybeans. It sees carbs for what they are: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Some foods have more nutrients than others, yeah. But for the most part, I’m not worried that you aren’t getting enough vitamin A. I’m more worried about the anxiety you feel around food and how it’s affecting your mood, relationships, and daily activities.

For breakfast that morning, I treated it like any other day. I had some cereal and fruit and had a snack late in the morning. I spent the day with my aunt, uncle, cousin and mom while my dad and brother were with the other side of the family. (We don’t get to see my mom’s side that often and I now live closer to them than my family in Pittsburgh, so it’s not as weird as it sounds). While my aunt was busy making all the delicious food, I watched the Thanksgiving parade and my cousin and I got our hair done by my mom (thanks mom). Then my mom wanted to take some photos for her portfolio, which quickly turned into a full-fledged photo shoot. See below.

I have no words for the absurd amount of pictures we took other than we were having fun, and I don’t really care if that annoys you :).

We snacked for lunch on chips, dip, and other foods that I really don’t remember. Around 330pm, we sat down for our big meal. I was excited.

I tried every food on the table, even the ones I didn’t think I’d like — just to reinforce that I’m not afraid of any food.

I finished pretty much everything except the cranberry & mashed potatoes (because I don’t really like them & that’s okay!).

After dinner, the adults (re: I don’t really consider myself one yet) relaxed and watched tv while my cousin & I went out for some shopping. I did find a really great coat and she found a few things, but soon we realized we wanted to be back with our parents. When we got home, it was time for pie.

And the pie did not disappoint.

It was a relaxing day filled with family, good food, and a few too many pictures. It sounds silly to some, but taking pictures without anxiety and eating without fear is something I wouldn’t trade for the world. I hope you had a great holiday as well!