16/12/17 First Turkey Dinner

I had been planning this weekend for a month. I had also been stressing about this weekend for a month. I invited my best friend Paula and her boyfriend up for the weekend for a sort of Christmas dinner. I planned it far in advance so that everyone could get the time off of work and make it amazing. I'm confident that Blake and Paula will both tell you that I put far too much pressure on myself to make the weekend perfect. It took me a week to clean the house top to bottom. I wanted everything to be spotless and create an ideal atmosphere, almost hotel-like. The weekend actually started on Wednesday night when Blake surprised me by taking Thursday off and coming home for the night. He wanted to come and help me clean the house because he knew how much I was stressing about it. It actually worked out because I had a petite meltdown earlier that day and called him in tears, so seeing him was exactly what I needed. Little did he know that I also had Thursday off, so we got to spend some extra time together.

I had decided to cook a turkey for the Christmas dinner on Saturday... For the first time. I was somewhat hesitant at first about taking on a turkey, but I figured that you can only learn by doing, so I gave it a shot. It actually turned out better than I think any of us expected it to.

Looks yummy eh? It was! I was shocked and impressed with myself. I also made mashed potatoes and squash; and Paula brought her infamous broccoli cheese stuffing casserole. Everything was delicious! For dessert we had a store bought pumpkin pie, after all the stresses with dinner, I didn't feel like going through the extra work of making a dessert. Overall it was a great evening with two amazing friends. We sat around and talked all evening and it was great to catch up with them and just relax after all the work I had done.

The next day, I woke up early and did a little cleaning before preparing breakfast. We had eggs, bacon and homemade homefries. I've recently perfected my homefries so I make them whenever I can.

Afterwards, I suggested a spontaneous trip to the Peterborough zoo. I've previously written about the zoo on this blog and how much I enjoy going. That opinion doesn't change just because it's winter. The zoo is open all year round and I actually loved visiting the zoo during the winter season because not many people think to go, so it's quite quiet and you get a chance to really enjoy the animals. Also, with Christmas near, it's the only time that you're more likely to see the reindeer. (Those are turkeys next to the reindeer)

We also saw the camels, which Ryan made sure to stay far back from. He was worried they would spit at him ... they didn't, but it was funny to see. Another benefit of going to the zoo when no one else is there, is that the animals are more calm and friendly ... this camel came right up to us for a little chat. Camels get all thick and hairy during the colder months; I think it makes them look cuter! What do you think?

I think everyone's favourite part of the zoo trip was when we went to visit the otters. It happened to be around the time that they get fed, but we were a little early, so we figured we'd walk around for a bit and return at 1:30 p.m. to watch the feeding. That was the plan, but we were held hostage by the released gang of peafowls that roam the zoo. They travel in their gang and we were surrounded on both sides by peacocks. There was no way I was going to try to leave, I don't trust those animals. I always feel like at any moment, they might snap and attack! So, we stayed inside and waited ... and we got to watch (and laugh at) other people try to get into the otter enclosure for the event. No one was harmed in the process and we got to watch the two otters eat little shrimp and sardines. It was adorable! They kept swimming up to the glass and put on a very entertaining show for us all. I think they loved the attention.

After spending nearly an hour with the otters, we went home and warmed up with hot chocolates before Paula and Ryan hit the road home. I think it was good ending to a great weekend.

I'm proud of myself for attempting and succeeding at the frightening task of cooking a turkey for the first time; and I'm happy that I was able to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for my guests. I'm high-fiving myself! Go me!

So, this is the last blog post of 2017. I've chosen to not post on December 26 as it's Boxing Day and I want to spend the holiday season focusing of my family and friends, but I will be back in 2018 with more adventures and stories to share. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that has read my blog since August and I hope that you have enjoyed following my adventures and learning a little bit more about myself. Hopefully I'm not too boring and you choose to come back and read more in the New Year! Happy Holidays Everyone!