Garden State of Mind

Thanksgiving has become somewhat of a deconstructed holiday for me. Long gone are the days of being at home while my parents are in a rush to get the food cooked and table set. Now I go to my sister and brother-in-law's house for a more relaxed holiday. Usually, we make our favorite foods (mine is Michele's buffalo chicken dip) and watch movies or football. This year was a blend of the two styles. My parents and younger sister came up from Pennsylvania, but it was still very relaxed. No formal dining, just great food around an NFL football game. After we all woke up for the inevitable nap, we played all kinds of board games. Balderdash, Racko, and Skippo. We just saw in the living room and LAUGHED! It was so much fun and so casual. On Friday, Kasey and I played Monopoly for at least 2 hours. It's so simple, but so peaceful. I really didn't want to get on the train

Of course it was great to see my family, but I think a huge part of the relaxing atmosphere was the change in scenery. There's something so peaceful about the suburbs of New Jersey. It's not stuffy or pretentious. Sometimes I feel like New Yorkers are stuck-up assholes. The people that shop on Madison or 5th feel so superior to everyone else. It really turns me off to the city. I'm beginning to think that eventually I'll emigrate to New Jersey.

Antonio and I were looking at houses online...just for fun. You can get so much for only $600,000. We could get something with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a big back yard. Who could pass it up? Don't get me wrong. It'll be a few years before I ever cross the Hudson permanently. But I can feel it. I'm losing the Empire state of mind and opening up to the Garden state of mind.