last time i sat down to a traditional turkey dinner was in 2007.
- in 2008, i was in vietnam for my first ever visit to the motherland, meeting tons of relatives for the very first time.
- in 2009, i was backpacking through dunedin, new zealand.
- in 2010, i was in vietnam (again) enjoying one of my favorite vietnamese dishes.
this year i was re-uniting with fantastic friends (and making new ones!) in los angeles at a good old-fashioned thanksgiving dinner. i'm not kidding when i say it had the x factor!
my hosts and dear friends - carly, todd, todd's movember stache and dynasox!
x factor #2:
prime rib!
x factor #3:
carly's mac & cheese, sweet potato mash, roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts & bacon, corn and stuffing. not pictured: bacon-wrapped turkey, broccoli casserole, amazing desserts and a heck of a lot more than i can think of at the moment!
x factor #4:
wayne, mindy & their sweet, beautiful girls!
x factor #5:
leroy bell! a contestant on the actual tv show, "the x factor"!
leroy made it to the top 9 and had just left the show the night before.
after performing for millions of people on national television and spending weeks with the likes of simon cowell, paula abdul, nicole scherzinger, and LA reid...
here he was, hangin' out with us humble peeps and his son miles!
such a cool, mellow guy with some serious talent and a great attitude.
interesting facts about leroy:
he's 60 (!) and he's from my home state - go washington!
i absolutely loved celebrating thanksgiving back in america. i missed my family of course (dad's in vietnam and the rest of the fam is in olympia, washington), but i definitely felt the love in the fine company of good friends and strangers that evening. thanksgiving is a special tradition we have here, as there really is a lot to be grateful for in this world. this list of wonderful people to whom i expressed gratitude last year gets longer all the time - my life really does have the x factor. i feel blessed every day and i hope you do too.