happy turkey day! oh, and my birthday...

it'ssss thanksgiving! and i'm thankful for a lot of things...

my wonderrrrrrrful boyfriend who i couldn't live without :), my family, my friends, my life in general, and the fact that this thanksgiving was a complete turn-around from last year.

last year this time, no one knew about my eating disorder...i slid threw thanksgiving because we weren't home and we got to eat out at a ski resort. christmas on the other hand, was a different story...i wouldn't eat anything that was served. i made my own turkey sandwich from my fat-free turkey and mustard on a roll and a salad with more fat-free dressing. i also made sure to have my calorie-free drink on hand. i had to admit, i was getting a little nervous about this year. i know i have gained so much in the past year, confidence AND weight, but that little part of me was getting anxious because of that pressure of family and food all put together. i mean, i guess they know about my past, but i'm not sure if they fully grasp it. and at this point, i'm not sure it even matters. however, they do know that i have a bit of a lactose issue. thankfully, they we're more than understanding and used my earth balance spread in most of the dishes that had yet to be prepared. anddddd i must say everything was delicious! and i had NO WORRIES ABOUT ANYTHING I ATE. i don't think anyone understands how liberating that is unless you have been there yourself. i even had dessert with my breakfast too ;) a had my cereal and a banana...but then i may or may not have snuck a bowl of ambrosia bwahahaha.

i think we ate around 1:30...i may not have had the fullest plate, but i know that my mom, dad, and myself were so proud of me...i loaded upp :)

turkey, stuffing, ketchup (of course), cranberry jelly, and SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE. i had extra of that :)

that plate is also extra huge, so it looks like i had smaller portions than i actually did. a nap followed shortly after...

i managed to escape all dairy products until around 4:00 when i basically had a pumpkin thing shoved in my mouth. i was so mad...i really have a hard time avoiding dairy products, and i was happy that i was making it through the day, minus sickness. i felt better an hour later anyways after somee things occurred. tmi? sorry :) but it's thanksgiving, so i just moved on. it was better than last weekend anyways...

I WENT TO THE BIG HOUSE!!!

i have no shame in my love. and for my dad too, of course!

tailgating
oh yeah, it was my 17th birthday :)

in awe

is it bad that i forgot it was my birthday? i guess 17 just isn't a big deal to me. but i had my share of cake and ice cream...let's just end it there. but that is my weakness, and i NEVER get blue moon ice cream, so when it's available, i indulge. it's definitely a regional thing. if anyone has ever tried it, they understand :)

i have a weird family...

for my birthday dinner, i wanted to have a fancy pants meal, so we went to a place in downtown ann arbor called the gandy dancer. it was soo good. i couldn't believe how expensive it was though.

all in all, the past couple of weeks have been great...i can't wait until christmas now!

ciaoooooo bella!

and jeff, stop making fun of me :))