The Feast

Our day began very early this morning. Jacob loves to hit the Black Friday sales, so he and his friend Bryce left the house at 3:30 a.m.

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I've managed to avoid Black Friday my whole life, until today. As luck would have it, WalMart was selling a $165 GPS for just $89.

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After getting lost in Tulsa this summer, I'd decided I wanted to buy a GPS before our Colorado trip next summer. Having no cash to give Jacob, I knew I'd have to join the crowds and use my credit card if I wanted this bargain.
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Luckily, I didn't have to go as early as Jacob.

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Jacob got the GPS for me as soon as the sale started, and I drove over to Walmart at 5:30 a.m. to get it from him and pay for it.

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Then I went home and went back to bed.

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Jacob hit several other stores and didn't get home until 9:30 a.m.

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He was successful at buying gifts for everyone on his list for less than $50 total.

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I have honestly never seen such a huge crowd of people crammed into one place! (The above photo was obtained online and was not taken this morning at our store.)

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When I woke up, I started cooking for our "second Thanksgiving." Today it was just our little family and our good friend Gwen.
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The extra turkey breast Sarah and I ate yesterday did not set us back at all. We each had a good loss this morning. In 26 days, we've both lost exactly 26.2 lbs.

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I'm sure tomorrow will not be as happy, though.

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Today was the day we chose to feast for Thanksgiving. I tried to limit the menu to only our favorite traditional foods, and we prepared smaller amounts in order to avoid days' worth of leftovers in the fridge to tempt us. Jacob and Dylan should be able to eat up most of the leftovers at dinner tomorrow.
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This is my Thanksgiving plate. Other than my morning snack of an orange and Melba toast, that plate of food is the only other thing I ate until dessert. No seconds allowed.

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On the menu, starting at 12:00 on the plate and going clockwise: candied yams, turkey, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, green bean casserole, olives, and a buttered roll in the center.

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We also had sausage stuffing, which I don't like, and I passed on the gravy.
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Ordinarily this much food would leave me satisfied but not stuffed. However, today I felt like my stomach was going to explode. They say it isn't true that our stomachs "shrink" from not eating, but you couldn't prove it by me! I can see that it will be easy to naturally eat less when we finish the 40 days of diet and begin the 6-week maintenance phase.

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Jacob handled our desserts. He made the apple pie at home (you can see that Dylan enjoyed nibbling on the edges of the crust), and he made the cheesecake in his culinary arts class.
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I sent Splenda to school with him so he could make the cheesecake sugar-free for Sarah and me.

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We did not taste the sugary apple pie, but the cheesecake was the best I've ever eaten! Even those made at Cheesecake Factory are no better!

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The rest of the cheesecake will go into the freezer, to be enjoyed at Christmas time when we're no longer restricted to 500 calories per day.
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Gwen and I enjoyed visiting and watching old home movies, but after dinner the kids had their own plans.

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Sarah took off to babysit, Dylan invited his friend Tony over to spend the night, and Jacob had his friend Christal over to watch a comedy on DVD.

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Christal brought her 21-month-old daughter Raisalynn along.

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That's Raisalynn sharing a spoonful of ice cream with Jacob.

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We always enjoy having Raisalynn over. She is quite a character, a cutie who loves everyone and wins over our hearts. Even tough-guy Dylan melts when she throws her arms around his neck. She makes me look forward to having grandbabies (but not too soon, please!).

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Our "second Thanksgiving" was a very full day, another great opportunity to share with family and friends. Now the day is over and I am very tired. Good-night!