Day 2 at the shore

Steve and I had a lovely room in at the beach house. Unfortunately, it had two sky lights and 3 sliding glass doors. Talk about a bright awakening!

I went downstairs around 9:30 to socialize with mom and dad in my Pirates of the Caribbean pjs while Steve hopped in the shower. Unfortunately, there was no hot water! Dad had taken a shower earlier and had little warm water, so by the time Steve, my mom and I had taken a shower, it was like bathing in ice. My mom and I couldn't even wash our face and hair in the shower, we had to improvise in the sink. Here to find out, the hot water heater was turned off. Boooo! Emily and Scott (her boyfriend) lucked out. They each had a nice, hot shower to start their day.

After lounging a bit, dad, mom, Steve and I started to make preparations for the chili. Mom and I both have a serious case of "onion eyes". Dad and Steve got the fun job of chopping up all the onions and garlic, while mom and I made frequent trips outside in the bitter cold to relieve our red eyes, streaming with tears. We did make a quick trip to the Acme because we used all of our chili powder and needed to replenish. (This was the same Acme that Steve used to get a toothbrush for the weekend since he didn't have his suitcase. Unfortunately for him, they didn't sell underwear. It was a good thing the beach house had a washer and dryer!!!!)

Cutting up onions and garlic
Adding the spices
Looking good! (made 20 servings!)


The chili had to simmer for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes. To bide our time, we all played Cranium (boys vs. girls). It was a LOT of fun! The house was filled with spicy, sweet chili aroma, the sun filtered through the windows, and the fireplace crackled with warmth....a perfect afternoon!

Steve drawing his clues for dad to guess
CRANIUM!

Mom trying to act our a mermaid (Emily and I were impressed) Beach house living room
Emily and I



We finished our Cranium game while we ate a late lunch of chili, sourdough bread, and salsa with chips. Then, it was time to clean up around the house, so we spent the next hour sweeping floors, washing sheets and packing. We wrapped up our beach trip with quick family pictures.

Family picture
(L-R)
Dad, Emily, Mom, me and Steve

Emily and Scott
Dad and Mom
My silly parents and ISteve and I in a tree

Steve and I got home around 6:30, ate cheesecake and watched a few episodes of Heroes before falling, exhausted into bed. What a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!