It all began last Tuesday night…
After work, I drove to my parents, changed into comfy clothes, piled into the backseat of my parents car, drove to the city to pick up my brother, and the four of us headed east for Thanksgiving.
I slept through the night crammed into the back seat with plenty of pillows and blankets. We hit some snow and ice in Indiana, but for the most part, made great time. We arrived in New Jersey Wednesday morning just in time to go pick up my cousin’s adorable kids from school.
First (of many) vacation selfie
My cousins live in an awesome town in New Jersey and our first stop (after lunch) was downtown for some tax free pre Thanksgiving shopping and Starbucks. When we got back home, everyone sat around the dinner table to catch up on life.
After dinner, it was back to the kitchen for Thanksgiving prep. It was a team effort pulling together homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes before crashing for an early evening. Thursday morning, we were up WAY before the sun for parade day.
We drove into the city and found a parking spot within walking distance of our location on 68th. A few of us went off to Starbucks for a warm beverage and a bathroom. The line was outrageous, but thankfully Magnolia Bakery opened up at 7am with warm coffee and tea and incredible pastries.
We had over an hour before the start of the parade, so a simple game of I Spy kept us all busy!
When the clowns came skating down the street, we knew the parade would be right behind!
Two years ago when we went to the parade, I took tons of pictures, so I tried to get some different snap shots this year. There were some old favorites and a few new faces along the route, plus a local Chicago marching band. As you can see, despite the threat of heavy winds, it was a gorgeous day!
After Santa’s arrival (signifying the end of the parade), we followed the masses back to our car.
We drove up to northern Manhattan to pick up some family members who opted out of the parade and then drove out to Rockland county where my cousin and his wife were hosting this year’s Thanksgiving.
It was a beautiful feast and the house rang with chatter and laughter (from the adults as much as the kids) from the moment we arrived until the last person fell asleep!
After dinner, the kids were super excited to celebrate the second night of Hanukkah! I should tell you that the BOY and I do our own Hanukkah celebration, but it is WAY more fun celebrating with family, especially this enthusiastic crowd. Friday morning, I woke up to an adorable girl in pink plopping into my bed and asking if I wanted to see what was in her purse. How sweet is that???
I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but 4 days surrounded by amazing family is definitely top on my list!
Luv What You Do 
They are adorable-I especially like the one with her pillow pet ready to go to the parade! It must have been great that the balloons were flown so low this year-you could get a really good look-esp for the little ones! I lived in Manhatten for a year and did not make it to the parade that year and always wished I had. I grew up watching it-tradition was that my mother and I would turn it on and make the pumpkin chiffon pies.
Hope the new job is going well.
I never knew you lived there! It is definitely a fun thing to experience and I was so happy that they decided to fly the balloons. The low balloons looked harder for those holding them but awesome for us!
Great blog post! It was a truly great, entertaining, and amazing weekend! Family, FUn, and Food….what else could you ask for? Miss you guys already…..
I couldn’t agree more! Counting down the days until July when you guys will be out here! Many more good times to come…
WOW! As always your photos, your family and your adventures are such a joy!!! Holiday Blessings to all throughout this beautiful season!
Thank you Clara!
There was a lot of laughter packed into our car ride and plenty of joy when we were all together!
Adorable family! Sounds like fun-packed four days! That’s awesoem to see the Thanksgiving parade. I’m sure that would put me in full spirit for the holidays!
It really does! I love NYC and that is just an exciting time to experience the holiday magic!
AHH what a blast!! YES Starbucks was insane on Thanksgiving, I was so happy to be off of work by 10:15 and avoid most of the craziness!
I give you mad props for working it! In NYC everyone is there and its the only thing open. Luckily the people we met in line (before abandoning our mission) were friendly : )
What a fantastic weekend! I’m so jealous you went to the Thanksgiving Day parade… on my bucket list 🙂
It’s so fun but you have to get there EARLY and bring your own snacks! We’ll prob be back in 2 years so let me know if you want to meet us : )
[…] The whirlwind weekend continued when my brother, his girlfriend, and I drove into NYC Friday after Thanksgiving. The plan was to meet up with my cousins up north and then train down towards the High Line. This stunning ped path has been on my brother’s ‘to see’ list and he was excited to check it out. We planned to stop for lunch first and somehow stumbled upon this legit German beer garden in the meat packing district. […]
That sounds like so much fun! Magnolia bakery has the BEST cupcakes ever! What made you choose your spot for the parade? I always wonder how people from out of town decide where to watch it from. The Thanksgiving table is beautiful!!
My cousins (who are locals) watch there every year. We just go with the flow but the addition of Magnolia makes it my favorite place!