Written by: Taylor Porter, Assistant Editor
I do not have any photos from the Thanksgiving dinner, but this is Meeko my dog, who I am very thankful for.
Normally a Porter Thanksgiving is spent at home with the dog, the parrot, my parents, my older sister and that is it.
This year, we decided to be different and go to my cousin’s house, where it was loud and filled with the smell of food.
Something to know about my family, specifically my dad’s side, is that we are Greek. Most of us have big and loud personalities which can cause a lot of arguments, but we all still love being together.
The day started off as any other day does when I am home, Lou (our parrot) woke everyone up imitating our fire alarm and Meeko (our mastiff) started howling in response. I am kidding though, she did wake us up like this but this is not an everyday occurrence, only on days we sleep in and do not feed her at 6 a.m..
Once my mom and I checked on the cheesecake we had made the night before, we let my dad deal with the animals, and we all got ready to head to Maryland.
When we arrived at my cousin’s house, we were greeted by his oldest daughter who decided it was time to play and also eat. She kidnapped my sister, her boyfriend and I (they had arrived at the same time as my parents and I) and took us to her playset where she set up a ‘hotdog’ stand.
She kept feeding us over and over, in reality she was handing us leaves or air but she’s three so it was fine. That is until my aunt came out because her dad said it was too cold for her, which to be fair, it was.
She pouted for a bit and cried, which then set off her younger sister who just turned one year old, but soon all was well as dinner was served.
My cousin, with my mom and aunt’s help, served so much food, I was worried it would go to waste. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, bread, corn and sweet potato casserole. They were all so good.
Dessert was pumpkin pie, chocolate pie and the cheesecake my mom and I had made. The cheesecake was the big hit of the night.
After we had all eaten our food and gotten our cups of coffee, we all sat around catching up. I had not seen this side of the family in over a year so it was nice to be able to catch up with them.
My cousin’s daughter was upset when we were all leaving, but we promised to come see her again.
It was different from our normal quiet Thanksgiving, but it was welcomed. I do not remember the last time my family celebrated the holiday with anyone else, and it is something I want us to continue.
