This is something that comes around every holiday, especially around turkey day.  I have lived in Idaho since February 2008, which means every holiday event has been very different from what I was used to, ever since. The main difference being, the people I spent these festivities with. My wife, and kids, her parents, and her bother the bother's wife and kid. I mean, it hasn't been exactly that way, Marley is only 5yo and she's the oldest of the grandkids.

In general, that is how turkey-day, Christmas, and others festivities have been.

Thus, around these times, I ger very nostalgic. I think about how these festivities used to be back in Puerto Rico, where the rest of my family leaves. On both sides. Most of my cousins and uncles have also moved to the states in the past 10 years or so but there used to be a time when we were all together.

All my uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters. Grandpa was still alive. Grandma is still alive, in case you were wondering. Anyhow, we would all get together at my grandparents' house.  These were huge family events! Grandma would cook a turkey-day or Christmas, and Three Kings Day meal for a whole battalion.

This was on my mother's side, and she had a sister and 5 brothers! (I hope I am not forgetting anyone) All with at least two kids each. My entire family in some way, we have a nag for music. My uncles and some of my cousins played either guitar, bongos, güiro, panderetas, and then some. I was more on the winds side of instruments like another cousin of mine, we both played trombone.

The food, oh sweet-baby-jesus, the food. For turkey-day, well duh, turkey. My grandma would always make a chicken soup to start, just to get your appetite going, she would say. Arroz con gandules, guineítos en escabeche, potato salad and whatnot. 

For Christmas, Lechon Asado or slow-roasted pork on the stick, my grandpa would wake up at 5 am to start roasting it. Pasteles, morcilla, arroz con dulce, and tembleque. And like probably every grandma out there, she would serve this inhumane-oversized plate of food, and even though she didn't know how to read or write, she would grade you.

hay negrito, you left a bit on your plate, you get a B

Lots of food, music, and good family times.

These are the things I am nostalgic for.

Today, I scheduled my trip down to Naples, FL. It'll be a short work trip. I will be visiting one of our trials. I can not believe how much money I had just spent. Between airfare, hotel, and car rental. The car part was the most baffling, how much more expensive it has gotten. The same trip, back in 2019 was half, of what I just spent today.

It is crazy-town-banana-pants!