Friends, I spent Thanksgiving alone this year.

Ok, the dog was here with me, but otherwise Fancy Pants Ranch was deserted.

Spouse – who is such a wonderful person – took the kids to his parent’s to celebrate and spend a few days with them.

Was I sad that we weren’t together? Yes and no.

Yes, because I felt like I was missing out when Spouse texted me a picture of the kids.

No, because I spend almost all my time overextending myself, and having a day alone to exhale was heaven.

I stayed behind because I’m leaving bright and early Friday morning for a weekend in Las Vegas with my dear friends J. and B.

The three of us have a history of epic girls’ weekends. We haven’t done one since 2017, and we were all feeling overdue.

When we compared schedules earlier this year, we were out of luck until B. suggested Thanksgiving weekend, and we were all able to make it work.

How I spent my Thanksgiving:

• Exercising at the gym
• Coffee, coffee, coffee
• Perusing the Black Friday ads in the newspaper
• Watching the Macy’s parade on TV
• Packing, under Penny’s watchful eye
• Watching one of the best “Friends” episodes ever, the one where Rachel makes an English trifle with a layer of meat and sautéed onions

• Folding a mountain of laundry (Before and After, below)

• Catching up on “Below Deck” and various other Bravo mind escapes
• Overall feeling beyond grateful for a day like this.