it was a zero-fatality holiday

Our Thanksgiving meal went off very well. Everything was tasty. It was... educational... to cook the turkey all by myself. (ps- why do they have to stick the neck inside the body cavity? It just seems wrong.) My parents and I have been decorating for Christmas and trying to make the house look presentable so we can sell it. This entails something my mother calls "staging." Today they moved the computer desk and filing cabinets from the family room to my dad's old train room, so it looks like an office. They brought my bedroom furniture back to make it look like a bedroom (or else I would have had to sleep on an air mattress).

Yesterday, my dad and I went to Ashtabula for his birthday present from me. I got him tickets on a holiday train. For those unfamiliar with Ohio geography, Ashtabula County is home to nothing. I've realized since being back here how country Ohio is. It's primarily agriculture. I never noticed until I'd been submerged in urbania for a few months. Anyway, the train ride was... interesting. I felt a little out of place, since most of the patrons were kids under 8 and their parents. The train rode out to a small field where Santa and Mrs. Clause were waiting. They got on the train and handed out little gifts to all the kids. Well, my dad enjoyed it, and that's all that matters.

My super-secret mission went off without a hitch. Last night, after my dad and I got back, I drove home to surprise Lisa. She had no idea. It was fabulous. I got to spend a day with her doing nothing spectacular, just being home with her, like any normal day. It was fantastic.

My mother is currently making rice crispie treats. I don't remember the last time she did that. In fact, I don't remember her ever doing that. Everything's weird on this trip. When did I get so old?