Get your pilgrim on

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! The Beau and I are off in Virginia celebrating with my family; my aunt and two cousins; and my dear friend K along with her husband, mom, sisters, and three little ones.

Like any loyal Virginian, I know that the first formal Thanksgiving celebration was actually in 1619 at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia. That's right, before the Mayflower even landed. Take that, underwhelming Plymouth Rock in a cage.

Still, I really enjoyed my class' visit to Plymouth, Mass. this summer, so I thought I'd share a few photos of the museums there. The re-constructed village was almost as fun as I imaged it would be as a child.

At the Pilgrim Hall museum, we learned that the 1620 settlers probably dressed like this - no black hats with buckles.


For all my regional rivalry, I do respect all the hardships that the Pilgrims, and all settlers, faced to come to America. Here's a sobering image from Pilgrim Hall of the first year's death toll.

I'm thankful that we no longer live in a world where you could lose your loved ones to disease or famine at any moment. I'm also grateful that I'm close enough to VA to spend the holidays with family and friends - Brother #2 is in grad school in Illinois, so he'll be an ambassador to the Chicago relatives this year. On a more mundane level, I am grateful all the books I needed this week were available on library shelves.

What are you thankful for this year?