Thanksgiving at the Racetrack

(photos by CJ and Sasha's friend)

This holiday was my second in New Orleans, although it was much different than last year's celebration. I was sad to spend the day away from my family but it was also pretty fun to have the day to eat and play with friends. I joined Diné and extended family for the lunchtime Thanksgiving dinner at her parent's house (Wade gave a special thanks/blessing to the DREAM act hunger strikers in TX - so great). We stuffed ourselves then shuttled off to the Fair Grounds for the big race day at the tracks.

Diné, Kira, Catherine, Stella, and I made wonderful hats at our NOLA version of Stitch n Bitch the night before so we were appropriately dressed for the occasion. Thanksgiving at the Fair Grounds is a popular destination for many faces in the neighborhood, in addition to the families and gamblers in attendance. I was so distracted that I didn't even get to make any bets. The only problem with wearing a super glamorous hat is having to stop and pose for pictures every few minutes. I could have bet and won thousands of dollars if I hadn't been everyone's Micky Mouse! Catherine and Diné, however, won $15 and $2, respectively. Not too bad!

After the last post we headed over to Catherine's for a few hours of drinks on her porch - it was a 83 degrees and humid into the night. Diné and I then went to her cousin Brooke's house to snuggle up and watch the Saints game before returning to the parents' house for several rounds of leftovers. The last stop was enough to turn our evening nap into bedtime.

It felt great to spend the holiday sipping on cocktails without a thought of finals on my mind.

Now back to studying!