Cooking w/ Andrew and 15 things we’ve learned about each other (plus our first texts ever).

Today’s post is sponsored by Blue Apron!!  I’ve also got an offer for the first 20 readers at the end of the post!  Thanks for reading and following along with our random life:)

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It is always the highlight of our week when this big refrigerated box arrives on our doorstep—>  everything stays fresh in the refrigerated box even if it gets there when we aren’t home.  Blue Apron delivers all of the farm-fresh goodness that we need right to our doorstep in all of the right proportions.   You can choose to do the 2-Person Plan or the Family Plan… there is no commitment either so you can skip or cancel the service at any time!

Andrew is all about cooking (I like to help him but he is the best cook by far) and I’m all about eating and cleaning up… a match made in heaven.

The first meal we created at home was Chicken Fried Rice w/Green Beans, Cabbage and Peanuts.  Blue Apron is constantly adding new items to their menu every week which helps us feel creative and like we are branching out:)

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Andrew got to work chopping everything up while I got to work on the rice and preparing the chicken.

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These two always make the whole process even more entertaining:)  I think they were chasing after Beretta in this picture.

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After about thirty minutes we had a huge pan full of cooked veggies, shredded chicken, cooked eggs and teriyaki sauce.

For some reason Beretta thinks that if she sits there patiently enough that our meals are going to end up in her dog bowl:)

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The sauce on this dish was incredible and soaked right into the rice at the bottom perfectly.  Loved the crunch of the peanuts too!

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And then we had dinner together and listened to the kids tell us about their crazy day.

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The next Blue Apron meal that we made was the Crispy Pork Chops w/ Roasted Potato Wedges & Summer Squash-Tomato Slaw.

I just can’t say goodbye to this bee sweatshirt of mine, it is a staple in my wardrobe.

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Everything I’ve ever received from Blue Apron has always been incredibly fresh and the veggies are always bright and full of flavor.

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The finished product!  We ate this meal once the kids were in bed.  It was a great date night in.  The potatoes were perfect and this was my first time making pork chops at home… I felt pretty accomplished after.

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My date.

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Beretta joined in on the date too!  We are always happy/full/content after we eat a meal from Blue Apron—>  They keep our taste buds happy and allow us to skip the grocery store for ingredients:)

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Andrew and I love to talk about some of the things we’ve learned about each other/marriage/life together while eating dinner (whether it is just the two of us or in between crazy 4 year old antics).   I thought I would share a few of them today:

1.  Andrew should not be allowed to go to Costco alone just like I should not be allowed to go to Madewell alone.  Things get a little out of control.

2.  I am ALWAYS the first one to react when our kids get hurt.  I jump 10 feet off the ground and Andrew stays calm as can be.  Our reactions could apply to pretty much every area in life.

3.  Andrew’s ankles crack throughout a run.  The first few times this happened it kind of freaked me out like they were breaking or something but now I am used to it.

4.   Andrew said, “Janae always sings, whether it is an appropriate time or not.”   I just always have some song in my head.

5.  There is nothing that Andrew hates more than hard boiled eggs… hence why whenever we are at a salad bar I try to sneak some on his plate.

6.  Andrew is the first guy that has ever made me want to scratch my running plans and run (or not run) with him instead:)  My dad said he knew Andrew was the one when I did a race at Andrew’s pace instead of my own.  My dad knows that I am very competitive and so Andrew must be a big deal if running took a back seat to him.

7.  If Andrew is going to make something, he is going to make it from scratch.  He’s not going to mess around with buying salsa if he can make a better version himself.  Bread, crust, dressing… you name it, he prefers to make it.

8.  It’s really nice to be home more.  I think we both went from living lives where we were rarely home to wanting to be at home with the five of us together as much as possible now.

9.  We’ve both learned that we really like to eat.  I think after so many years of denying myself delicious food years ago that I am just making up for it now and enjoying each and every bite:)  It’s fun to be with someone that loves good food as much as I do.

10.  Andrew is always looking for a new adventure.  Whether that be a new mountain biking trail, a trip to take, skydiving (yeah, I’m not going to be doing that again) or a new restaurant to try.  He loves getting me to be adventurous too (I’ve camped more with him already than ever before in my life;).

11.  Andrew has quickly learned that I hate being cold… unless I am running in the cold, somehow that makes it all okay.

12.  He scares me close to 4-5 times a week.  You’d think at some point I would just expect it to happen and it wouldn’t effect me anymore but it actually seems to get worse with time.

13.  I can’t fall asleep without my kitchen being clean and Andrew just can’t fall asleep in general.

14.  Andrew says, “Janae’s love for sour candy amazes me.”  It’s a problem… I wonder if my taste buds will ever mature.

15.  Andrew almost cried when he first found out that I don’t really care too much for Thanksgiving… it is his favorite holiday and I just haven’t had a great Thanksgiving in many years now so I just haven’t loved it.  He is determined to make this Thanksgiving my favorite day.  He was also pretty heartbroken when he found out that I don’t like scary movies… but I did promise him that I would watch just one with him on Halloween.

Oh and the other night Andrew and I read through all of our texts from the very beginning of everything (… a few months ago).  We have gotten new phones since then but still had our first texts on my computer.

I really do try to hold back on using too many explanation marks while blogging but I sure let him know that I was excited to hear from him;)  Our first date was 4/26/16.  Nolan is the guy that set us up!

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The FIRST TWENTY READERS will get THREE FREE MEALS on their first Blue Apron order—>  Go HERE to get the deal!!  PS You can check out all of their amazing recipes here!  Also, if you are wondering about their awesome recycling options, you can find that here!

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Who is the cook at your house?  Would you rather cook or clean up?

What is your favorite holiday?  Anyone else absolutely love Thanksgiving like Andrew? 

What is the meal that you make most often at home?  Do you feel like you get into a cooking rut?

Does being cold drive you crazy?  

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47 comments

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I love Christmas and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has the best food and family get together and Christmas is just the best season.

I love boiled eggs! It’s my favorite way to have them. My husband has the biggest aversion to cottage cheese ever. I can’t convince him to even put it in his mouth to try even when I use it as a salad topping :(

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My favorite holiday is probably the Fourth of July, but I also really like Thanksgiving and Christmas because I LOVE getting together with the family. And the past few years our Christmases have been pretty laid-back and snuggly, which I have really enjoyed. Plus, I love all of the fall/winter scents.

That being said, I actually hate the winter weather. I’m like you–I can’t stand to be cold!! I have a space heater at my desk at work and one at my apartment, and I pretty much have them on all the time.

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I hate being cold (and I work in a 45 degree environment with penguins, ha, somehow that’s ok, though!).
I am definately the cook, but lately we have been making the same few things……….burgers, quesadillas, eggs………..all good stuff, just a little repetitive…………..mixing it up with oven baked chicken tenders tonight.
My favorite holiday is Halloween……………almost here! I love scary movies and so does my husband so that makes it more fun! And Thanksgiving was one of the first times I met his whole family so it’s a pretty cool holiday in my book………..plus turkey=yum.
It’s funny you pulled out those texts…………..my husband and I are not into twitter or facebook really (he doesn’t even have an account, and I barely use mine) but we started chatting until late at night on facebook back when we started dating in 2009…………….we work together but couldn’t chat at work so we would chat at night……………..those conversations would be fun to see now, I think!

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I definitely do most of the cooking at our house, but my husband is the grill master! I get in a cooking rut often and make the same meals over and over again. Currently my two favorites are green curry and grilled salmon and veggies.

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I’m definitely the cook in our house, but I also get stuck with cleaning everything too :( Doesn’t seem fair to me!

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I hear ya with the Thanksgiving thing! Holidays are pretty tough for me and Mitchel makes it a point to get me in the spirit (without putting too much pressure on me)!
Being cold makes me feel some type of way, ew ew ew. Good thing I live in Chicago where it is never cold ;)

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Blue Apron is the best! Josh and I love it!

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I am definitely more of the planner/cooker at home but I love when we cook and clean up together. It’s more fun that way ;)

I LOVE Thanksgiving! There’s so much less pressure than Christmas.

We have smoke chicken and roasted veggies at least once a week.

I loathe being cold. I would much rather be too hot.

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I hope Andrew converts you to a Thanksgiving lover!! It’s my favorite holiday for sure mainly because the company we spend it with. We’ve always celebrated with my mom’s two best friends and their families … Such a fun group. We also never do traditional Thanksgiving food .. Always put a fun spin on things!

I live alone … And the cook in the house is still not me because I’m an awful cook but can still manage to keep myself alive. When I’m craving a solid home cooked meal … I walk over to my mom’s :)

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I got one of the 20 offer for 3 free meals, so I am finally deciding to try Blue Apron! Being cold is awful, but I don’t care about that when I’m running either lol!

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I really do love every holiday, but I have to say that Thanksgiving is right up there with Christmas at the top of my list!! On Thanksgiving, we’re always with family, and that ends up being a large, fun, loud group of people! We have a football game, the kids play other games (street hockey is a favorite), and lots of great conversations! And the food!! I’m surprised that you, the person who LOVES food, doesn’t love Thanksgiving! But, I bet Andrew turns that around for you ;)
My husband I and both like to cook, but I do most of the cooking. I love trying new recipes, but I do get stuck in a cooking rut when our weekly lives get crazy busy! Our go to meal is tacos! Whether it’s ground beef, chicken, or carne asada, we have tacos once a week!
I was born and raised in Colorado, so when it gets “cold” here (southern California) I get really happy!!! But, I do get cold much quicker than I use to! As long as I have layers to put on, I love the cold!! And it is a nice change to run in the cold!

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I am 100% the cook at my house. I even have to make the coffee. I am always trying new recipes so repeats are few but i do tend to make orzo and radicchio salad a lot and in the fall/winter, turkey and black bean chili and vegetable soup. And my husband is the same way at Costco. We actually don’t belong to Costco anymore because he was coming home with so many random things (solar lanterns for the patio come to mind) that we were not saving money. I had to stop the madness and give up Costco.

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I’ve been wanting to try Blue Apron for a while now, after reading a million reviews about people loving it. Its so great that you guys can bond over cooking a meal together :)

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I’m the cook at my house. I would normally prefer cooking over cleaning, but I do have certain parameters to clean the kitchen. Thank God my roommate and I really get along when it comes to that.

I love Thanksgiving but Christmas will always be my absolute favorite holiday.

And cold wont drive me crazy as much as hot weathers (unless I’m at the beach)

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I’m not much of a cook but live alone so I gladly take leftovers everytime I’m at a family gathering.

My favorite holiday is my birthday but I love christmas eve too.

I tend to keep frozen turkey meatballs on hand to make pasta and meatballs for dinner.

I actually like being cold. Except for after running or skiing when I get sweaty and start to shiver.

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We share cooking responsibilities. With 3 kiddos and busy schedules..it’s all hands on deck!
I absolutely love Christmas and the twinkle in my childrens eyes throughout the entire season. Excited to try Blue Apron!

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Ha – I should not have read this post after a run! Hunger is real – everything looks amazing! :)

Also – your first texts with Andrew are adorable.

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Your text are too cute! Thanks for sharing :)

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How does Andrew not love hard boiled eggs? They are my favorite and a staple in our house, on our Holiday Table, and often what we bring to church luncheons!

I’m the cook in my house. And the cleaner. I’d really rather just do the clean up – so hubby and I are slowly getting into those roles. He’s learning more and more and growing in confidence.

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I cook and Paul washes the dishes. It’s a beautiful thing. I had to wash the dishes growing up so I’m glad to be done with it.

I think Christmas is still my favorite. I like Thanksgiving , I just don’t get that excited for it.

I try to change dinner up. I’m not a fan of eating the same thing all the time. I’ll change the spices or marinades if I’m making chicken. I like food that’s an easy prep but packs a flavor punch. The other night we had apple chicken sausage cooked with kale and garlic, roasted butternut squash, roasted blue and blue sweet potatoes. (blue potatoes look purple and are pretty fun).

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My husband and I split the cooking. I do about half and he does as well. I know a lot of people enjoy Blue Apron but I still think it’s so time-consuming.

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I cook and clean at my house, which is fine by me as i see the kitchen as my space to do whatever I want.My favorite thing to make is a soup. It has black beans, salsa verde, green chilies, chicken. some spices, and chicken broth in it, topped with avocado, tortilla strips, cilantro and jalapenos.

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday! I love all the food and spending time with family sharing what we are grateful for.

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Those texts are adorable! I still remember me and my husband’s first texts too! :)
I do love Thanksgiving, but my favorite holiday is Christmas! I’m already looking forward to it, except for the cold. Like you, I hate to be cold. I understand the whole running in the cold thing, that is the only time it is acceptable to be cold.
I can’t wait for this Christmas inparticular because it will be our first Christmas as a family of three! Traditions here we come :)

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I like being cold running but cannot tolerate it otherwise. I wear a LOT of layers in winter.

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I live in Dallas so we only get about 3 “cold” months each year. I love the cold weather. I am definitely thinking of moving somewhere in the west coast area in the next couple of years once I finish up my NP program. I’ve tried blue apron, green chef, and next week I will be getting hello fresh. So far, I liked green chef better than blue apron so I cancelled that subscription. I’m a messy cook so I think it’s only fair that I clean up too. Plus, I can clean up the kitchen really fast. I love Thanksgiving but I am glad that it’s going to be at my brother’s house this year so I don’t have to deal with most of the cooking for our family.

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You two just met in April? Amazing! I met my Paul in August, engaged in October and married in February. When you meet “the one” you just know. For us, 31 years! So happy you are happy!

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I’m the main cook in the house but my two younger boys (14 and almost 12) like to jump in every now and then. I’ve been trying to remember to ask for more “help” from them since they seem to love that.

I sort of live all year for Thanksgiving dinner. Which sounds really sad, now that I just read that. :)

In the Fall/Winter/Spring, I feel like my go-to recipe when I’m lazy or don’t know what to make is Black Bean soup. My kids love and so do my husband and I, so it works out well. But I do feel like I make the same 5-7 dinners all the time. No one really complains though. :)

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That’s so cute that you have your first texts to each other!
My husband and I split the cooking. I usually cook during the week but my husband will cook if it’s something more complicated. When we were getting Blue Apron, he usually took over-which was fine by me! We haven’t gotten Blue Apron in awhile because we’re trying to save money but I think we might need one for a treat soon.
Christmas is my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is just okay.

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I love most all holidays, because they bring the family together, and I love that most. And that everyone else brings all the food except my one dish, love other peoples food ! I am the cook and the clean up. We used to do both together but someone, over the years, it’s became my job for cooking and cleaning. But that’s ok, he does more than me in other areas, so it’s all a works out. I really dislike the cold. As in, really, really dislike the cold. We’ve hit 50 degree’s and I broke out all hats, gloves, boots, winter coats and SLIPPERS. And yes, we really really get into cooking ruts. It’s one of my things to talk about with friends, ‘what did you have for supper”. I get new ideas that way. But lately it’s harder, because I’m trying to eat healthier for myself and daughter, but my husband is very reluctant to be on board all the way with healthy food. I don’t believe in ‘changing people’, so I’m slowly working things in that taste great and are still healthy. Surprised him a few times. So getting there.

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I am the cook – I absolutely love cooking for my family and friends. My favorite holiday is Christmas Eve (is that holiday?) My family gets together and we have a big Italian feast and cocktails – SO MUCH FUN!

Lately I’ve been making spaghetti squash with sauce. (I buy Mezzetta marinara sauce). I’ll either add in ground turkey or homemade meatballs – so good!

I hate being cold! My feet and nose always get super cold in the winter, I’m always putting on thick, fuzzy socks when I’m around the house.

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I love to cook and also got my mom’s love of baking!

Thanksgiving is a big deal with both of our families. Since we are all spread out across the country, Thanksgiving is the holiday we all try to be together, while Christmas is for immediate family gatherings. We rotate between my family and my husband’s. Last year there were almost 60 of us in Panama City, Florida – ages 1 to 92!

I love the cold, but I’m pretty sure my So Cal cold really isn’t cold to most people.

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#4, 9, 11, and 13 are me to a T! Especially #13. I’ve been known to pass out on the couch after dinner, wake up a couple of hours later, and insist on washing dishes half-asleep like a cleaning zombie. I have to admit I love Thanksgiving best as well. A holiday where you are surrounded by tons of good food and family, with no expectation of gifts? Yes please!!

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HAHAH YES… I’ve passed out too and yet I still got up to clean the kitchen:) What is our problem?! You are SO right about the zero gift expectations too… LOVE that. Hope you are having a beautiful day Kara!

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your blog is the best. seriously. favorite holiday… Thanksgiving! love the food + the cozy weather. I also started doing a thanksgiving day yoga flow at our local studio & it makes for a fun morning + reflecting on the year!

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aww i loved reading your first texts!!! same, not a huge fan of Thanksgiving and I don’t know why :P My fav is a tie between Christmas and Halloween! and i only don’t like being cold if the air conditioning is too strong and I don’t have a jacket…as long as I’m dressed warmly enough I love the cold!

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Aww, such cute things! I am definitely with Andrew on Thanksgiving – I think that and Christmas are my two favorite holidays. :) But I could totally see how a few bad thanksgivings could kind of spoil the holiday for you. I’m sure this year will be 15783% better!

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Loved reading this! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday EVER so I’m with Andrew on this! My least favorite holiday is 4th of July, and I’m not big on Halloween either (although I love the month of October so it balances out somehow). I also cannot go to sleep without first having a pristine kitchen. I cannot stand having anything in my sink, even if I’m leaving my apt. temporarily. Unacceptable!

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“five of us together”…? Beretta? baby in tummy?

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Beretta is definitely the fifth member of our family:)

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I love thanksgiving. My aunt that hosts is just the best host. Everyone is just so so relaxed without all the expectation of Christmas. Already looking forward to it!!

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A day. Devoted to eating. With a dozen side dishes. And a dozen different desserts. Where no one gives it a second thought when I go back for my usual seconds and thirds? Ya. Thanksgiving is the best.

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Not a big fan of Thanksgiving…not sure why…the meal doesn’t excite me but I love being reminded to be thankful! I love Xmas and Valentine’s Day and Halloween :)

I HATE being cold! Truly. The fun is OVER when I’m cold.

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I LOVE every holiday but can’t afford to decorate for each one. So I just walk Target’s holiday aisles and day dream instead. hahahaha My husband thinks it is sad but I have so much fun! I can run in 110 degree weather but go below 30 and I am a baby! Sad since we moved from a hot area to frozen! I feel like I get in cooking ruts when I get too busy to enjoy cooking. Which is most of the time….and right now. haha

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I actually love Thanksgiving too! It’s way less stressful than Christmas, and you get to see people you care about. I feel like you can actually enjoy the day. Oh, and the food is great!

P.S.- I just bought that Brooks jacket (Womens drift shell) you recommended! I love it! It will be perfect for layering! And embarrassingly enough….I’m obsessed with taking flash pictures of it to see it reflect!! haha Thanks for the recommendation.

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#11 so me! I hate being cold and will be freezing from now until summer comes back! But I don’t mind the cold if I am running one bit. Running actually helps me survive the winter.

Also Thanksgiving is my favorite!!! =)

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I hate being cold too.
I’m with Andrew…Thanksgiving for the win!

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Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday. This will be the first year I don’t have my kids, but I’m looking forward to my first Friendsgiving!

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