Back in November...

Back in November, I received the best surprise EVER...a visit from my sisters Charlsey and Michaela!

Lazy breakfast at the Gorman household, pre-Thanksgiving dinner

These 2 nerds didn't tell me ANYTHING till the week before! They were set to arrive Thanksgiving day, so we decided to treat the Gormans to a full American-style Thanksgiving feast on Friday, November 29th, and Michaela's 20th birthday!

Anny and I left the kiddies with Nana Kathleen for the morning and made our way into Dublin to pick Charlsey and Michaela up at Dublin Airport, where lo and behold, I almost got deported!
Apparently, some lines got crossed between the Irish Embassy in Chicago and the customs agents at Dublin Airport and they thought I was living and working in Ireland illegally...which I'm not! Luckily, the customs agent thought I was a pretty genuine person (who had nearly had the pants scared off of her) and he helped me sort everything out. Yay for not getting deported!

Back at the Gorman household (post naps and showers), we turned the kitchen into our American Thanksgiving prep station:

• One large turkey, seasoned with lemon, garlic, onions, and sage, then cooked to perfection - a la Charlsey 
• One ham with cloves and honey mustard glaze
• hashbrown casserole, corn pudding, roasted Brussels sprout, turnip casserole
• cornbread stuffing
• Gingersnap cheesecake
• sweet potato pie
• hand crafted construction paper Pilgrim hats and Native American headdresses 

...and goodness knows what else! We made so much food we had trouble fitting it all on the table. But we definitely enjoyed eating it!

The Pilgrims and the Native Americans breaking bread!

After a truly lovely Thanksgiving, Charlsey, Michaela, and I had a girls weekend in Dublin - we did it ALL. Toured the Guinness Factory, where we poured our own beers, wandered through Dublinia, the Viking Museum, toured Christchurch Cathedral and Dublin Castle...basically all the touristy sightseeing you'd want to do if you came to Dublin.

hostel via hostelworld.com

Walking through Dublin Castle

Chimney Cake - YUMMM

"'Tis but a scratch!"

I loved having my sisters here with me, and even though we text nearly everyday, being with them in person is incomparable. We laughed like loons, we got on each others nerves (A LOT), we ate tons of food and captured every minute of it on camera.

I can't wait to see them again (hopefully soon!) and Lily and Patrick ask about them every week - "Briana, where are your girls?"
"Are they in 'tucky?"
"Are they coming to stay with us again?"

Clearly, my sisters made quite the impression. It was a great family weekend and a great way to welcome Michaela to her 20's.