Small Town Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. And since I spent it in the Czech Republic last year, I was even more excited than usual to go home and eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal, lovingly prepared by my grandma. Though our holiday celebration is pretty low-key and basically consists of eating lunch, falling into a food-induced coma and watching the A&M/UT football game, I can still remember the the bygone traditions that use to excite me as a kid such as a game of baseball in the backyard, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, fighting for the wishbone of the turkey, and helping my mom redecorate the house for Christmas. Going home always conjures up memories of my childhood and reminds me that sometimes the simplest things in life are the most important. I am truly blessed & have so much to be thankful for.

When we all left for college, my friends and I started a tradition of getting together every year for a Thanksgiving Leftovers Party. It was great to catch up with some of my classmates that I had not seen in months, even years. I love hearing about everyone's goals for the future--we've grown up a lot in just four years. Here's some snapshots and an appropriate soundtrack from my trip to my hometown for Thanksgiving.

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"For each new morning with its light, 

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Fort

Although I love to travel, and I am disappointed that I have no big trips planned in the near future, I am also very happy where I am right now. Fort Worth is a great city, and I feel lucky to have called it home for the past four years. As the 16th largest city in the United States, Fort Worth is very up-and-coming, and I have seen it grow and change dramatically in the short amount of time that I lived here. It's an exciting time to be here--new restaurants and shops are going up every week, and I believe Fort Worth is experiencing the same kind of growth that Austin did ten years ago.

So welcome to Part I of what I hope will be a series, showcasing my favorite things about one of my favorite cities--Fort Worth, Texas. Here's a short film called "The Fort" by Erik Clapp, which was recently selected for the Lone Star International Film Festival.

24 Hours

I recently stumbled upon the creative work of Fernando Volken Togni. Though he lives in Brazil, his illustrations capture the highlights of interesting cities all over the world. Check out these colorful, graphic prints from his 24 Hours collection:

Zurich, Switzerland

Melbourne, Australia

Madrid, Spain

Ngorongoro, Tanzania

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cairo, Egypt

Paris, France

New York City, USA

Casablanca, Morocco

London, United Kingdom

Barcelona, Spain

Which illustration is your favorite? My top three are Barcelona, Casablanca, and Melbourne. To learn more about Fernando and see the rest of his work visit his website.