For the last 6 years I have spent Thanksgiving in Colorado and missing the famous “Lotus” Thanksgiving get together!! Having to save up money to visit during Christmas I opted to make reservations at a nearby restaurant with friends….sooo not the same! I remember the first night I went out for Thanksgiving in Colorado. It was 9 degrees and I ate roast beef because they had no more turkey and stuffing left. It was the first time ever in my life not eating Turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving! On those very cold Colorado Thanksgiving nights I would imagine my cousin Leslee’s laugh, the background noise of football and cheers, and the sizzle, pop noises, along with conversations in tagalog going on in the Kitchen. It was comforting to know that in just a month I would be experiencing this during Christmas! I would literally count down the days!

I talked about Lotus to many of my friends in Colorado. They always knew exactly where I would be spending time with family. The questions of when I was leaving or coming back from family visits always included Lotus as the destination “When will  you be in Lotus?” or “How long will you be in Lotus?” It is also used as a way to describe meeting the family too such as “Are you taking Dean to Lotus?” (A question I got when dating my husband) Just like any other family, bringing a significant other for the first time to meet the family is a big deal. We just happen to use Lotus as a way to describe this!

I discovered later that many of my friends did not even realize that Lotus was an actual town in California but thought that Lotus was the name of the compound where I visited with family. I even believe that one of my friends thought that we named it after the flower.You see, Lotus is a small town located in the Sierra Foothills near Coloma. It is where my mother and her six other siblings along with their spouses purchased a house that sits on 11 acres. The house in Lotus, is where we carry on family traditions, spend holidays,  birthdays, family reunions, and any excuse that we could find to get together.  It is where, my grandmother, Lola, the matriarch of the family, who lived to be 100 would enjoy watching the grandkids playing in the front yard, the uncles talking around the fire pit, the cousins obnoxiously trying to tell stories all at the same time, the smell of filipino dishes cooking, and the family hugs when someone arrived. We even coined the verb Lotusing! Friends that have not yet enjoyed lotus always ask, “When can I experience Lotusing!”

Yesterday was the first in 6 years that I was able to spend Thanksgiving in Lotus and there is nothing like Lotusing on Thanksgiving!! The weather was perfect…clear blue skies, crisp fresh air, and warm colors throughout the property. To top it all off my husband Dean was there to enjoy it with me!

We started lotusing right away with warm macadamia nuts, home grown from Uncle Juniors backyard and freshly fried Lumpia!

I also call Lotus Wonderland for Children and Dogs! They too love lotusing!

My Moms famous Thanksgiving Table Decor!

Of course I took the opportunity to take some family Portraits. Meet Crystal, my cousin, and her son Tommy.

My cousin Leslee (the famous laugh!) and her nephew Tommy.

A beautiful portrait of my brother and his wife, Rachel.

All my nieces are so beautiful I could not resist taking some portraits of them. Of course, they could not resist posing for me. Who passes on pictures with their Auntie Jen? 🙂

So Darn cute! right!? Above: Maddie (Left), Quinny (Right) Below: Reilly, and Raegan.

They remind me of when my cousins and I were young. They called us The Lillyputs. We still cry so hard from laughing when we get together.

Did I mention this is Dog heaven as well. Rosco loves lotusing! Carrying on Family Traditions was so important to my late Lola Fausta. Making the famous Lumpia, a scruptous filipino egg roll, is just one of many traditions we continue today.

Ahhhh….the amazing Turkey that I missed for so many years!! mmmmm mmmm goodness!!

Here are a few other Thanksgiving dish fav’s. I made the Mac and Cheese on the right! It disapeared pretty quickly!

And later….naptime, playing cards, charrades and just hanging out!

It is so great to back! I hope everyone had a wonder Thanksgiving! Now it’s time to gear up for Christmas!!