THANKSGIVING AND THE THOMAS FAMILY – DIA DE GRACIAS Y LA FAMILIA THOMAS

For most of us, Thanksgiving is all about spending time with loved ones and eating till it hurts. I’m lucky to have an amazing family that makes every holiday special, but 2014 was the first time I spent Thanksgiving away from them. Somehow, it ended up as one of my most memorable holidays.

I should start by saying that aside from a photographer I’m also a musician. My dad is a trained classical guitarist who passed on his love of music to me. I’ve played guitar in four different bands and toured through North and South America in the last ten years.

In the summer of 2014 one of my best pals Jesse Thomas asked me to go on tour with her and spend Thanksgiving with her family of 40 plus. Whenever Jesse and I hang out, very long laugh attacks follow us around. So of course I said yes.

The only things Jesse told me before meeting everyone were that her family is welcoming and that Thanksgiving would be fun. Well… she was right. Here’s a little summary:

Day 1:
We arrived in Charlotte the night before Thanksgiving and ended up playing guitar, singing covers, and drinking whiskey until 4am. All that was followed by a nighttime jacuzzi dip and a broken arm… no deaths were reported, just some morphine.

Day 2:
Early the next morning, the whole family got up for the annual football game accompanied by coffee, mimosas, and bloody marys. We followed it up with an awesome Thanksgiving night. The Thomas family epically hosted 40+ people for dinner. After dinner there was more music, singing, games, and of course whiskey.

Day 3:
Friday night, the whole Thomas clan came to see Jesse and I play at The Evening Muse. We played to a full venue. A mix of fans and family, everyone sang along, even grandma and grandpa. After that we all went to a ballroom dance club, took over the DJ, and danced all night.

Since that week, the Thomas family has become family to me. They took me in as one of their own. They loved me, made fun of me, supported me, and showed me that despite the world being so divided these days, there are still many people that show true kindness and embrace our differences.

Jesse, thank you for your friendship and for introducing me to your family. You are a rockstar inside and out.

To all the Thomas family… I love you for who you are, for what we have in common, and for what makes us different. Hope to see you all next year!

Brown Thomas, Chilean Princess, Sari.

Here’s “Fire” one of my favorite songs by my friend Jesse Thomas. Have a listen!
To hear more, find her music on iTunes and Spotify.