Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year. We got to spend it with Layne and Kris (Brian's parents) in Idaho. This was the first time that we spent Thanksgiving with Brian's family, ever. During our nine years of marriage, we've always lived too far away from them to make a visit during Thanksgiving. Whether it was because of school or the fact that we lived in NYC, we never had a enough time off to make it work. So it was wonderful to finally get to spend this holiday with them.

It ended up just being Layne, Kris, Brian, myself, and of course their little dachshund Archie. Sean was flying from NY to surprise his family in Oregon, and Tom had scheduling conflicts and couldn't make it. We were sad that we didn't get to see them. It was a much smaller and quieter family holiday than we are both used to (not county the years in NYC when it was just the two of us). We really enjoyed our time off.

We drove up Wednesday afternoon. Brian was able to get out of work earlier than expected. We left around 3 pm, and were glad that we did, because a winter storm hit just a couple hours later. We missed the worst of it by leaving early. The roads were fine for us most of the way. They started getting snowy around Fort Hall, and we hit stalled traffic just after that. It took us 45 minutes to drive from Fort Hall to Blackfoot. Crazy! We never did pass any accidents, but figured they must have cleaned them up before we got there. The traffic was stop and go for quite awhile, so once the flow of cars reached a steady 35 mph, we felt like we were cruising. Eventually we made it though and all was well.

Thursday was Thanksgiving of course and my birthday. I've always loved that every few years they coincide. It has always made my birthday feel even more special. We spent the morning cooking and watching the Macy's Parade on TV. While watching the balloons, it was so surreal to think that just a few years ago, Brian and I were at the parade. Ever since I was five years old, I'd wanted to go to the parade...and now I've been twice!

The food turned out amazing. The turkey Layne and Kris got was a butterball that had never been frozen. It was amazing. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, cranberry orange relish, green beans, mashed yams, fruit salad, rolls, relish tray, and creamed corn. A feast it was. Everything was so amazing! I wish I'd snapped a photo of the spread, but alas I didn't. I was having so much fun the entire time, that I didn't even take a single picture. Not one! :(

Later that afternoon, my Mom, sister Annie and brother-in-law Jake stopped by for a little birthday celebration for me. My mom brought me a chocolate cake which was amazing. We had cake and ice cream and chatted for a bit, and then I opened presents. Brian got me a new coat that I love. Annie and Jake gave me a beautiful necklace with a purple teardrop shaped stone. Kris and Layne gave me a set of notebooks, pens, and pencils with a beautiful floral design. My Mom gave me an adorable Christmas-themed counted cross stitch kit. I've always wanted to try my hand at counted cross stitch, so I was super excited about it. I've started on it and am having so much fun with it so far...although it's going to take me a while to finish it. All of the gifts I received were so thoughtful, and I love them. But I love the people who gave them to me even more.

That evening, we watched The National Dog Show on TV, which was very entertaining, while we enjoyed some pumpkin and apple pie. My definition of happiness is spending time with Brian, the love of my life, and being surrounded by family, but it doesn't hurt to have a warm dog curled up next to you and a piece of pie in hand! ;)

On Friday, we popped out for a quick shopping trip so Brian and I could pick up one specific Christmas present on our list. We waited until midday to go out in hopes of avoiding the worst of the Black Friday madness, but the roads and store were still really crowded. We went to see Spectre, the new James Bond movie. That was fun. We ate another big lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers. Everything was just as amazing as it had been the day before.

Saturday we spent the morning together, and after lunch (a third round of Thanksgiving yumminess) we packed up and headed back home. We would have stayed another day, but our friend Matt from NYC was in SLC and we really wanted to see him before he left that night. I think I've said this in every post I've written about visiting family, but it's always sad to say goodbye. We are extremely grateful that our goodbyes are no longer for a year or two, but only a month or two. Happy, happy.

In my opinion, it was the best Thanksgiving we've had in five years. It was just so wonderful to be able to spend it with family. Brian and I have much to be thankful for this year. At the forefront is our move from NYC to Utah. We've been working for a few years now to get out of NY and this year that goal/dream became a reality. We are so grateful for all of our family members and friends who have loved and supported us through our NYC journey and have continued to do so as we make our new home here in Utah. We are grateful for our experience in NY, the growth, opportunities, and experiences that it allowed us to have. We are beyond ecstatic for the opportunities that our new life in Utah will provide us with, and the goals that this move has made more possible to accomplish. We are thankful for and humbled by the love and tender mercies that our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ have shown us. It is amazing to look back and see Their hand in our journey. We are grateful for the Holy Ghost that opens our eyes to recognize these blessing for what they are. We are so grateful for the gospel and the joy, happiness, and peace it brings to us each day. We are grateful for each other and the life that we've built together, and are anxiously engaged in building upon what we've already created and accomplished.

Isn't gratitude amazing! How can you not be filled with joy and hope after counting all your blessings. What an inspiring holiday. Happy Thanksgiving.