Thanksgiving

Kevin and Melissa invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner this year. At least, I think they invited us...or did we invite ourselves??? Either way, we ate at their home and enjoyed great company and great food! They prepared ham, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pies, and whatever else I can't think of right now. YUM!!! I brought yams (my favorite), beans, strawberry pretzel salad, rolls, and more pies.

The hosts.

Their son, Josh, even provided us with this fancy dish! James kept saying, "I want more A,B,C,D's!"  They were a hit for sure, and probably the only dish that was completely devoured within minutes of dinner starting!

Anxiously waiting...

James was just smiling so cute! I had to snap this picture.

After dinner, we played a little Wii. Boxing was a great way to work off all that food. I actually got a video of Richard doing some hula-hoop moves on Wii fit. He's pretty good at swinging those hips, but he might divorce me if I post it. ;) I tried yoga for the first time, and have come to the conclusion that I need more balance in my life. (hee hee)

Richard and Kevin played some intense games of "Age of Empires II".

And then came the best part....PIES!!! I am especially proud of the fact that I made all of my pies from scratch including my mother's famous crust! Yay!!! And, they turned out pretty good, although, I still need to work on making them as pretty as my Mom's. I made custard - this is a must every year. I grew up with my Grandma Burt's custard pie every Thanksgiving. It was always my favorite. And, of course, I use her recipe. I also made peach which is another favorite of mine! And, I made banana cream completely from scratch - pudding and all! Melissa's pecan and peanut butter-chocolate pies were also fabulous! Thanks, Kevin and Melissa, for allowing us to share Thanksgiving with you!

This year, we also enjoyed the company of my brother, Ryan, and his family from Utah. All the sisters (and a few others) got together to make.....you guessed it! Watches! Here is my mom and Nicole.

Melissa (I invited her to join us), Alyse, and Becky's mom, Joanne Webster. 

I loved being able to relax and hang out with family over the long weekend. I loved sleeping in on Friday and NOT going shopping!!! Aaaaaah... I loved the smells of good food. I loved the left-over turkey sandwitches on rolls. I loved playing cards with my family - even if I do prefer board games. I loved listening to our children laugh and play with their cousins. I loved focusing more on what I am most grateful for. It seems that many of my friends have been posting (on their blog or facebook) several things that they are thankful for. But, it's interesting how most of what is said doesn't have to do with "things" so much, but people, experiences, and beliefs. As I consider my own life, I try to imagine what it would look like if I had every "thing" I wanted, but no one to love or be loved by, no strong convictions or beliefs, and no heartwarming memories. May I even go as far as saying, no trials? Meaningless. Empty. Booooring. I am truly grateful for my life (challenges and all), my family and friends, the Gospel, and my Savior. These are the greatest blessings in my life.