Thanksgiving

 We had a really nice Thanksgiving week. Last Saturday Josh put up our Christmas lights and I did laundry and we cleaned and packed and bought Curtis some new pants and it was a busy, busy day. Then Sunday we went to church and right afterwards we hurried home, changed and packed up the last of our stuff and headed up to Rochester to visit my family. We didn't stop at all and made it in 7 hours 12 minutes, in time to have a late dinner and get to bed. 

Monday we slept in and relaxed and then we went to the mall. Since we don't have one around it was fun to just walk around and shop. Josh got a new winter coat, we got Curtis some basketball sneakers, my mom found a few gifts for the kids, they all picked out books at Barnes and Noble and we got Brandon some new shirts. Then we stopped at Abbott's for a healthy custard lunch and that evening my sister and family came for dinner. 

Tuesday morning Josh, my dad and I went to the temple. It was a snowy, beautifully cold morning and it was so wonderful to be in the temple, especially our temple where we were married. It was the first time we'd been in the temple together in almost two years and it was amazing. I have missed being able to go regularly so much and loved every second we were there. My mom also had fun taking the kids to the dollar store and giving them each five dollars to spend, then she took them to an apple farm for doughnuts and cider so we weren't missed at all. Afterwards we stopped at Josh's aunt's house to say hello since it has been a few years since we've seen her. She is a sweetheart and it was nice to stop in. That night we went out to Cheesecake Factory and I declared it my birthday dinner re-do and it was lovely. 

Wednesday we made a bunch of pies and I made a pretzel jello salad. Debbie and Timothy got there late Tuesday night so we just hung out and talked. Timothy is a junior at BYU and it was great to catch up on what is going on out there. He's a sweet kid and I wish he could find a nice girl to marry. Josh and the kids went over to the church to play basketball for awhile and that night we went over to KayLee's and had Pontillo's pizza. It was so good and then we played games, which was fun. 

Thursday we watched the parade all morning and then I helped mom with my favorite yams and apples dish and also the rolls. Dinner was so delicious and it was over too quickly. It was so fun for the kids to be with a few cousins and my sisters and parents and I'm grateful for a wonderful family. We watched Noelle and ate pie (I ate a lot of pie--so good and so many kinds) and it was a lovely day. 

 

Friday Lily went with my brother-in-law and dad to help pick out their Christmas trees, the rest of us helped my mom take down all the fall decor and put up some of her Christmas stuff. Josh and I went on  a date to the same theater he used to work at and saw King Richard. It was a really good movie and I enjoyed it a lot. It kind of made me feel 17 again to be there with him and that's part of what I love about going to Rochester. Eating Abbott's and Pontillo's and going to the mall, driving by my high school and feeling the nostalgia of childhood and being a teenager again. 

Saturday we got up and headed out so that we could stop at a Christmas tree farm in Annapolis that boasted of having tall trees. Our usual place couldn't get a driver to deliver the trees so I had picked out a few in Annapolis to check out but we hit gold on the first place we went. It was a cute farm and they had a decent number of trees to pick from and we found a perfect tree. It is nine feet tall and perfectly fat and I was so happy to find it. We made it home and got unpacked and the tree up and made sure we were ready for Sunday because Josh and I both had busy days. I conducted the music, played for two musical numbers, played for all of primary, then rehearsed two more songs after church that are coming up soon. Then we came home and decorated and that was nice. Josh had a very busy and hard day and didn't get home until 7:30 pm and then he had a call with the stake president and didn't get done until after all the kids were in bed. This is a tough time of year to be bishop and I just pray he has the strength to do it all and bear the weight of so many people's problems and hardships. He is such a good and selfless man and I love him for it. 

  

Thanksgiving is always a special time to be grateful and gratitude is something I feel so deeply especially when people are there for me when I need them, when a friend listens, when Josh says something kind or thoughtful or can tell exactly what I am thinking or feeling, when my kids obey or get what I am trying to teach them, when I have money to pay the bills, when I wake up in a snuggly bed, when I hear my washing machine hard at work, when there is good food to feed my family, when I exercise and feel strong and healthy, when someone tells me they appreciate me, when my parents tell me they are proud of what I'm doing, when I read the scriptures and feel God's love for me, when I look at the beautiful blue sky, when I listen to happy music or read a good book, when I am at the beach with my family watching the waves and smelling the salty air, when I am at church with my ward family sharing testimony, when I pray and know God is listening and whenever I think of my Savior and how much he loves me and sacrificed for me. I lead a very blessed and good life and I am so grateful.