Thanksgiving
As soon as it was over we were invited to have lunch with the Rasbands and Elder Daynes so we made our way back to the stake offices and waited a bit before they came in. We said a prayer and got in line to get our food and I was behind Sister Rasband so I chatted with her a bit. Elder Rasband strikes me as a quieter guy so he wasn't very outgoing and since we sat at the other end of the table, we didn't really get to talk to him but we sat right by Elder Daynes and he was super friendly and fun. I asked him a question that has been on my mind and he kindly answered it and turns out his son served in Ukraine so we had that connection and he was very funny with the kids. When President Boyd asked if we could take a picture, Elder Daynes said, "As long as I don't have to stand next to Emma." It was hilarious. I told him he reminded me of my brother-in-law and he totally dead pan said, "Is he in jail?" I appreciated how friendly and warm he was with us and wish I could be more like that. Elder Rasband left lunch without saying anything and went into meetings so it was a little anti-climactic so we just cleaned up and hit the road for Rochester. After talking to my dad, turns out Elder Daynes' grandfather was district president in NJ when my dad was at Princeton and he really impacted my dad's spiritual growth and college experiences so that was neat to connect.
We had an easy drive and made it to my parents' house in time for a later dinner. I love that my kids are happy and enjoy going to grandma's house and that my mom had stew and homemade bread waiting for us. Monday we relaxed and then I took the girls to a dance supply store for pointe shoes but it ended up being a waste of time. That night we went to KayLee's house for a fancy filet mignon dinner that was so good and we had family night. Tuesday Josh, my dad and I went to the temple. I love being back in the Palmyra temple and especially with Josh. It brings back such good memories of receiving my endowment and being sealed to Josh and having so many friends and family there with us, plus all the good memories from Pageant and being at the church sites as a youth--it all just makes me happy. Except I am not a fan of what they have done to the Hill Cumorah. It is covered in weeds and looks like we don't care for it at all. They also took out the Christus statue from the visitor's center and replaced it with a small bronze statue that is uninspiring. I wish I could have some say on what happens to those church sites!
Wednesday Curtis ran a marathon. He had just decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to run one while on break so he planned out a route and talked with Mike Martines and he and Josh came up with a plan. Curtis left about 10 am and ran along Lake Ontario for a good part of it; Josh would meet up with him every few miles for water and gel stuff and Curtis crushed it! He dry heaved about mile 20 and said those next few miles were a bit rough and it started pouring for the last 15 minutes he was running but he did it! 26.2 miles in just about 3.5 hours and he felt pretty good the rest of the day. His stomach was a bit unsettled until that evening but then he ate a ton of pizza. :) The rest of us went to Wegmans and baked pies and then we went and played pickle ball that afternoon with my brother-in-law and had Pontillos for dinner and watched Wicked.
Thanksgiving was very chill. We watched the parade then went to KayLee's. We played games and watched football and played Wii games and had a delicious dinner and then we watched Rise of the Guardians. It was a bit quiet with any cousins around but I think everyone had a nice day and we all have much for which to be grateful.
Friday we went shopping at the mall most of the day. Josh had started not feeling well so he was pretty mellow but the rest of us had fun. We got Abbott's custard for lunch and then went to KayLee's for leftovers and then Mom and Dad took Brandon home and the rest of us went to see Wicked: For Good. I enjoyed it but it is the darker part of the story and not quite as much fun. I thought it was well done though and I enjoyed getting lost in the story for a few hours.
Saturday we packed up and left. I drove home since Josh was sick and we stopped at a place in York to find a tree but they were sold out so that was super disappointing. We ended up at our old place and found a lovely tree but it is so pricey and not the kind I prefer. We got home just in time for Lily to leave to go babysitting and then we got the tree up and unpacked.
Sunday I taught primary and played a piano solo in sacrament meeting and then we spent the rest of the day decorating for Christmas. Josh was sick enough that he stayed home and then his virtual meeting got cancelled so it was really nice to have him around and to just be together for the day as a family and getting ready for Christmas.
This past week has been super busy getting caught up with groceries and laundry and piano lessons and trying to exercise and I subbed for a while Tuesday morning and volunteered at the book fair and I took Brandon to basketball practice and went to our valiant girls activity. Then Thursday I got to stay home and wrap presents and talk with Michelle and start planning our Christmas party. Friday we got a snow delay and it was so great to sleep in and see all the kids in the morning and then Josh and I put up Christmas lights outside. Emma had a secret Santa thing for dance so Josh and I went and picked her up and walked around Leonardtown for a bit.
We have watched a Hallmark Christmas movie every night this week; sick Josh is a relaxed guy and while I am glad he is getting better, it was kind of nice having chill time together. Curtis has been doing a lot of driving and doing well for the most part. Girls are getting ready for Nutcracker next weekend and Brandon had his first basketball game this morning and he was nervous but his team did really well and they won 33-6. Now we're cheering for BYU to win the Big 12 championship game so Go Cougars!
Comments
Post a Comment