This year was a really enjoyable Thanksgiving for me! Most years I have gotten together with a bazillion people and had a gigantic meal and then slept, but this year was a little different for me.
First off Jordan and I were able to sleep in and really get up at our leisure, and recently that has been rare. After we woke up and ate a little breakfast we bummed around the house, showered, and headed out to his aunt's house where the main festivities were taking place. Once we got to Aunt E's house we ate linner (lunch/dinner) and then just chatted with everyone. It was a smaller group of people including J's parents, two sets of cousins, and of course Aunt E and her immediate family. It was sad that some of the family couldn't be there, but it was a nice size group. J's family is gigantic and whenever there are family get togethers I have some anxiety about meeting them all and remembering names and everything, so I really liked that I already knew everyone and was able to easily "make my rounds" of chatting with everyone and the fact that the meal was DELICIOUS was also a bonus!
After dinner and digestion, J and I left Aunt E's house and headed for my grandparents house about a half hour away. When we got there they had just cleaned up dinner and were relaxing and chatting, so we joined in that for a little bit before we dug into pie. My dad and his little family flew into town, my aunt's family, and my grandparents were all there and so it was nice to catch up and hear all the new things going on in each of their lives. Once pie and tea were cleaned up some family pictures had to be taken...here are a couple of my favorite.
This is the cute pumpkin pie my sweet Omo made. I love the cutout on top!
From L to R: Aunt Heidi, Glen (cousin), Jordan (my handsome husband), me, my Dad
From L to R: Opa (grandpa), Omo (grandma), Jordan, Me and Baby Lott, Dad, Brittany (my dad's step-daughter), Michaelle (my dad's wife), Uncle Greg, Aunt Heidi
Overall it was a wonderful celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, the only thing that could have made it better would have been to be able to see my mom and siblings. I did get to chat with them on the phone, so I was with them in a way. :)
During the month of November I was given many opportunities to review the past year and really reflect on and recognize the blessings in my life. I am grateful for the Lord and His hand in my life. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that continually gives and pushes me to be a better Christian and person in general. I am grateful for my husband, in all his glory. He and I have become a much stronger couple over the past year and each and every day I am grateful for his tenacity and ambition to be better, for his every glowing positive attitude, and his dedication to living life to its fullest. Although I have not met this little baby inside me, I am grateful for him and his movement and kicks. I am grateful for a loving family that supports me and allows me to be me. I am grateful for a warm home and hot food on the table. I am grateful for my job. I am grateful for my talents, meager as they may be. My list could go on and on, but these are the things I am continually and exponentially grateful for.
