Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year! We are so blessed! Life is great, and it was fun to have a day to celebrate all of our many blessings!


We are especially lucky that we have so much family close by, and we were able to have 2 Thanksgiving meals with those we love and are close to!




I am pretty sure there were big holes in everyone's hearts reserved especially for Grandma and Uncle David. I suppose those will always be there, especially around the holidays.


Dinner at Joanna's:

Joanna was so sweet to invite the whole family over for dinner at her house. She did an amazing job decorating! The picture does not do the tablescape justice!

The table





The kitchen preparations





Lora and the dog

Jillian

Delicious!

Priya

Natalie and Grandma Petersen

Our best attempt at trying to get all the grandkids together for a picture

Thanksgiving at Aunt Lisa's:

Priya, me, and Uncle Scott (and the cute blanket he had made for Priya)

Aunt Dana, Shaun, Emily and Scott playing games

Paul and Priya...mmm... Pumpkin Pie!

Rachel, Aunt Lisa, and Mom

Dad

One final word about Thanksgiving:

I don't feel like I would be doing the day justice if I didn't take some time to write about my blessings. We are so blessed, in more ways than we can imagine. Here is a *short* list of some things that I am so thankful for:

1. The freedoms that we have in this country. We are able to worship, speak, work, etc. as we please. We are so lucky to live in a country such as this, and I am so grateful to the men and women who serve to keep us free.

2. A nice, warm home, a bed to sleep in, food to eat, lights to turn on, medicine to take, roads to drive on, clothes to wear, water to drink, and money coming in. There are so many people in the world who do not have these things, and we are so blessed that not only do we have them, most of the time we don't have to worry if we are going to have them tomorrow, either.

3. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Andrew and I have had to receive an education. We are able to read and write, and expand our mind. We have access to books, computers, etc. We can choose to keep learning as long as we want. I am grateful that Priya will have an opportunity to be educated as well.

4. I am so glad that we have such wonderful family and friends. We are so blessed to have family all around us, and they play such an important role in our lives. I am gratful for aunts, uncles, and cousins that I have strong bonds with, I am grateful for nieces and nephews that keep life fresh and exciting, I am grateful for grandparents and their wisdom, I am grateful for parents who are always willing to help and have raised us to be who we are, I am grateful for siblings that care so much about us and are our best friends. I am also grateful for family that has gone before us and will be there waiting when we get to the other side.

5. I am so grateful that we are healthy. Occasional cold bug? Bring it on! It reminds me that we are healthy, happy, and alive!

Most of all, I am grateful for my relationships with:

And

And

Ooohh... I just want to squeeze those gushy cheeks!

Phoenix Trip

Since it has almost been two months since I have posted anything, I've decided it is now time to play catch-up. The last few months have been busy for us, with lots of small things going on, and of course, getting ready for the holidays!

At the end of November, right before Thanksgiving, my mom got word that her sister in Arizona had a seizure and would most likely not be with us for much longer. She wanted to go and see her, and Priya and I went along for the ride. I hadn't seen my aunt in a long time, so it was nice to be able to go down there and say goodbye. She passed away shortly after our trip to see her. It is so sad, but we also know that she is in a better place, and she is out of pain. Sometimes life can be so hard, but it is nice to know that Someone Else is at the helm.

My Aunt April flew in from back East, and my cousin James, his wife Laura, my Uncle Scott, and Nana also drove down from Utah to visit her.

I did not do a good job of getting pictures on our trip (I didn't get any of me). Here are a few of the pictures that I got around to taking:

Priya and her buddy sleeping on the drive down

This is what happens when a 1 year old is left in the back seat alone with a box of tissues (and mom and grandma in the front seat not paying enough attention, apparently)! Priya doesn't have a happy face here because when we discovered what she had done, we started laughing, and Priya DID NOT appreciate us laughing at her.

Priya and James playing at Uncle Brett's apartment

Nana, Aunt April, Laura, Uncle Scott, Uncle Brett, and my mom

Priya loved swimming!

Aunt April and Priya

The sky on the way home. We were racing to beat that storm that came in right before Thanksgiving.