thanksgiving

i have been overwhelmed with gratitude this season. i started Thanksgiving a week early with the Young Women. it was a crazy transformation that my evening had. last month, as i knew i was losing a counselor, and didn't know when i was getting another i saw this open spot on the calendar and thought to myself, "self, let's take it easy on this one. i see a quiet night of food and fun." of course that sounded great. but as the day drew closer, some other thoughts crept into my head, "let's focus on gratitude....don't forget the Savior....let's make this really special." so, we prepared a feast. we did our best to make our space beautiful. we set each place with a mason jar. and we made the evening special. after digging in to the Thanksgiving deliciousness, we took some time to focus of the value experience Faith 5. the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the first and foremost blessing in my life. and all our lives actually. focusing our gratitude on Him first really set the tone of recognizing all the many blessings we enjoy as Americans, as members of our family, as members of our Church, and as friends. while we enjoyed our pie, each woman (young and...er...old?, sorry leaders) took the time to write a note of gratitude to each other and place it each persons mason jar. i love my mason jar, and i hope each person who shared that night with us has similar feelings. i feel so grateful to have such a wonderful calling that offers me the opportunity to serve the Lord through His beautiful daughters. it makes me a better mother and a better person.

what a great start to a packed holiday. on Monday we hosted a neighborhood Family Home Evening feast. have i ever mentioned HOW MUCH I LOVE MY NEIGHBORS? seriously, we couldn't live in a better place at a better time. and what better way to share the love - with FOOD. my 3rd turkey of the season (there were 4 total) was accompanied by lovely pot luck goodies and great company.

then it was off to California! and turkey number four! (it really is the best turkey ever, so it's worth having multiple times a week.) we had an awesome time with family, feasting, photographing (more to come), and generally frolicking. now, i love my family. and i miss them everyday. i always look forward to the trips, hanging out, rock band, movies, general hilarity. but this weekend, after the turkey, Jason and i took off on a little getaway! it ... was... awesome. i didn't know how badly i needed a good night sleep and a couple days to myself! i am THANKFUL indeed!