Our (Extended) Weekend of Thanks (part 1)

Danny and I just got back from a fabulous Thanksgiving break.  We met up with many members of my family down in sunny and warm St. George.  It was a fabulous weekend of eating (lots of eating), sleeping, playing games, riling up the nephews, fun outings, shopping, enjoying each other's company and more.  Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving day.

I told B. Anu to smile and this is how he responded.  Silly boy!

Everyone in the kitchen doing their part.

I was over the vegetables this year.  I got this idea for a
turkey vegetable tray off of pinterest.  I thought it turned
out pretty cute.  I also made the green bean casserole.

General J waiting patiently before we could eat.  

Funny story about General J.  When he saw the turkey vegetable platter, he told me he wanted to eat the turkey's head.  (Gruesome, but whatever, I thought he was joking.)  So during dinner, General J really took the bell pepper head and put it on his plate. A little later I looked over and he had eaten almost the whole thing!  JanaRae, his mom, told me that bell peppers were his favorite vegetable.  He had one healthy Thanksgiving dinner.  

My nephew Super R and Me.

Me and my honey.

The Feast

B. Anu and Super R are so cute.  

We ate pies a little later in the evening after watching the movie Elf
and taking naps.

In the evening, we played the Wii to work off some calories and then headed to Walmart which opened at 10pm for some Black Friday shopping.  I love my sleep too much to have ever gone Black Friday shopping in the past, so this was my first time.  Oh my goodness, it was crazy.  I'm not sure if I'll do it again.  I was pleased that we got pretty much everything we wanted - Blu Ray movies, Memory foam bath rugs, an office chair and more. (We had many family members in different areas of the store.)  However, it was a bit too chaotic for me and my personal bubble.

I don't really want to leave on a negative note for my Thanksgiving post.  Last night I had a gratitude prayer, where you only thank the Lord for things and don't ask for anything.  I felt so uplifted and encouraged by the time I said amen.  Here are a few things the crossed my mind during my gratitude prayer...

• The Gospel.  I wouldn't have been able to make it through this past year or any year in my life without my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  The atonement is real, prayer is real, the scriptures are real.  I have felt the power of these things.  I was pondering last night how grateful I am to have the gift of the Holy Ghost.  There are countless times I have felt the Spirit comfort me, calm me, inspire me, strengthen me and enlighten me. 
• My Family.  I'm grateful for my sweet, kind husband.  I'm so blessed to have supportive parents who encourage me and always laugh at my jokes.  I love my siblings and I'm so happy that each of them are my friends.  I'm grateful for the individuals my siblings chose to marry, they are all wonderful people and each match my siblings so well.  I'm grateful for my in-laws and the kindness they always show me.  I'm so grateful I'm an aunt to many nephews and nieces.  Being an aunt is my favorite role in life, seriously.  My nephews and nieces are so fun and I love seeing how each of them have their own little personalities. And let's not forget my extended family, who are fabulous.
• Good Friends.  I have always been blessed throughout my life to have good friends.  Through elementary school, Jr. high, high school, college, my mission, different wards, different cities and various places of employment I always seem to meet great people who, through their examples and kindness, have helped me along my way in life. I'm especially grateful to those friends who have stuck with me over the years.  We don't always live in the same city or state, but that doesn't seem to matter.
• I'm grateful for education.  I'm grateful I got my degree.  It took a lot of working part-time jobs, living in crappy apartments and little hours of sleep, but it was never a question if I got done, but when.  I'm grateful for the job I have now.  I'm grateful for the ability to read and for the good literature of the world.  The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
• And since this list is getting really long, just a few more things... I'm grateful for sunshine, seasons, health, technology, communication, mountains, food, shoes/clothes, all my appendages, senses, flowers, music, the guitar and the talent my husband has in playing the guitar, my bed, my car, different countries and cultures, email, temples, photography, glasses/contacts, crafts, kitchen appliances, prophets and apostles, tithing and fast offerings, plumbing, creativity, sleep/naps, holidays, medical advancements, blogs, insurance, my apartment, rainy afternoons, my mission to England, yoga, board games, national parks, the sacrifice of those in the military, beaches, snowshoes, art, wool coats, warm showers, hiking, agency, toenail polish, colors, achievements and progression, dance of the uplifting and energetic kind, trees, dessert, outings and adventures, soap, my church calling and our primary class, band-aids, museums, animals (from a distance)...