Happy Thanksgiving!

We had such a great Thanksgiving Day this year! Brian & I decided to invite all of my Mom's family and some friends to our house for a big Thanksgiving lunch. We had a full house- 30 people total. (including 2 babies) The night before, Brian & I were trying to figure out how we could all fit everyone in the dining room. After moving tables around for 30 minutes we found the perfect way. My friend Nicole, came over and helped me decorate the tables and get them all ready - sadly I forgot to take a picture of it, but it was great and we were all able to fit. I think I was so focused on the food that I didn't even think about taking more pictures of everything. So, instead- I will describe what we ate. :)
My Mom told me later that she felt like we had just had a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner. The food was AMAZING!
We had the turkey of course which was perfect- which also means that Brian & I can now cook a turkey! However, no one told us what time to put the turkey in & we wanted to make sure it was done on time, so at 6:00 a.m. Brian and I were both stumbling around half awake with a turkey, onions, & celery in the kitchen- somehow the turkey got in the bag & actually turned out moist & delicious by 10:30 and no one was coming until 1:00. Brian had the great idea to put it in the crockpot & it was warm & tasted so yummy! Next year I think we could probably sleep in until 8:00.
My grandma brought sweet potatoes that were so good! They had pineapples, cinnamon, cranberries and potatoes all mixed in- delicious! My aunt brought humus as an appetizer-yum, my other aunt brought a delicious pumpkin dessert that I had to try again to make sure it really tasted that good, my Mom brought her amazing Thanksgiving fruit salad & homemade rolls- Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same with out these 2 traditonal foods. Nicole brought a yummy southern squash dish that is a traditional food in her family- we all loved it, my sister-in-law brought candied yams & they were everyones favorite, my sister Kaylie made an apple pie that was delicious & my sister Brittany brought a banana cream pie. My aunts friend & her girls brought pies, along with my aunt and uncle & cousin bringing more pies. We had an American Thanksgiving Feast! All of the food was delicious & makes my mouth water just thinking about it. :)
Everyone stayed until it was dark & then with my parents & siblings we all played games & visited- it was the perfect Thanksgiving.
As we all sat around the room, I couldn't help feeling so grateful for all that we have- a wonderful family, a helpful supportive husband, beautiful children, a beautiful warm home, vehicals to get us all here & there, health, grandparents, happiness, laughter & joy, how much each person contributes to the overall group, & most importantly the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am truly so blessed & am so grateful for a day like Thanksgiving to really focus on the things in life that matter most.
 
 
 
 

My 1st Half Marathon Pictures

 
 
 
 
(My experience is on the post below)

My first 1/2 Marthon! - What I want to remember

I never realized how much training is involved when you want to run a 1/2 marathon! I ran cross country in highschool, but never went more then 4 miles, so to think of running 13 miles total was one of my crazy thoughts, but yet something that was on my "Bucket List". So, after thinking some about it, here is what I want to remember about my first half marathon-
I want to remember:
-running to the end of my street back in April and barely being able to breathe. (we're talking less then 1/2 mile people!)
-running by myself & wishing I could find a friend to run with
-seeing my friend Liz running one night & inviting myself to run with her
-having many wonderful talks with Liz & forming a great friendship.
-running my first 5K (and feeling like I was going to die)
-setting a goal to run 1/2 marathon
-inviting myself to run with my friends Vanessa & Julie in the ST. George half. (yes, I'm great at "inviting" myself to do things) :)
-meeting Julie & Vanessa at the bottom of the center street hill at 4:30 in the morning so we could run up and down the hill- not once, but twice- I thought they were crazy until I did it with them, and I realized how nice and peaceful it is at 4:30 in the morning-yes, I'm being totally serious!
-asking Nicole if she would be my running buddy- and not realizing at the time what a blessing & influence she would have on my life
-running my first 10k with Nicole with her cheering me on the whole way.
-inviting "My Rena" (as Hallie calls her) to run with us & train for the 1/2 marathon
-getting up 4 days a week at 5:30 to go running & be back in time for the kids to get ready for school
-meeting Rena & Nicole at the corner of "the scary house" that I can't walk by because of all the Halloween arms & legs & bodies hanging around the yard in the month of October. (I swear someone was going to jump out and attack me one morning...at least I think I heard something)
-having 5 of us from my ward run together one morning & feeling so connected with them.
-running, running, running- and even running in my sleep.
-not having ANY bathroom problems along the way. :)
-laughing, talking, discussing, & learning along the way
-the HUGE sacrifice that Brian made by having me run each morning. There were many mornings he stayed home a little while longer so he could help with the kids.
-Brian being my biggest fan & encouraging me to do something for me.
-all of my wonderful converstations with each of my friends
-getting hurt (both Nicole & I) 4 weeks before our big race. I hurt my leg- she hurt her foot
-the pain in my back, leg, & behind my knee for 1 1/2 weeks after running 11 miles
-joking that somehow we would make it to the race-even if we had to push one or the other in a stroller. :) (The image makes me laugh) ha ha
-praying & praying that babysitters would work out for the kids and that we would be healthy enough to run
-the miles my shoes have taken me
-running all over my city
-the excitement of going to St. George
-being in St.George with Brian, Paul, & Nicole
-the experience of the 1/2 marathon
-having a blessing before the race, and feeling so peaceful throughout it. I felt so much peace, that I didn't even stress & I knew that Heavenly Father was mindful of how much this meant to me, and how much I had prepared & trained for it.
-running the race with Nicole & Rena & having a BLAST!
-Rena getting sick (coming down with the flu while running) and Nicole and I having to make the difficult decision if we should leave her, or stay with her. We stayed with her until mile 9, and then met her at the end.
-Seeing Alan (Rena's husband) at mile 11 on his bike. Now I know this sounds cheesy, but instead of Prince Charming being on a horse and coming to save the princess, Alan was on a bike & was coming to save his Queen. He stayed by her side until she got on the track to finish the race. I got tears in my eyes as I saw his love for Rena in a time when she needed him most. It showed me the love, respect, support, & devotion they have for each other- and that all couples should have for their spouse.Their actions for one another are a beautiful example of true love.
-Seeing Brian at the end & seeing how proud he was of me & how happy he was for me.
-Feeling like I had accomplished something great, especially when my baby isn't even a year yet.
-The overall experiece of running in a beautiful place (Snow Canyon) with a great friend & as well as the support of loved ones, and learning that when you set your mind to something-ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!

Hangin out in St. George

Brian & I drove down to St. George with Paul & Nicole on Thursday night & stayed at the Ramada. It was perfect! It was so nice talking on the way & having great conversations with each other. Paul & Nicole were a blast to be with! We drove straight to the temple & went and did sealings in the St. George Temple. It was such a neat experience & the temple inside is just as beautiful as the outside. Then when we got back to our hotel, we went and swimming for a little bit & then the guys decided they wanted pizza, so we ate a delicious Dominoes pizza at 12:00 at night while playing Rook. (We definatly felt like we were in college again) :)
Friday we relaxed until noon & then went golfing. Well actually, Brian & Paul went golfing while Lucy & Ethel drove the golf cart around- while not understanding the rules of the golf cart- and knitting scarfs at the same time. We were in our own little world. :) We then went shopping a little bit & then went to Texas Roadhouse so Nicole & I could fill up on our carbohydrates. I think it really helped from the baskets of rolls we each ate. I'm sure that gave us the extra push we needed on race day. After dinner we took a picture in front of a large group of people waiting for their turn to eat delicious rolls- Brian told them that we also take pictures in front of McDonalds after we've eaten there too. ha ha ha :) We then went swimming again, played a game again, and then went to bed. It was so nice spending time with friends & each other- the perfect weekend.
    

Cute kids on Halloween

 

Halloween Night

Our Halloween night was different this year. We got the kids all ready & all of a sudden there was a huge rain storm, along with lightning. Right then our friends Paul & Nicole came to go trick or treating with us. We stayed inside for a little bit, and then went outside with our umbrellas. We made it to 6 homes & then we decided it was too cold, so we went home. The kids didn't complain, & didn't even care about not going to any other houses. We then went to Grandpa & Grandma's house & ate sloppy joes, mummy hot dogs, & glazed donuts. We visited for a while and then came home. It was a nice quiet night, even without all the candy. :)


   

Morgan's Halloween Parade

Morgan was so excited that I was coming to her school to watch her in the school's Halloween Parade. She looked adorable- definatly the cutest dalmation I have ever seen. :)