We Gather Together....

That wonderful time of year is here when we stop our daily tasks and prepare to express our thanks to our Father in Heaven, our family and our friends. Thanksgiving is a time when we pretty much put aside those daily tasks that take our time and attention away from the fact that we have so much to be thankful for.
Because Body Motion Dance Studio has moved to Kamas, we had Billie Jo and Tim's whole lower level for our celebration. How nice to be able to have a place big enough for all of us without having to move furniture. The table was beautifully set by Tim and Billie Jo and Olivia had made favor/name tags from leaves, containing thankful sentiments each person had expressed .
The turkeys were dressed handsomely for dinner...Tom, on the left was deep-fried for dinner; Tom, on the right, was smoked; and Tom (not shown) was roasted. We were so thankful to have each and appreciated their "tasteful" attendance!


Little Noah requested a drum stick and not too much of anything else. He actually did a pretty good job of eating his dinner!
Evan enjoyed his dinner and gladly showed his enthusiasm during picture time.

I am so thankful for my family. I have beautiful daughters who married smart, ambitious, kind husbands. I have great sons and one beautiful, smart, kind daughter-in-law. I have the cutest, smartest, most capable grandchildren, who love me and love their cousins. This is pure happiness! I am lucky enough to have all my children live within seven miles of me, so I am able to have the grandchildren close and able to see them often. For this, I am thankful.
Grandpa loves the grandchildren too. Every time he can, he gets them in his arms and hugs and kisses them and plays like a wild man and gets the kids all wild and crazy too. He's a free spirit and thinks the kids should have that same freedom!
Of course, there was Black Friday shopping beginning Thanksgiving night. The girls invited me to join them, but I stayed home and had a really good time doing on-line shopping. Somehow, staying home sitting in front of a roaring fire, enjoying the peace and quiet seemed lots more appealing than standing in lines and fighting over 600-thread count bed sheets.

The Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally the day we get together to make our "slab candy." This year, Allen and Patrice hosted the event and we all had such a great time!

While it is fun learning how to "beat" the candy, the most fun is doing all the tasting.

There is always a discussion about the readiness of the candy to "break," and how much longer it needs to be worked.
My kids all worked and laughed together. The kitchen set up was perfect to have room for three slabs at the same time. We ended up with enough chocolate, white, and Boston creme to divide between all of us.
Even the goodness of the candy does not compare with the goodness of the life we enjoy here. I am truly thankful for the life and the lifestyle we have. I am thankful for our family and the goodness and happiness they bring to us. I am thankful to have been brought up in a home that was full of love and where my parents taught and lived the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for sisters and a brother and our friendships. I am thankful that no matter what ward I am in, there are so many good people. I am thankful for the upcoming Christmas season, and I am especially thankful for the reason for the season. I love my Savior and Redeemer. I am truly thankful we could gather together to thank our Father for all of our blessings!