Thanksgiving Festivities!

Wow! What a great week! We have been so busy getting things ready for the Winter that it was hard to slow down and remember Thanksgiving. See all the wood outside our window? We have to cut all that up, plus about 8-10 times as much as you see to get prepared. Some people may understand the major process this all is to store up for the winter. I have really taken advantage of central heat in my lifetime. There is wood all over our front yard! Thankfully, it hasn't snowed to stay... yet.

It was very easy to be grateful this Thanksgiving though. We had some men from our branch come and help us Thanksgiving morning to cut, split, and stack wood. It was such a great service and we are so thankful for it! The church has blessed our lives yet again.

We spent Thanksgiving at the Harry's home. They are some friends from our branch and have three of the cutest and funnest kids around. We enjoyed a great dinner prepared by Jenn and myself, and then some games with the five adults (Ben had a mission companion there) that were there while the kids ran around... all hyped up on pie. The turkey didn't even phase them!Dan and I contributed to the consumer's weekend by taking a trip down to Binghamton yesterday. We are sad that Christmas comes a couple of weeks too late because when a person needs snow gear, it can't wait till Christmas. So Dan bought me a boarding coat and I bought him some Carhartt gear so he can have something new to get greasy. Luckily, that is what that brand is made for. After ou r wonderful shopping experience, we went out to eat at a Chinese Buffet. We were tired and very hungry. It was good food, but just to add to all the experiences we have had this week, my fortune cookie said, "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you may diet, " and we had a good laugh. What made us laugh quite a lot more is that Dan saved his for the car ride home and he opened his to find that he didn't even get a fortune. Good times!

Merlin!

Dan and I went out last weekend and realized that it was as expensive to go to a movie as it was to buy a long lasting fish! So my wonderful hubby bought me a fish! It is nice to have some other living thing in the house even though we have to leave the space heater on when we leave the house because it will freeze. Yep, it's that cold around here. I haven't quite gotten down the getting and keeping a fire going yet. Dan is good to start it up before he leaves for work, but I can never keep it going.


Last night we put in our front door and we also found the cutest toad! I guess that you can find little adventures in everyday life huh?

The Holidays Have Arrived!!!

Our week was exhausting and wonderful! We work ourselves to the bone! The Halloween carnival at the church that my Young Women were in charge of turned out great. All my girls liked having Tyler around (we don't have any young men in our branch). I loved having the Thomas' here because they were very dedicated to keeping the fire going in our furnace. Lon was the best about this... if you notice the photos, he took 10 min trying to shove the log in the fire... but he did it!
Besides working too much, Bev and I spent all day last Friday making Thanksgiving dinner. I learned how to make homemade stuffing, pies, and whipped cream. We had a full blown dinner in our little kitchen. I swear we dirtied and washed each dish at least twice. The meal was wonderful even though we ate it a 9pm because the boys came home 2 hours late from work. The Thomas' left on Saturday... a little too early and a little too late! :) We are excited to fly back to Utah on Dec. 17th. So those that want to see us, start setting your dates!!!

We had yet another surprise on Sunday when Dan was called as the Branch Clerk. So now with both our callings, we are fulling serving! It is really nice and overwhelming at the same time. I have Young Women's in Excellence this coming Sunday! Yikes! I am also FINALLY starting my Ballroom classes tonight. I am really excited and not nervous at all!
(After all my slaving, I am not in the photo with all my yummy work! Bummer)