Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving was at my Grandma & Grandpa Walker's house. The food was delicious as always, and everyone had a good time catching up. Here are a few pictures to document. (Not everyone who was there is pictured. And not everyone was there. We missed those who couldn't make it.)

Brittany, Chris, Taylor

Aubrey, McKay, Austin

Dani & Parker

Me & Marci

Matt & Phil

Merrill & Shannan

Grandpa Walker

Meggan, Mom & Dad

So Thankful

Somehow, November just slipped by.

I feel like I totally missed most of it, except the last part.

But I was trying to be more aware of things that I am grateful for, so I'm just going to record some here.

BRIAN
Every day I feel more and more lucky that I got to marry this man. He is so good to me and he reminds me that he loves me every day.

MY FAMILY
Brian says that I always double my volume when I'm with my family, but I think that's just because we're always having so much fun and laughing and talking so much that you have to be louder to be heard. I love it!

BRIAN'S FAMILY
I love them for raising such a great son, and I love having so many more brothers. They keep things interesting.

FRIENDS
Old friends, new friends, our ward. I am so grateful for the old friends I can still hang out with and nothing has changed, and I'm grateful for the friends we've made in our ward that I already feel so close to. I hope those friendships last long after we all move out.

MY JOB
Though I have times where I'm ready to be done working, I really am grateful for the job I have. I love the days when I go in and get everything done and feel like I know exactly what I'm doing. I love solving problems and having my boss be happy with the work I've done. I also appreciate that this job has supported us through all 3 1/2 yrs of marriage and has allowed Brian to focus on school instead of stressing him out even more to try and work while doing Architecture.

OUR HOME
While there are many things I can complain about my where we live, (such as the tile floors, and the poor insulation, etc.) I think I need to focus on the good things. Like how I can plug the vacuum into the outlet in the bathroom and reach all rooms without unplugging. :) Seriously, I really am grateful for our home. It's tiny, but cozy. It's not easy to decorate, but I don't decorate anyway. :) And it's where we've formed lots of our first memories as a couple. It's weird to think that all events we're celebrating this year are our last ones in the Village.

MY SAVIOR
I am so grateful for my Savior and all He has done for me. I'm grateful for the Atonement and my knowledge of His love for me. I know that I am so blessed and I'm so glad that when hard things come my way, I can turn to him for comfort and strength to get through them. I am thankful that I have this gospel in my life and that because of it I can live with my husband forever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, because of "Blizzard 2010", we got an extra long break for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be able to spend so much time with Brian and just relax.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Brian's family. We had an awesome Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. And then Brian's brother Derek, who is studying to be a massage therapist, gave us all 10 minute chair massages. Bliss.

On Black Friday, we slept in. I just do not enjoy waking up that early, and then braving a crowd of crazy people doesn't sound fun. But we did want to see if we could get a few things.

We ended up finding Brian 2 pairs of jeans for under $30! We also got me one pair of jeans, a sweater and a sweater dress for $50. Both pretty good deals, but I was so happy to just find Brian some jeans that fit. (I'm one of those mean wives that steals his clothes from the laundry when they get holes, or tears. So he really needed them.)

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and even got to have some leftovers for lunch. That's the one thing I miss about living in the house where Thanksgiving is made. The leftovers.

We also spent Friday night putting up our Christmas decorations. We turned on the Christmas music and had a lot of fun. Now that we've been married a few years, and we've collected ornaments from different places and people, it's a lot of fun to look through them as we put them on.

Saturday Brian had to work, so I spent the day with my family. We did some Secret Santa shopping, and then had lunch. Then we watched "The Game".

My family are die hard BYU fans. I used to be too. But now, since I graduated from the U and my husband will (twice) and we live here, I'm a little more partial to the U. But since it was me against all of them, I held my tongue and didn't cheer and only smiled a little when the game was over.

Sunday we had a nice relaxing day spent wrapped up in blankets while it snowed all day. It was a great way to end a nice long weekend.

Pie Fest 2010

Tonight we had our first annual Pie Fest!

I actually stole this idea from a couple people I've heard it from.

After Thanksgiving dinner, you're so stuffed you don't have room for all the yummy pies. So why not have them before?

We decided to invite a few people over to just eat pie, for pie's sake!

In total we had 20 people crammed into our little living room/kitchen, but I think it turned out pretty good.

We had some REALLY GOOD pies, and lots of laughing and fun.

Sadly, no pictures were taken.

Lucky for us, we had 5 left over pies in our fridge by the end of the night. Not full pies, but parts.

I think this will be a tradition we keep going for year and years.

But like I told Brian, I can't wait until we have a house big enough to invite tons of people and not have to cram into our tiny apartment.

Thanksgiving 2009

This year for Thanksgiving we spent all day with my family. In past years we tried to make it to both families but it's just gotten too crazy and not very relaxing. So this year we went up with my family to my Grandma Walker's house and had dinner there.

This is my grandma's beautiful table, and me and Nat trying to be inconspicuous.

The food was fabulous as always, and we had a great time just eating and eating and eating. It was a little sad though, because as we've gotten older and everyone has their own things to do, less people come all at the same time and so I didn't get to see more than half of my cousins. Missed you Wendi & Marci! But more food for me. :)

After the big meal, we watched "UP!" and I fell asleep, even though I love that movie. Blame the turkey. Then we played a few games as a family, ate some pie, and then my little family had to head out.

We went over to my other grandma/aunt's house and had pie with them. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures with that side, but it was great to see everyone and just visit.

Then we ended up still just stopping by Brian's parent's house because it wasn't too late, and we had more pie there. I love pumpkin pie! :)

On Friday we went to see "The Blind Side" with my family. Such a good movie! I loved it. We will totally buy that one. Then we went to Brian's parent's and watched Madagascar 2. Pretty funny.

Saturday, Brian had to work, but I went to my parent's house and helped put up my mom's Christmas decorations. My mom hates to do it herself, but loves to have it done. I loved setting everything up like we did when we were all younger. It was great to have my sister and her husband there too. We had a really good time.

Overall, it was a great Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving & Family

Thanksgiving was great as always. This year we were with Brian's family for the majority of the day. We went to his parent's house before dinner and had pie. Then we all went to his aunt's house and had a huge, great dinner. And pie. Then we drove up to my grandparent's house to have leftovers and pie. :) I was so stuffed, but everything was so good. And then by Sunday I just wanted another Thanksgiving dinner and more pie.

On Friday my mom had gotten tickets for all the girls to go see "Twilight". She and Nat and I have all read the whole series. Dani has only gotten through the first one, so we couldn't discuss the upcoming movies, etc. But it was really good. I know people don't like it for one reason or another, or only thought it was OK, but I thought they did a good job. I mean, come on! It's a book about vampires doing nonhuman things. Computer graphics can only do so much. And after years of being a reader that goes to see the movies made about the books, I've come to realize that it's never as good, so I don't expect it to be. We had a lot of fun though and I would go see it again. I may make Brian even go with me this next time.

After the movie we went to lunch at Red Robin, one of my favorites. Then we went home to find out that the "boys", meaning Brian and Adam, were back from their mountain bike ride, but they had been snowed on. Also, Adam crashed. A couple times. Of course, he hadn't really gotten a lot of sleep in the last two days (because he works at a sleep clinic). They've decided that they aren't going to go on rides the day after he gets off work anymore. He needs at least two nights' sleep to catch up.

We just hung out that afternoon, and then the whole family went to dinner at Applebee's. (Are you seeing why I love to eat out?) Then we went shopping for Christmas stuff as well as clothing for family pictures.

Saturday morning we all got gussied up and went down to the Timpanogos temple and took pictures at a park across the street. It was a little chilly but we had a great time. We all couldn't stop laughing and being silly. If you want to see a few visit www.mybellaphoto.blogspot.com.

After pictures we went back to my parents house and helped my mom decorate her house and yard. The boys worked outside, and the girls worked on the inside. We got the tree up and decorated, the nativity up, the garland, the nick-knacks, and the lights up outside, as well as the "Happy Holidays" sign. (I'll have to get a picture of that one.) We had a lot of fun doing it too.

Then Sunday after church we had dinner together before Nat and Adam had to go back to St. George. We always have a great time when they come up. I was so happy to get to spend so much time together this weekend. I love being with my family!

I am thankful for...

I had already been working on this list, but due to recent events and holidays it seems more appropriate. So here's my list of 100 things I'm thankful for. (Don't feel obligated to read the whole thing.)

1. Brian. He has taught me how wonderful marriage can be, and how extremely happy I can be practically every moment of every day.
2. My job for being so flexible and paying well.
3. Being able to work full time and support our family so Brian can focus on school.
4. Being graduate/Having a degree.
5. Having the little extra money to go out to lunch occasionally.
6. Working close by my mom so we can go to lunch together.
7. Our apartment. Even though everyone complains that they're small and cinder block, I worked for Housing at USU so I'm totally used to it and I love ours!
8. My car so I can drive to work every day even though it guzzles gas.
9. That gas is down under $2 again!
10. That we live close enough to school that Brian can ride his bike.
11. That we live close to family (20 min).
12. That both our families live within a mile of each other, so we can usually visit both when we do holidays.
13. Extended family dinners - any reason to get all the cousins together is great.
14. How close I am with my cousins. I love that we would go out on group dates together & that we still get together now that we're married (though not as often as I would like).
15. My little sister Dani, because she reminds me of myself (in good and bad ways).
16. My little brother Brad, because he always gives me a hug and says he loves me when I see him, even though he'll be 17 in February and is too cool for that anymore.
17. My little sister Nat, because she allowed me to be her "twin" and relive high school when I needed to retreat and recover from life.
18. My little brother Phil, for always debating with me. We end up angry at each other half the time but we can be the best team as well.
19. My brother-in-law Adam for taking good care of my sister.
20. Brian's brothers because they allowed me to steal Brian.
21. Brian's mom because she raised a really wonderful son.
22. Brian's dad because he continues to be a good example for Brian.
23. My mom and dad for doing more for me than I can list. For teaching me to be responsible, to have faith, and for telling me when to leave. For loving me despite my mistakes.
24. My faith. It helps me through everything.
25. My Savior because He died and lives for me.
26. Our ward for welcoming us so quickly.
27. My calling - even though it terrifies me to teach, I do feel like I'm getting a little better at it.
28. Our neighborhood/court.
29. My country that allows me so many freedoms.
30. My love of writing so I can express myself.
31. Working with Housing at USU. I had a ton of great experiences and made some really good friends.
32. My sense of humor.
33. Ice cream - almost every kind. I'd eat it all the time if I could. (I'm craving Ben & Jerry's Half Baked at the moment.)
34. Molten Lava Cake - if you're ever at Chili's you have to get it.
35. OK, let's just say sweets in general.
36. My strong teeth - never had a cavity.
37. Health.
38. Thanksgiving. I love getting together with family and eating all that really good food.
39. Christmas. I love the reason we celebrate it and I love the time of year when people seem a little bit nicer.
40. All of my family traditions. I love all the things we do together for Christmas especially.
41. Warm clothes. It's one of the reasons I like winter, because I can wear warm cute clothes.
42. Manicures and Pedicures.
43. Restaurants - Winger's, Chili's, Zupa's, Red Robin. I love eating out and not having to cook.
44. Good Music. Music always seems to affect me deeper than anything else can.
45. Good books. After reading awful things at the U to get my degree I'm so grateful for the chance I have to read good clean literature.
46. Computers/My laptop.
47. The Internet.
48. My journals.
49. Pictures, because they help me remember all the good times.
50. Good Movies.
51. Good TV shows. I love Jon & Kate Plus 8. They have adorable kids and it helps me remember that if she can do it with 8 I can handle 5 someday.
52. My extended family. We have such great times together.
53. Airplanes. I love riding in them and I love travelling.
54. Hotels. I love to stay in hotels for a few nights.
55. The scriptures. I love when I'm reading and I think of a new understanding of a verse I've read before. The scriptures are great that way.
56. Conference. I love listening to the General Authorities and learning from what they have to say.
57. President Monson. I think he's a great man that loves the Lord.
58. Electricity.
59. Heat.
60. Clean water.
61. Razors. It's the nicest feeling to have smooth legs and soft sheets. And I don't mind it too much when Brian is clean-shaven as well. :)
62. Nail polish. My nails feel so much prettier when painted.
63. The library. It's a great thing to be able to go "rent" books instead of buying everything.
64. Cute shoes. I wasn't really into shoes before I got married, but I love finding cute shoes on sale now.
65. The gift I've been given to have the opportunity to have children. (No I'm not pregnant.) But I look forward to it every day.
66. The mountains. I miss them whenever I leave Utah.
67. Warm hot chocolate when it's cold outside. It's even better with ice cream in it.
68. The stars. Brian and I used to stop in Sardine Canyon on our way home from visiting Logan and just look at the stars for a few minutes. Very romantic.
69. "Movie Moments" Brian has always given me moments that seem like they could be in a movie, and as the former drama queen I am, I love every second!
70. My Ipod. I love being able to listen to my own music, or even books on CD.
71. The free furniture that we got for our apartment when we first moved in. It fit perfectly and filled up the entire front room.
72. Being able to hit the snooze button.
73. The days when I am able to complete everything at work quickly and correctly and my boss notices what a good job I've done.
74. That my parents were willing to get me braces, so now I have a great smile that I love.
75. Indoor plumbing. I hate camping for this reason especially.
76. Clean clothes. Another reason I hate camping.
77. The opportunity and beautiful places that we have available to go camping, even if I don't enjoy it like Brian's family does.
78. The times when I feel confident enough to sing out loud.
79. Pen & paper. Writing things on paper just feels so much better than on the computer.
80. The nights when Brian doesn't have to go back to school after dinner.
81. The scholarship Brian got that paid for his tuition this year.
82. The blessings that come from paying tithing. Even when money seems tight, we always seem to make it to the next paycheck.
83. How close I am to my brothers and sisters.
84. The similarities I have with my mom. She's a great woman and I'm thankful I'm turning out to be like her.
85. How creative Brian is. He makes things happen that I can only imagine.
86. That my mom taught me how to cross-stitch. It's a skill I'm grateful to have even though it makes me seem old-lady-ish.
87. Modern medicine.
88. Being able to play the piano.
89. My comfortable bed.
90. The jean quilt Brian made for me for Christmas the year we were engaged.
91. The Temple.
92. My best friend/twin Val, who helped me survive Middle School, High School, and College.
93. Heather, my first roommate in college, that I'm still friends with to this day.
94. Megs, the "good twin" roommate. We'll always have the Depot.
95. Anyone still reading this!
96. The house Brian will someday build for us.
97. The Relief Society.
98. Good hair days.
99. Cuddling. I love to cuddle with Brian as I fall asleep.
100. The times I know I've helped someone or made a difference in their lives.