Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Russell and I enjoyed a quiet morning together. You probably recognize "The Boss" cup. I love the little honey bears; they remind me of Papa. I have recently come to enjoy a hot cup of coffee on occasion. *1/4 teaspoon NesCafe instant coffee, 1/4 teaspoon fructose, and maybe 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Hmm. Delicious!*

After breakfast we carried on a tradition I started just a few years before I left home. Using the alphabet, we made a list of the things we are thankful for. A few of the things I am truly grateful for are Airplanes, Email, and Skype so I can keep in touch with my family. As we enter this holiday season I miss them more and more. Sometimes it seems like so long ago since I was with them that it's almost like it was another girl another lifetime ago.

As I was cooking I noticed this little intruding, wanna-be Thanksgiving guest. He has been living in Russell's office for about a week now. I've made several attempts to return him to the great outdoors and, surprisingly, I actually succeeded today. I turned around several minutes later and found him making his way back into my house! I guess he smelled the food and wanted in on it. =D

Russell's parents are in Ohio with Bro. Buddy's family. They had planned on taking Russell's brothers and Rob with them, but the boys all recently obtained jobs and couldn't go along. Big Daddy, Russell's grandpa, was going to take Russell's Aunt Tricia + her kids, his brothers, and us out to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving dinner to make things easy, since all the extended family had other plans this year. Eating out at a restaurant on Thanksgiving day isn't my idea of cozy, so I volunteered to do a majority of the cooking so Grandma wouldn't have to. I was very excited when the plans worked out that way. I love cooking! (Just not cleaning up behind myself. =) So, we had a small get-together on the property with some of Russell's family and a family from church.

Okay, it's a blurry picture, but my hubby still looks cute! This is our first Thanksgiving being married. I wanted it to be special, and it was. I think every couple wants to start new traditions of their own when first embarking on a life's journey together...and we did.

With all the food I made and the additional dishes Aunt Tricia, Grandma, and Mrs. Cherene brought, we had more than enough food. Clay's turkey was excellent--moist and tasty!

The food was yummy and the fellowship was...uh, enlightening, considering I sat with Russell at the table with all the single guys, if that says anything. In many ways I live in a man's world. It's interesting being the only girl in the family, especially with my mother-in-law gone. I get to play "mommy" with Aaron and make sure he eats his veggies. =D

Creamed onion casserole must be a Yankee thing or something. Nobody knew what it was but they liked it well enough. I tried a new recipe and will definitely make it again.

I love butternut squash! We can't get it in Holland, so I had fun experimenting with it this Thanksgiving. Silky Squash--It turned out really good.

I got to spend several hours of the afternoon talking with my family!

God is good!