Thanksgiving

Melody and I spent Thanksgiving at home this year. We had a food storage dinner! It was actually super easy and quite tasty! All I did was make a small turkey breast - super convenient freezer to oven type, and make homemade rolls. Melody did all the rest of it! Mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, jello w/bananas, and homemade pumpkin cheesecake!! Thank you, Melody! Other than the cheesecake, it took about 30 minutes to do all the rest of it! Gotta love it!

My friend Erika came over and ate with us. She said, and I quote "this is the most beautiful Thanksgiving dinner I've ever been too!" It wasn't all that... but it was quite tasty and very fun!

I tried to make everyone say what they were thankful for while we were eating, but no one seemed very excited about it. So..... here goes, in no particular order:

Safe arrival of a new nephew

Wonderful family reunion with all of my family

Losing 70 lbs. and becoming more healthy

Getting back in touch with old friends

Better understanding the grey area of life

My best friend, my mom

Gaining a great appreciation for others

On it's way to the Land of the Long White Cloud

Ahead of schedule - these things are on their way to my favorite Kiwis in New Zealand for Christmas.  I hope they enjoy!

For those not on facebook

Here are a couple of pictures from our family reunion that happened in October in Utah:

all of us

Grandma, Grandpa & Grandsons

Brothers, Sisters, and Spouses

A week late, but they're still good

One of the best memories I have from my years at BYU was my freshman (or sophomore year - it's a little bit of a blur) year when a box from home arrived for Halloween.  In the box were the best cookies I ever had - I call them pumpkin face cookies.  The cookies aren't made with pumpkin, but you decorate them like pumpkin faces.  The original recipe calls for string licorice to make the mouths, but I prefer to melt chocolate chips and make my own mouths.  I pretty much make these every year now at Halloween and it's hard to not just eat them constantly - they are that good!  To keep Amy & I from eating them all, I mailed some to two of my former students who are in college. 

The happy face (represents Amy)

The mad face (represents Me)