First mistake. Not taking any pictures on Thanksgiving. Amanda says that means we were having fun, and she's right. We were so fully engaged in living the moments that we failed to stop and document. However, without pictures, my blog posts don't get nearly as many page views. Should this matter? Nope. Does it? Kinda. So here's a picture of my delicious leftovers, which I ate last Friday night, after a full day of Black Friday shopping.
Second mistake. Two turkeys that struggled to cook. We had movie tickets for Wicked: For Good at 5:30, so the plan was to eat at 2:30, to give us plenty of time. But at 2:30, neither turkey was done, not the one Matt had on his smoker nor the one I had in my oven. Thirteen hungry people and no turkey! By 3:30, they still weren't completely done, so we opted to have a vegetarian meal, with turkey for dessert. And that's exactly what we did. We feasted on mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, Brussels sprouts, glazed carrots, deviled eggs, and rolls. About the time we were finished eating all this, Matt brought over a delicious smoked turkey, fully cooked!
At 5:00, we caravanned to Cinemark Riverton, where we took up the entire back row of the theater (and that's not counting Gerald, who stayed home, or Matt and Swen, who opted to see a different movie). Wicked was okay, though I liked the first one better, but it was sure fun to have so many of us there together. We completed the day by returning home for pie, so so much pie: pumpkin, pecan, apple, and Oreo!
As we welcome the Christmas season, I feel moved to acknowledge the abounding blessings in life, despite the tragic turns our country has taken under the current administration. It is hard not to feel discouraged and helpless, and I have often felt both. Still, I honor the goodness I see in so many, trying to make sense of these unspeakable circumstances, as they continue to fight for justice. Thank you to them.
In my own life, I am grateful for the love of family and friends; for the opportunity to travel to foreign lands; for my job, which provides the resources to get me to those foreign lands; for my strong, healthy body; and for technology, which allows me access to those I love who don't live here in the valley. Hooray for text messaging, email, and social media!
Finally, I'm grateful for the relentless, radical, unwavering love of God, whose grace promises hope, even in the most troubled times.
