Happy Thanksgiving!

Although I have been away from home on Thanksgiving for six years now, it still seems very strange not to spend the day with my extended family. Steve and I have had a great day together but I have been thinking a lot about my family and some of these happy Thanksgiving memories:

- Snowmobiling up to the cabin with the food being pulled up in a sled behind a snowmobile. My Dad lovingly but sternly making me eat all of my food even though I took waaay too much. Sledding and snowmobiling with my cousins and aunts and uncles after eating. The smell of the snowsuits almost melting as we stood next to the heater to dry off.

-Taking my first commercial air flight at 20 years old on a Thanksgiving trip with my family to Nauvoo to see historical church sights. My mom taking pictures of us on a plane because we were all so excited. Not realizing that the other passengers were probably smiling at our excitement about this. On Thanksgiving, hopefully believing that we would be able to find a restaurant where we could have our Thanksgiving meal. Quickly finding out that we are in a really small town and that nothing is open on Thanksgiving. Luckily finding a resident who knows of a place that is open a few towns over. Ordering turkey dinner at the restaurant and laughing at my brother for ordering a hamburger. Being jealous of my brother when we realize that the turkey is a slice of processed turkey and that the potatoes are fake. Being so thankful to be with my family when noticing that most of the other people in the restaurant were alone. Laughing with my family after dinner and all of us saying that this will be one of our favorite Thanksgiving meals. Realizing 15 years later that we were right.

-Paul and I having our first Thanksgiving dinner together a few months after we were married. As young newlyweds thinking that we needed to start our own family traditions and wondering why my parents still had Thanksgiving dinner with their parents. Making a complete Thanksgiving dinner by ourselves. Eating it and then wondering what to do the rest of the day. Feeling lonely and realizing why family makes Thanksgiving special. Quickly agreeing to have Thanksgiving with our extended families the next year.

-My aunt Shirley's famous rolls. The best rolls in the world. Eating Thanksgiving with our Davies family almost turned in to a treasure hunt for the rolls. She baked hundreds of rolls but had to hide them and dole them out or they would be gone in seconds.

Steve has been telling me some of his Thanksgiving memories too. My favorite is his Thanksgiving in Plymouth when he was 6 years old. Steve's parents and some neighbors decided it would be fun (and fitting) to have Thanksgiving dinner in Plymouth. Plymouth must have Thanksgiving dinner celebrations, right?!? So they decided to just drive down to Plymouth plantation and have dinner there. Unfortunately, they found no turkey dinner anywhere in Plymouth! Luckily one of the neighbors had packed peanut butter sandwiches in case the kids got hungry on the way. Thanksgiving that year was peanut butter sandwiches in the car by the side of the road!

I am so thankful for my family and the many wonderful Thanksgivings we have had together. In thinking about all of these memories, the common thread is the love that I have always felt from my extended family. I miss them today but am so thankful to know that the love is still there. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, creating new happy memories!