First Family Thanksgiving

On our first Thanksgiving as a family, Nathan was scheduled to work from 2:30 to 11:00 PM. Although he didn't expect me to cook a huge Thanksgiving feast, I decided I wanted to. We closed on our house (FINALLY) on Wednesday, so I thought a nice dinner would be a proper celebration. Also, I derive some strange sense of satisfaction from feeding people. I love to cook. Lots of food. Unnecessary amounts of food, actually, which might be considered wasteful.

I woke up at 7 AM to start making the perfect meal. Eliza had fallen asleep at four that morning, so I knew I had a few hours to get it all together. The menu list included:

1) Turkey
2) Green Bean Casserole
3) Rice
4) Potato Salad
5) Deviled Eggs (Gross, but I had extra eggs)
6) Croissants
7) Gravy
8) Pumpkin Pie
9) Chocolate Pie
10) Cherry Cream Cheese Pie
p.s. the pies are Paula Deen recipes so get ready to gain some weight, but eat some good food :)

Five hours and a trip to the grocery store later, I was done!I'm so proud of this turkey! It weighed more than Eliza. That's a large bird...and kind of weird to think about.
Nathan and Brandon woke up around noon and were pleasantly surprised that I had been busy cooking.
The meal was great, even though it only lasted for about 10 minutes. We ate a little too fast and got a little too full. We now have leftovers for a week!

And...the chocolate pie was my favorite. Of course.After dinner, Nathan went to work, and I had the privilege of going to Becca's house and introducing Eliza to the rest of the Anderson Family. We had a wonderful time and overall, it was an amazing day.

I really am grateful for so many things this year. I'm grateful for forgiveness, for the Atonement, for the support from my friends and family. I am appreciative of all of my many blessings, and I am eternally thankful for Nathan and Eliza. Having a family is the greatest gift.