Giving Thanks

I better post about my Thanksgiving or it will be February before I get around to it, and by then the magic of it all will have passed. Thanksgiving is an interesting time for me. It's been several years since I've had the traditional Thanksgiving that I was accustomed to as a child. That Thanksgiving consisted of a HUGE family gathering in Sacramento with my mother's side of the family. Food, children (read babies), and spontaneous singing were always in abundance. One either sat the the adult table, the teen table, the kid table, or in the baby circle. I had moved up through the ranks and made it to teen table before my unique Thanksgiving adventures began.

2002 was the first time I didn't have a way to get home for Thanksgiving. I was a sophomore at BYU and just didn't have the money to get back to California for those three days. Luckily my Uncle Darren was studying in Provo as well so I wasn't alone. I remember having a great Thanksgiving meal with him and my Aunt Rachelle and their three boys who had come out to visit. Thankss Andersons, for making that Thanksgiving special!

My next Thanksgiving I found myself in Rome, Italy. I was doing a study abroad in London a the time and took a trip over the holiday break to see the Colosseum. It was a fabulous trip. I learned so much and saw things that I had dreamed of my whole life. As for food, that Thanksgiving was filled with gelatto and pasta. We didn't actually celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast of any sort, but I can tell you that gratitude for my blessings was certainly in my heart.
My next Thanksgiving (in 2004) found me in Burgos, Spain. I was in my first area as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a great Thanksgiving that was. We took that day as our preparation day and had a great feast with all the young men, young women, and young single adults of that city. With us six missionaries, there were about 12 of us there. We ate potluck style and I got to try all sorts of new foods. We had no turkey, but still got a little American flair in the meal with Elder Lewis's homemade chili.

By Thanksgiving of 2005 I was still in Spain, but this time in Vigo, a city on the country's west coast. It was a great day. A member if the church invited us all over and made us a feast fit for a King. She even found turkey which was a miracle. We watched a Disney movie (A Shark's Tale if I remember correctly). It was in Spanish and I understood most of it.

By 2006 I was back in the states and ready for a Thanksgiving full of California goodness. I remember driving with Cecily and Allie back to Sacramento for the great event. It was great as it was the first time I had seen many of my family on that side since I went to Spain in 2004. I also got to catch up with some good friends. The ride back was a little too eventful however. It was snowy over the Donner pass and we spun out at the summit. Needless to say, I cried all the way to Reno and decided I would never drive home for the holidays in the snow again.

2007 was one of my favorite Thanksgivings. To celebrate my Grandparent's Harris's 50th wedding anniversary, our family rented out a beach house in the Oregon coast and we all spent a week out there. The weather was beautiful, the company pleasant, and the food delectable and plentiful (I think I seriously gained 5 pounds that week). It was so nice to just get away from everything for awhile One on my favorite memories from that Christmas was our Thanksgiving wall. Each member of the family got three post-it notes and wrote something that they were grateful for and then posted it on the wall. It was so touching to see what everyone was grateful for and a tradition I want to carry on my my own family some day.

Now we come to this year. After much deliberation and prayer, I decided to forgo the trip to California and stay here with my Dad. No one should have to be alone on Thanksgiving and since he had to stay behind and work, I though I'd use the time to work on my law school applications and get some much needed rest. I felt so loved through. As soon as many of my friends found out that I wasn't going to California with most of my family, I got numerous calls asking me if I wanted to spend Thanksgiving with them. It makes me feel good to know that I have good friends who want to make sure that I never have to spend a Thanksgiving alone.


So my Dad and I went to my Aunt Melanie's for the big feast and it was awesome. There were only 9 of us there, but we had a great time. I was told that I was in charge of the pumpkin pie, so my friend Sarah and I spent an evening making some pumpkin goodies. She is amazing at rolling out the dough.

My two crusts are the empty ones. And you better believe that we only use Libby's. It's the best!

We had some extra dough, so we made some pie crust cookies. Just roll out the dough, cut into fun fall shapes, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Sarah really like cinnamon!

Bake until golden brown. Then heat up some apple cider and you have a delicious treat to eat while your pie is baking! Sarah got some Martinelli's cider spice bags (they look like tea bags) and it made the best apple cider I have ever had. When you dipped in the pie crust cookies it tasted like apple pie!


YUM!

And then our pies were done, including the pumpkin tarts that we made with our left over batter. Why wait for Thanksgiving to eat this?

It was great and we had a lot of fun. Oh, we also made pumpkin pancakes for dinner and they were amazing as well (after the second try;).

It was a great Thanksgiving. I have truly been blessed in so many ways. I am grateful for my family, for my wonderful parents who always believed in me and pushed me to achieve my dreams. I am thankful for my dear sisters, Cecily and Allie who bring so much sunshine to my life. I am grateful for my brothers, Kyle, Adam, and Nathan, who are truly righteous examples and make me so proud. I am grateful for all my dear friends who teach me so much and fill my life with smiles. I am grateful for my education, my ability to work, and my good health. I am grateful that I was able to go on a mission and teach about the One who made all things possible. I am mostly grateful to my savior Jesus Christ and to my Heavenly Father, who has allowed all these wonderful things to come in my life and have provided a way that I can return to them.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the gratitude of the season stays in your hearts.

Now...Bring on CHRISTMAS!!