Lovely Thanksgiving

Sorry in advance for the lengthy post ; )

We had such an amazing Thanksgiving! It was so wonderful to be with all of my family! We did so much while we were there. We got into San Ramon (by San Francisco) about 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning...what a drive that is! After sleeping in at the lovely Marriott, we went to Laura's house where she was prepping the turkey. We were getting ready to leave to go to downtown Walnut Creek for some delicious pizza and some old time shopping...when all of a sudden - "Oh sh*#!" Followed by a waterfall sound. This year the turkey was being brined. Pretty much looked like it was marinating in this jumbo Ziploc bag. We were (well - Chet was) putting the Ziploc bag back into the fridge when the bag puckered, opened, and dumped raw turkey juice ALL over! We spent a good hour or so cleaning and disinfecting. So funny!!! Once that mess was done, we went to town for some delicious Primo's Pizza. When we got back to Laura's we prepared most of the side dishes to minimize the stress for T-day.

Thursday was flawless. EVERYTHING was delicious! Creamed corn, brined turkey, candied sweet potatoes, Rhodes rolls, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes...it was quite the feast. We went to a movie afterwords and saw "Enchanted." So cute!

Friday morning we took pictures at this beautiful park in Livermore. The kids did so well! We got some really great pictures. I can't wait to see them from the photographer. After lunch at In-n-out, we went back to Laura's for nap time and to take John to the airport. That afternoon we took the BART train to San Francisco. We saw the Christmas tree lighting at Union Square. Talk about claustrophobia! Soooo many crowds of people.

Saturday was my favorite. I really wished that John could have been there. We went to this place called Muir Woods...it's a national park area with redwoods. Phenomenal! Even the kids felt how magnificent and awesome that place was. We hiked around for a good two hours or so - not one complaint from the nieces and nephews. Just about when we got to the end, Carson looked at Chet and said, "Daddy...I really love these trees!"

Sunday I played the piano for Laura's quartet at church. They blended so beautifully. They sang "Count Your Blessings." Really makes me think...I have truly been blessed. I am so thankful for such a wonderful husband and family. I am thankful for my health, for the gospel, and for all my many blessings. I think of the second verse of that song (yes, I am going cheesy). Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings every doubt will fly...And you will be singing as the days go by. Sometimes I do feel overwhelmed (don't we all?). However, I have been blessed with so much I can't help but be grateful.

So I took about 400 pictures and didn't want to bore everyone with them. If you want to see the rest, I will post them on: rowles.shutterfly.com