11/26/23

Oh, you made our Thanksgiving being able to call that night! My ONLY regret was not getting a picture of everyone while we were together, but it has been such a full and happy week! We started off going to the last night of Anne's Madrigal Dinner. I took the 2 girls to enjoy the 4 course meal and beautiful concert---their singing is SO LOVELY, and such a gift after so many years of school choir concerts. It's such a fun setup with everyone being a part of the king's court dining together with music that (mostly) fits the mood of that era with lots of a capella, and the live brass quintet. And Anne really bonded with the choir after so many hours together the past week. Just did RS meeting in the car as we made birthday visits, got together with Amber and Ryan, and school was only 1/2 day Tuesday, so we've enjoyed SUCH a nice break! I put together a menu/schedule for Turkey day to help my time management, and it was GREAT having so many helpers around! Anne drove down (w/ me sleeping in the passenger seat) to pick up Emily Wed afternoon, and we got started on pie crusts and turkey. (Stacey inspired me to try brining our turkey, so I got a salt water soak set up for them!) Maddie and Brian got here that night in time for a late supper, and it was so warm and cozy (and hilarious) having everyone together. I got sucked into Family History before anyone woke up Thursday, and printed off the Mayflower passenger list with all of our ancestors highlighted. I have always loved the story of the teenage boy (John Howland) that FELL OFF the deck during a storm, but survived by catching hold of a rope that dangled into the water. (They've even made a children's book about it I just ordered since he later married Elizabeth Tilley, another passenger whose whole family died, and they had 10 children, all of which lived to adulthood! and now have millions of descendants!) There were SO MANY that died on the ship, or that first winter, that it blows my mind any survived at all AND that they have such a posterity! We had Barbi and her boys over, as well as Tiffany and her son Calvin, and they were all good sports with our thanksgiving songs and stories before dinner. Maddie's family headed home after pie that night, and we've spent the last couple of days putting up Christmas decorations. I took the older girls to Logan last night to play tennis and thrift shop before pizza and a Hallmark movie. Brent was going to join us, but stayed back to watch we THOUGHT would be a BYU win after being up for 3 quarters 21-6, only to LOSE IN DOUBLE OVERTIME to OSU, AGGHHHHHH. No bowl game this year, so you're not missing much of a season. Anne's getting her patriarchal blessing this morning, and then Emily will head home tonight. It's been a full week, and even though I'm often easily overwhelmed, it's been so good to be so reminded of blessings. I loved this quote from Elder Sabin this morning: "You will never be happier than when you are grateful" And I read they've done studies showing gratitude for/towards PEOPLE actually means that much more---and I'm SOO GRATEFUL for you! Love you and your pure goodness so much! Love, Mom