Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was pretty different this year without my parents. However, despite their being in Texas, we still had 3 stops to make for the day. Our first stop was with J.R.'s mom's family. J.R.'s uncles and cousins from Nor Cal were down for the weekend and we all went to a really nice dinner down in Huntington Beach.

After our first stop we drove to J.R.'s aunt and uncle's to spend some time with his dad's side of the family. Because we all had just eaten we forwent another meal at this particular stop. Our 3rd and final stop for the day was Travis & Melissa's. We spent the rest of our evening with them and my brother. We had a really busy but nice day. The next day we went back to Travis and Melissa's for a day (and all night) of wii. A great weekend with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I figured I would use this post to count the many blessings I have in my life. So here goes, one for every year I've been alive.

1. My salvation - The best gift ever given.

2. My relationship with God - I don't know where I would be without Him.

3. My husband - He is the second greatest thing God has given me. I'm so incredibly thankful that he is a part of my life.

4. My parents - I am so lucky to have two wonderful parents. They are such a great example. I couldn't ask for better parents.

5. My brother - I am very lucky to have such a great brother and the growing relationship we have.

6. My family - Some may say this is a little redundant, however, for me there is a big difference between my immediate family and the rest of my family. And I'm very thankful for them all. All my grandparents are still alive and I hope that one day I can give them great grandchildren.

7. My church family - Because we don't live very close to any of our family (never have really), our church family is very important. I'm so glad to have such a wonderful place where I can go and feel supported.

8. My friends - Growing up I never had many friends. We moved so often and I was very shy, so it would take me a long time to find good friends. I am so thankful that I have been able to cultivate a good group of friends.

9. Hope in God's promises - I am so thankful that I can hold on to the promises of God because He does not lie and what He promises He will do. That is a wonderful thing to be able to hold on to in the midst of any trial.

10. My health - I may not be in the greatest of shape, but things could be far worse. I am so thankful that my body is healthy, as well as the rest of my family.

11. My home - I am so thankful that I have a nice home where I am safe and secure.

12. My car - I am thankful that we have a nice little car that is reliable and will get us where we need to go.

13. My citizenship - I am thankful to live in a country where I am free to speak my mind, live my life, and worship how I want to. That is an incredible gift.

14. My education - I am so thankful that I was able to get a good education.

15. Food - I don't have to worry about where my food will come from. I don't have to worry about going hungry. That is truly a wonderful thing to be thankful for.

16. Water - These are basic needs, however, much of the world has to worry about these things. I am thankful that I don't have to worry about being able to get clean water.

17. California - While I may not always be thrilled with the state I am living in, it is a wonderful place to live. I am very spoiled to be living here. People spend their entire lives saving to be able to come on vacation here once. I get to live here.

18. My cats - This may seem silly. But they bring me such comfort. They are wonderful to have around and my house would be so quiet without them.

19. J.R.'s job - I am very thankful that he has a steady job. I don't know where we would be without it. While things aren't wonderful financially at his job, it is a secure job.

20. My job - Even though I haven't started working yet and I'm still trying to find another job, I am thankful for the job I know that God will provide for me.

21. God's provision - I am so very grateful for God's provision during this difficult time for J.R. and I. Despite my not working we have been surviving through God's provision.

22. Rain - It's just started raining again. It's much needed and I love it!

23. My blog - I'm so thankful for a place where I can express myself. And more importantly I'm thankful for all the wonderful people I've met through blogging.

24. My future children - I may not know when they will come, but I am so thankful that one day I will be able to hold my children.

25. My clean house - It's taken a while to get to this point and I'm hoping I can hang on to it. But I'm so thankful that for the last few weeks I've had a clean house.

26. My mother in law - As much as she can drive J.R. and I crazy, she is really wonderful to help us out whenever we need it.

27. My former students - While many of them caused me quite a bit of aggravation, I learned so much from them. I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend with them.

28. My books - I am thankful that I am able to have such a large collection of one of my favorite things.

So Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful day spent with friends and family!

Pies!!

Before this weekend I had never made one pie in my entire life. As of today I've made 4!

Saturday J.R. and I went to a dessert party at the Marcus and Allissa's. We really enjoyed spending time with them and meeting new people. I made a pie. I have never made pie before so it was quite the experiment. It turned out very tasty, though not so pretty. There was too much filling and it was in a constant state of seepage. I had in the fridge for the allotted time, but it still didn't quite set. Oh well, it was really good.

Mud Pie

Today I baked my first pumpkin pie. It turned out very nice. I actually had so much filling I was able to make three pies! The young adults group we attend on Tuesday nights has a Thanksgiving dinner every year. As my mom and I bake cakes, I am typically tagged to do some sort of dessert. So I figured what could be more appropriate than pumpkin pie? Not everyone was so pleased with the fact that I brought pie instead of cake. One of the guys (*cough*Jones)chastised me for not making a turkey shaped cake.

I did attempt to make my pies a little more decorative than your typical pumpkin pies. I have a turkey stencil so I used it and some powdered sugar to make a turkey on my pies. It turned out really cute. However, my pies were still a little warm and the pie just absorbed the sugar. Oh well.

Tonight was a lot of fun. Just a lot of food and friends. There were quite a few people there tonight. It was a little overwhelming for me. I'm not one to like big crowds. I much rather prefer smaller groups. But it was a nice time to spend with friends.

Pumpkin Pie