Simple and Sweet

I told myself this week that I was going to steer clear of the blog until my final exam was over - well, I walked out of the lecture hall at 12:30pm, got off work at 5:30pm, treated me and my hubby to some yummy chicken queso burritos (thank you Q'doba), and now I'm sitting on the couch in my pjs with the laptop in front of me. The semester is officially over, and now the Christmas season can officially begin in our little home! My husband has one more exam on Thursday, and once that is over we are going to put up the tree and decorate - yay!

A very patient friend has been wondering about a particular Thanksgiving meal I was so worked up over this last week, so, as promised, the following are my pictures from the holiday fun:

My dad arrived on Tuesday afternoon for the Thanksgiving holiday (which meant that I got to scoot out of work early!). He had a certain buddy the entire time he was here - wherever he was, she was close by!

I set my alarm to wake up early on Thursday morning to ensure that all meal preparations were started at the appropriate time. I was so nervous that I hardly slept the night before! Ever since getting married, I've really been concerned and wanted to improve upon my domestic skills. I am partially joking when I say I was raised by wolves, and anything pertaining to the home often leads me to breaking out in a sweat. This was one such occasion when I told myself everything had to work out and the meal had to be spectacular! So upon waking up before the sun on Thursday morning, I had an entire laundry list of tasks on my mind from the turkey in the crockpot to lighting the pumpkin candle...



Oh, how relieved I was when my dad pulled the turkey from the crockpot onto the pan! After over six hours of waiting and wondering, my first turkey was beautiful! I breathed a huge sigh of relief as my dad cut the first slice to reveal a savory, moist piece of meat~

Along with the delectable turkey breast, I prepared just enough side items to satisfy a table of three: dressing (thank you StoveTop!), green bean bundles (one day I'm going to think of a much prettier name for these), sweet potatoes, and rolls. It was the perfect spread for us with plenty of leftovers for later~

And of course, a Thanksgiving meal is not complete without dessert! I admittedly purchased a pumpkin pie and then made the other one. Thanks dear friend for the cherry cheesecake pie recipe! The men fought over it down to the very last slice~

As is tradition, we settled down after the meal for sleep and the Dallas Cowboys. Maia agreed that preparing a meal is tough work!

I was especially glad that my dad was able to stay with us through Sunday and attend church. He had not been to our church yet since we just joined this year, so it was great having him there. He had the opportunity to meet several of the people my husband and I have talked about and gotten to know so well over these past several months. I actually sang a solo during the offering which is a rare element in our worship services at Grace. The worship leader is having someone prepare special music for each Sunday of the Advent season, and this week happened to be the week when he asked me to sing. Kate, my sweet friend and one of the pianists, played wonderfully, and it was just all the more meaningful for my dad to be there this Sunday~

I realized as I was reflecting on the Thanksgiving holiday that this is the sixth one for me and my husband, but our very first as husband and wife. It truly was perfect in my mind because sometimes rest and simple, sweet fellowship is so much more meaningful than being social. There is a time and place for having huge celebrations, but this was a good year for the simple. I enjoyed the rest, the freedom of staying in my pjs if we weren't out shopping or eating somewhere, and just spending quality time with my family. I am blessed beyond measure, and I am deeply humbled when I reflect on such gifts as these.