We had our first Thanksgiving without family this year. We were supposed to be with my family, but it was impossible to fly home during the holiday. So, we spent Thanksgiving with some of our friends. Here is how our thanksgiving day went: We woke up early and went and served with Christ Church of the Valley (CCV – the church we are attending). They worked really hard to make this a more enjoyable holiday for those who don’t have much. We delivered meals to some and then helped set up for lunch and helped make bags of non-perishable foods for them to take home. Then we headed home to get the turkey started. Patrick and Lindsey came over and we lounged around (mixed in with checking the turkey, making pumpkin roll and Lindsey making mac-n-cheese) and then we went over to Jim and Aaron’s for dinner. This was the first turkey I had ever made and I was really nervous. Thankfully it turned out really well…thanks to the step by step instructions from my Aunt Becky. Also, props to Becky for the pumpkin roll recipe. It has become a legend out here.
*Sidenote: I walked into a party last night with a pumpkin roll and one of the people said to me– “Is that the infamous pumpkin roll I have heard so much about?” Seriously…everyone loves my Aunt Becky’s recipe.
We had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner, with wonderful friends. We all chipped in and it turned out great.
The next day, Harrison and I slept in and then had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. We had no desire to get up early and go shopping. That afternoon, we got our Christmas decorations out and put up our tree. The Reichanadter’s let us have the tree that they used last year and it fit perfectly in our living room corner. They also told us about the lighting of the Christmas tree in Old Town Pasadena, so we decided to get out that night and go to all of the festive events. The City had brought in “snow” for everyone to play in. It was crazy. It was real, fake snow (if that makes since). They used a snow blower to create a patch of snow in the middle of the street. Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun throwing snow balls at each other. They also had real reindeer, a trolley, free hot chocolate, and music. I am glad that they try hard to make it feel like Christmas, even though the weather doesn’t feel Christmassy. So, we finally made it to the lighting of the Christmas tree and it was packed. We found the Reichanadter’s and were able to squeeze our way up to where they were. Then we were handed magic fairy dust and were told to throw it at the tree so that it would light up. Santa showed up, the choir sang carols and we threw our dust (little star confetti) at the tree. It lit up and we got out of there…it was way too crowded. We had a lot of fun though. We ended our night having dinner with Jim and Aaron. They invited us over for some take-out Italian. It was really good. The next day we met Patrick and Lindsey and Jim and Aaron for a movie (a tradition for some on the holiday weekend) and then went with P & L to a College basketball game. Our holiday weekend was full of fun memories with friends. We are so grateful for the new friends we have made out here and the bond that we are forming. It definitely made a time that I was sure to get homesick, into a fun memory. So here are some pictures of our thanksgiving dinner, our Christmas tree and the lighting of the Christmas tree.
*Sidenote: I walked into a party last night with a pumpkin roll and one of the people said to me– “Is that the infamous pumpkin roll I have heard so much about?” Seriously…everyone loves my Aunt Becky’s recipe.
We had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner, with wonderful friends. We all chipped in and it turned out great.
The next day, Harrison and I slept in and then had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. We had no desire to get up early and go shopping. That afternoon, we got our Christmas decorations out and put up our tree. The Reichanadter’s let us have the tree that they used last year and it fit perfectly in our living room corner. They also told us about the lighting of the Christmas tree in Old Town Pasadena, so we decided to get out that night and go to all of the festive events. The City had brought in “snow” for everyone to play in. It was crazy. It was real, fake snow (if that makes since). They used a snow blower to create a patch of snow in the middle of the street. Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun throwing snow balls at each other. They also had real reindeer, a trolley, free hot chocolate, and music. I am glad that they try hard to make it feel like Christmas, even though the weather doesn’t feel Christmassy. So, we finally made it to the lighting of the Christmas tree and it was packed. We found the Reichanadter’s and were able to squeeze our way up to where they were. Then we were handed magic fairy dust and were told to throw it at the tree so that it would light up. Santa showed up, the choir sang carols and we threw our dust (little star confetti) at the tree. It lit up and we got out of there…it was way too crowded. We had a lot of fun though. We ended our night having dinner with Jim and Aaron. They invited us over for some take-out Italian. It was really good. The next day we met Patrick and Lindsey and Jim and Aaron for a movie (a tradition for some on the holiday weekend) and then went with P & L to a College basketball game. Our holiday weekend was full of fun memories with friends. We are so grateful for the new friends we have made out here and the bond that we are forming. It definitely made a time that I was sure to get homesick, into a fun memory. So here are some pictures of our thanksgiving dinner, our Christmas tree and the lighting of the Christmas tree.
Our Christmas tree...tucked away in the corner
Christmas tree
Real-Fake snow in Pasadena
Harrison with a snowball!
The lighting of the Christmas tree in Pasadena
Emma on her dad's shoulders...after drinking hot chocolate
Adrienne and I waiting on the Christmas tree lighting
Thanksgiving appetizers
Thanksgiving dinner
The Turkey!!
The Thanksgiving Feast
1 comment:
You guys' home(s) have always looked so inviting...even across the country! Love your Christmas decorations and love reading about your life in California! Miss you guys!
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