Friendsgiving was forever ago but I was looking for these photos the other day and turns out I never posted any of them.
I am feeling a little nostalgic as last night we had a going-away party for Adrienne, and Quinton showed up as a surprise guest all the way from Washington, DC!!!!! (There can never be too many exclamation points at the end of that sentence.) All in all it was a very bittersweet night and it has been a bittersweet couple of weeks. I remind myself often of a favorite verse in the
Doctrine and Covenants 130:2. Change it hard and it is not always welcome, but I am grateful for the times in the past when it has been followed with trips to visit and group texts and happy memories in between.
We never got an exact guest count at this Friendsgiving, but it was A LOT. It made my heart burst a little to have our little house bursting with all of our dearest people. Until next year (this year!).
. . . .
previous years:
I know, I know how I always say I am not a proponent of organizing [books] by color. But then I saw Vanessa's tucked away library and it was pretty great (and so fun to browse through—I was sleeping on an air mattress in this room on Thanksgiving night and spent a long time looking through all of Vanessa's books before I went to bed—the best). All of this is to say that I redact my previous statements and I think you should follow your heart when it comes to library organization.
Friendsgiving began
last year when Adrienne received a free turkey from her employers and we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with a group of our friends. Hooray for the second annual Friendsgiving! (I really love when our traditions continue despite the inevitable nomadic ways of college students and recent graduates.)
 |
| pie time! (get it? this is mostly for my sister who loves puns more than most) |
I'm thankful for dear friends and this evening which was the very best.
(And for the puppy who joined us.)
Happy Thanksgiving! I spent mine with my sister
Emily,
Melissa (who people always
think is my sister; we've started a tally), and Melissa's family. We ate lots of delicious food, felt conflicted over which desserts to try, and quoted favorite Thanksgiving lines from movies as we washed dishes ("
Happy Thanksgiving back." and "
these mashed potatoes are so creamy!"). And later we indulged in obligatory Thanksgiving naps.
At this time of year, I feel particularly grateful for my family. Thinking about my family, our traditions, and holidays in past years helps me feel close to them, even though currently I'm several thousand miles away (but not for long!).
"[And now, my beloved brethren, I desire] that ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." —Alma 34:38
I love this three-way division of this verse, as indicated by the semicolons; it shows me that living with gratitude in our hearts, while seemingly simple, is yet an integral part of living the gospel.
I spent my Thanksgiving with my cousins in California and it was wonderful! And I took so many pictures but these are some of my favorites:
In my cousins' neighborhood we discovered this mirror sitting in the road leaning against this dumpster and when we first saw it we saw the sky reflected in it. How serendipitous...
I like how these words are complimentary colors and could potentially be paired together although on this building they were part of two separate signs for two separate stores.
These flowers were growing right on the beach and they reminded me of "The Little Mermaid."
sunset over the Pacific
I hope your Thanksgiving was relaxing and wonderful as well!
