We went to my parents for Thanksgiving again this year. Shannon, Scott and Holly were all here. It was a great day. I had to go out and look at one of my favorite sights...the big metal pot! That's right...our turkey is in there! Yum! Dad started deep-frying turkeys several years ago and we are hooked! They are so moist and flavorful!
Now, doesn't she look happy!! She has waited all year for this!
Here is Scott helping get things ready for the second turkey.
Holly has never had deep-fried turkey before. Everyone is waiting for a chance to sneak a piece of the skin. She liked it!
Scott reached a new "position" this year. He learned how to carve the turkey. He actually carved two turkeys. He looks so serious! He did a great job! (I wonder if he knows we are all going to their place next year.)
Mom was setting a beautiful table ....as always. We "gobbled" and "gobbled" until we just couldn't "gobble" anymore! 
After dinner, we played MadGab. We have a lot of fun. If you have never played it, you have to try it. It is frustrating and exciting at the same time. (You may have to turn your volume up for this video.)
Of course, Thanksgiving isn't all about the food. It's about giving Thanks. Who wouldn't be thankful for these beautiful faces. I am very proud of all three of them. They make me happy every day. They are all wonderful human beings! I love them very much!
I am also thankful for my parents. They have always been and continue to be a great support and wonderful role models to me. Without them, none of us would be who we are. I love them very much.Although, I don't get to see them nearly enough, I am also very thankful for my brother and his family. When I saw them this summer for the wedding, I realized that we let way too much time go by between visits. I hope we can remedy that. Regardless of how often we see each other, I hope they know, we think about them often and I love them very much!
Of course, I am very thankful for my friends! Without my friends, I'm not sure how I would tackle those day to day stumbling blocks that come my way. I am thankful for the many laughs and hugs I share with my friends. My friends keep me sane at times! I love them very much!
It's nice that we have this day to think about everything we have to be grateful for, but I hope everyone that is important to me feels how grateful I am to have them in my life EVERY day!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Here we are...just dropped off our donation and waiting to go.
Warmer temperatures meant a lot more people. It was a little bit of a frustrating start but soon the crowd thinned out. Once the crowd thinned out, it was a nice 2.5 mile walk.
One would've thought that with more people, we would've seen more costumes. Not so! We saw many more costumes last year. We did manage to spot this "Turkey Hat" tho. I'm pretty sure we saw him last year...hard to miss this!
After the walk, there is a drawing (there must have been raffle tickets for sale that we missed) for some fun prized. Maybe we can get in on this next year.
The Turkey Trot takes place through Manito Park on the lower South Hill. It is a beautiful, quiet neighborhood. The pond is famous around town for its ducks. You can almost always find kids feeding the ducks. 
Jackie and I like traditions. We started another one last week. We now treat ourselves to a Starbucks after our walks! Apparently a lot of other people think this is a great idea, too. The place was packed and got even busier after we left. (Most everyone was from the walk.)Who knew so many people drink coffee on Thanksgiving? 
Happy Thanksgiving! We will see you again in 2010!
We made our way to the starting line. There were a lot of people there. Some people even dressed up their dogs for the fun and brought them along.
Look who was there to cheer us on!
It was definitely chilly...BRRRR! But, it was a beautiful day!
There is a costume contest and we saw some great ones along the way. Here is a a turkey and a Butterball.
We say Frosty the Snowman, a Christmas Tree and a box of Stovetop.
And, um....well,...hmmm....oh, yes! It's a Turkey Baster!
We found Deanna. Apparently if you run the race, you have time to shop while you are waiting for your friends who walk it.
....and you get a ribbon, too!
Jackie invited us to her house for breakfast after. We decided a Starbucks run was a must. Deanna had a new favorite drink we had to try. A peppermint mocha Frappacino.
It was delicious! She said it lite...I think maybe lighter, but it was worth the calories!
Next stop, breakfast at Jackie's. She made Huckleberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and cinnamon rolls. Cindy's workin' on the eggs. 
For today, tho....there is something a little calming, a little peaceful about the first snowfall. I needed to go to the store and rather than brush off the car and warm it up, I dug out my winter boots and walked. I have to admit, I rather enjoyed it. The crispness of the air was refreshing and brought a hint of the upcoming holidays with it. 
I am wondering how long this feeling of peaceful enjoyment will last....my guess is probably until we have to drive in it a few times! :) Funny how I like the snow so much more on the weekends!
It was so peaceful and relaxing. I saw several friends and even saw a man walking his horse. That made me smile. There are usually several deer along the trail but just ducks and geese today. This is definitely a 3 mile walk worth taking. Now, I feel like I am ready for my week!
