Thanksgiving in Virginia

We successfully made it down to Virginia, stuffed ourselves silly (the pies were amazing), and had a rousing game of soccer about an hour after eating (the old men and me vs. the young men - we whooped them!). It was great!

We decided to go into DC to check out the sites. We walked around and saw the monuments, and went in the museum of natural history, and the air and space museum. There's just something about our nation's capitol that gets me excited every time I go there. I even got to sneak away for a little bit to buy a White House ornament as a memento of our trip! This is a picture of Alex, his cousin Eric, his Aunt Diane, and Uncle Jim in front of the state capitol.

Surprisingly we found out that my brother and sister-in-law were in Virginia for Thanksgiving (they live in Japan, so it was actually a huge surprise!). We were able to stop by and see them and their kids for a couple of hours. It was nice to visit with them and see the nephews. It's amazing how fast kids grow. They're so cute! We'll get to see them in Utah at Christmas time, so that'll be nice, too.

For the last leg of our trip we went to Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. It was great to learn more about what happened there and the role Harper's Ferry played in the civil war. We also got to stand at the place where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet. In the town there are all of these old buildings that are depicted as they would have been during the civil war, and you can read all about what life was like then. There's so much to learn about! After we sufficiently toured the town, we went and had a little picnic. It was hilarious! We sat out on this picnic table, and it was FREEZING! We were all shaking from the cold and our teeth were chattering. Finally Alex's aunt was smart enough to say, "I'm going to the car to finish my lunch." Thank goodness for Aunt Diane!

The start of the Holiday season

For me, Thanksgiving has always been the official start of the holiday season. There’s nothing like gathering around a big turkey dinner, overeating, and then taking a nice afternoon nap. It never hurts to squeeze in a little football either - how fitting that the BYU v. Utah football game is Thanksgiving weekend…

This year we’re headed down to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with Alex’s Uncle Jim and Aunt Diane. We’re excited about the adventure the drive will be sure to bring, and the time getting to know our relatives better. Even though I don’t know Alex’s uncle and aunt very well, I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a blast.

It’s funny because after Thanksgiving I feel like I’m justified in beginning to think about Christmas (or at least publicly, since we all know I’ve been thinking about it long before Thanksgiving). One of my favorite things is putting up Christmas decorations and getting a Christmas tree. Alex and I have been collecting ornaments from all of our fun travel adventures over the years, so our tree is starting to actually look nice. We also have these awesome red fabric balls that we inherited from my Grandma that add the perfect touch!

Here’s wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll leave you with a list of things that I am thankful for: my husband, family, friends, the Gospel, rain, snow on Christmas day, hot chocolate, tulips and roses, puppies, fresh peaches and strawberries, traveling, memories, and the list goes on. Happy Thanksgiving!

Scenic Byways

Alex and I took a road trip today up to the Delaware Water Gap and the Poconos mountains. Our mission: find fall foliage. We decided to avoid all major highways so we were driving through some pretty rural areas. At one point we were driving along and there were about 5 wild turkeys waiting to cross the busy road. I tried to get a picture, but they were too quick. I have never seen a live turkey in person, let alone crossing the road - it was awesome! We stopped at a Farmers Market along the drive and stocked up on fresh apple cider and homemade fudge. Yum! The drive was beautiful, and led to a very scenic picnic along the Delaware River.


As we were driving along through a small town, I noticed this amazing tree. I made Alex turn around so I could get a picture of it. There's something about a tree with leaves that turn red in the fall...


At one of the scenic overlooks of the Delaware Water Gap, we found a hiking trail that led to the Appalachian trail. We decided to go for a little hike, and we were not disappointed.



All in all, I would have to say mission completed.