Gobble Gobble!

Man oh Man, this past week went by WAY too fast, I tell ya. One of the MANY perks of working in education is that I get a lot of vacations. It's quite fabulous. I packed this vacation full of all the things that I LOVE: relaxation, shopping, hiking (okay I don't REALLY love this one, but I'm working on it), time with family, exploring, time with my main man, EATING...you get the picture.
Perhaps my favorite activity was our Family Home Evening night. Sophia did an AWESOME job planning the night, and teaching the lesson. She chose to relate the Parable of the Ten Lepers to remind us about the importance of gratitude. We ended the night by placing leaves on our "tree of gratitude" and making cute little "acorns."

 The boy and I were even able to fit in TWO dates this week! Hallelujah! With his work/school schedule, we are rarely able to spend any time together, so this week was a special treat! He even bought me a rose. What? He must really be trying to earn points.

Is it bad that I'm already depressed that I have to wait an entire year for my next Thanksgiving feast? Boo. I think we should have mashed potatoes and stuffing weekly. Who's with me?

Friday morning was spent hiking Cowles Mountain and then we followed that up with a brutal session of "Insanity." My buns were not very pleased with me! To add to that, we spent the rest of the day hittin' up the Black Friday sales. 

Despite the hectic nature of the past week, I couldn't help but focus on the many blessings that I experience in my life. I love this time of year because it makes us do what we should always be doing: stop and COUNT OUR BLESSINGS . So, in the spirit of this thanksgiving season, I just wanted to name a few of the many things that I am so incredibly grateful for:

1. The Gospel Because it is the source of ALL the joy that I experience in my life, my membership in the church tops my list. I am grateful for my faith. I am grateful for the guidance, the direction, and the meaning that it provides in my life. It is is my foundation, and it keeps me steady. 

2. My Family Oh man, I love my family. Both my Ford side and my Russell side. My husband and I both consider ourselves lucky to have married into families that we think are just awesome. Holidays (and any day for that matter) are always a good time in our family.

3. My Husband I don't know what I did to deserve the man I married. I really don't. There must have been a mix up somewhere, because he's way too good for me. But for some reason he sticks around. Among many, MANY other things, I'm grateful for his perception, for his understanding, and for the fact that he knows me better than I know myself.

I'm grateful for this time of year and that it makes us reflect on the good in life. Now, on to Christmas! Our tree is going up tonight. Yay! And I may or may not be listening to Christmas music as I write this post. Can you tell I'm excited?