Traditions!

First off we had a fantastic Thanksgiving. This was the first year I tackled Thanksgiving dinner alone at home with no mom to help. Last year, we went to a friends families house so all I had to do was bring potatoes and a pie. This year me and my friend Jaime split the menu. I cooked my first turkey, homemade rolls, an amazing asparagus dish, and 2 homemade apple pies. Jaime (and Mac) did the potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin chocolate chip bread and I had her cook up a ham we got (my next house WILL have multiple ovens, thanks Jaime for letting me use yours :) We had Ken over as well as the missionaries. There isn't one thing I would've changed about our Thanksgiving. It was fun, full of laughs, EXCELLENT food, and so very relaxing. I'm proud to say Jeff loved my turkey and hasn't stop complementing me... YEAH!!!

I really regret not getting a pic of our table setting and the beautiful looking turkey... but the pies turned out amazing. Thanks mom for your help... I was on the phone all morning with her to make sure I didn't screw things up... I really didn't want to turn to plan B (Golden Coral) if the meal was botched.

So In my previous post I mentioned how thankful I am for Traditions. I'm so glad I have a husband who is so willing and open to many ideas we can start as our own traditions as well as carry some over into our lives from our parents. And just a side note, I'm looking forward to Christmas but I'll be glad when all the holiday traditions are behind us cuz ever since going to Fiddler on the Roof a few weeks ago, Jeff hasn't stopped singing the song "Traditions" and dancing like Tevia around the house!!!
Our first holiday tradition is Black Friday. This year it started at 10 pm on Thursday (not really black friday if you ask me) But we headed out and tackled the Walmart crowd. We walked away with some great gifts for ourselves, family, friends and our secret santa family. We were out 2 hour and then headed home to sleep 4 hours before we hit the stores again at 6 am. We took off then to Sportsmans, Sports Authority, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart again. We did take time to stop off at Village Inn for some breakfast (another tradition). So after 7 hours of shopping on friday, making it 9 hours total we came home took a much needed 4 hour nap and then got ready for the day (at 6 pm:)





That evening we headed out to The Nutcracker. Jeff has never seen it... for me it brought back so many memories of being in it at BYU. Well, lets just say Jeff will NEVER go see the Nutcracker again... and to be honest I wasn't as impressed either. It had a lot of humor in it, different dances and even a new random song. The characters were terrible, but the music as always was amazing. It was fun to get out though and just be with eachother after a long day out.

Random picture, but I'm obsessed with Horse Carriages.

So some super hilarious quotes from my husband while we were at the Nutracker...
Refering to the pic below: We were at intermission when Jeff points to the top of the stage and says, "What is up with the guy with the mustache... I have yet to see him." Ha ha, um Jeff that is the Nutcracker.

And another quote, "I'm not impressed with the dancers. I can do every move they are doing. There is nothing to them, all they are doing is throwing their arms in the air... how 3rd gradish" My response, "Ok babe I have tights at home, go put them on and reinact the dances for me and I'll tell you if you can dance like them" What a dork!!!
Last one, "I don't even get the whole play, it's so dumb. What does it have to do with Christmas." Me, "Um Jeff, they go to a Christmas party and she gets a Nutcracker and then has dreams of her and her Nutcracker." Sorry did I miss something, I thought Nutcrackers were only a Christmas thing, does anyone have any sitting in the house 365 days a year?
Overall, a great day and an ok way to end the night!!!

On saturday, we slept in (had to recooperate after our black friday shopping and Jeff headed out running errands while I decorated for Christmas. Another tradition is we listen to christmas music and wrap all the presents we got and put them under the tree. So yes... it is November and we already have all our presents wrapped... going to be a long month waiting to open them :)


Last thanksgiving break tradition is heading to Lowe's to buy a new house for our Christmas Village. Jeff bought me 4 our first year of marriage, and then we plan to get a new one every year... so someday we will have a whole room to display our Village in. A few pics from the last 2 years villages...




And this years addition, an Animal Shelter...

They all look so cool lite up at night. Jeff is already talking about going and buying another one this year. If he does we may have to buy a table or something to start displaying all of them. Can't wait to get a place of our own, hopefully buy next year cuz we are out growing our apartment.