I Am Thankful For....

Wrapping up the month of November reminds me that I am thankful for so many things.  I think Quinn summed it up well in this recent school assignment he brought home. 

"I am thankful for friends because they are nice to me and I would be lonely.  Next thing is my family because they keep me safe.  I would just have like nothing.  I would hate it.  Next is my food and water because I would be dead right now.  Something really important to me is Jesus.  I love Him.  If He would not be alive, I would not be alive.  Something that I love and....

"I live on is the universe.  It is pretty and I love it.  Something else is my house.  If I did not have a house I would be poor and I would be suffering."  Love this!

The kids were out of school on Wednesday (before Thanksgiving) and Aaron returned home from a month of traveling so we took advantage of the "day off" and went Christmas tree hunting before out-of-town family arrived.  We left sunny blue skies at home and arrived to find a snow storm kicking up.  Because there was so little snow on the ground when we first arrived, we were able to hike higher up the mountainside than usual.  In the end, the tree we cut down was probably one of the first we spotted.  Ha!  We had plenty of adventures searching for the 'perfect' tree.

Anna named this tree "Melinda" after her YW leader.
(This is not the tree we ended up selecting).

We carried the tree down the mountainside since we forgot the sled (wouldn't have been that helpful anyway) and conveniently put it in the back of the truck.  Wow!  That was a first.  Usually we have to secure it to the top of the Yukon but not this year.  It was SO much easier this time around....

The kids decided to quickly decorate our beautiful pine-scented tree before G-ma and G-ma P arrived along with Tiffany, Shawn & Abigail.  Adam and Hilary's clan also arrived in time for everyone to have a light supper of soup/rolls since we knew the big feast was just around the corner.

We enjoyed listening to stories about G-ma and G-pa P's recent 21-day cruise where they visited a few countries including Italy, Greece, Cypress, Oman, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Suez Canal, Jordan and Sicily.  Still recovering from jet-lag, the 'party' ended earlier than usual so we could get some sleep before heading to Brent & Kathy's place the next morning.

Aaron & Anna peeling potatoes in Kathy's kitchen

Cassidy with mom, Larah L. - snacking

Awkward hug from Aaron to Hilary & Adam (roll-maker)

Hilary, Kristen, Tiffany, Heather - kitchen pose

Quinn & Jameson - crafts/kids playing in the garage

Jenna, Cassidy, Anna, Abigail, Brinley, Oakley - cousins

Shawn, Britton, Jantzen, Aaron - watching football

Anna & Brinley - chow time!

 It always is a tasty feast!  And I'm sure this is Aaron's plate since he makes it look so nice:).

Chocolates for later - mailed a box to Tanner.  He was really happy to receive them!

Steve & Kristen family group shot

Jeff, Jake, Logan, Dustin - brothers

Brent and Kathy had every member of their family in attendance so they took some family pictures (I don't have one).  I can only recall one other year where all four of my Lewis cousins were together for Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed catching up with those we don't see very often.

Plenty of talking/eating all day

For the first time in over a decade (or two), we didn't go bowling!  Apparently, there is a new owner of the bowling alley and he doesn't open up on Thanksgiving Day (imagine that?).  Instead, Dad took Tiffany, Hilary, Mom and me on a family history tour down memory lane and through town.  I had seen some of these places before but not all at the same time so it was really helpful to put timeframes into context better.  Hilary recorded some of the information on her phone (thank goodness) but I can recall a little bit of the history.

Parley Preston Price's homestead

We drove by the Wapello elementary school (no pic) but the original school Dad attended is no longer standing.  The land where it stood is now part of the baseball field.  He also showed us the nearby LDS church where he could go for Primary classes once a week with most of the other children from school.  Years ago, primary was held after school and not on Sundays.  When Dad's family moved from Wapello and into town (Blackfoot) around age 8 (3rd grade), he no longer attended primary on a regular basis.  Dad recalled occasionally riding a pony to school along the railroad tracks that run along the old Yellowstone Highway.  Other children did the same.  They would hitch up their animals to posts near the school.  Most days, Dad would take a bus to school but had to walk quite a distance down a dirt road (once lined with trees) from his grandpa's homestead.  He recalled just how bitter cold the winter mornings were while waiting for the bus to come. Dad would walk the lane along with his cousins who lived in the nicer, larger home on the property (pictured).  The chicken coop on the land was turned into a house where Bill & June (my grandparents) lived and raised Steve & Kathy until moving into town.  The larger home was 'given' to Bill's older brother, Preston (went by Duber) then sold by Pa (Parley Preston Price) when Duber moved his family to Mackay.  These two brothers (Bill & Duber) had an interesting relationship and partnered in several business situations though Bill didn't come out ahead from them (unlike Duber).  Regardless, Bill was a loyal brother and seemed to 'forgive' Duber time and again.  Someday we'll get the real stories...

Home on Archer Street in town

Leaving the farm and moving to town was a big change for Dad's family.  This white house has been added on to a few times but from the angled front door, that square represents the original house my Dad lived in from ages 8-12.  When Dad was in the 7th grade, the family moved to the house on University Avenue where they lived until Dad left for his mission to Germany at age 19.

Not far from where my Dad lived on Archer, my Mom grew up in this house on Ash Street.  Her Dad (Bob Kerr) made several additions to the home and always seemed to have a project in the works.  This was a lovely home in its day and unique due to Bob's ambition and Aloha's vision.  They raised their own five children (Steve, Kristen, Greg, Kathy, Jackie) in this home until building a larger home on Airport Road across town.  My mother was in the 8th grade when she moved into the custom-built brown home on Airport Road and lived there until she went away to college at BYU (Provo).

This church building has also been added on to but the stain-glass windows seen from the road are part of the original building.  Interesting to note is the fact that my parents were actually in the same ward for several years but never met each other because my Dad's family was not active in church.  Thanks to a diligent home teacher, my Dad was baptized (in the old tabernacle) at the age of 10.  Mom knew nothing about his baptism though they would have been in primary together had Dad attended.  Their paths did not cross until high school and by then, my Mom had moved from Ash Street and they were no longer in the same ward.

After the family history tour, we returned to Brent & Kathy's for the traditional pinatas.  Kids lined up from youngest to oldest to take their swings.  It took the younger kids a few rounds before finally breaking their piñata open.  The line-up for the older kids was a different experience.  Fourth in the line-up, Jantzen never did get a chance to swing. That piñata burst open quickly!

After pie and chocolates, a few Black Friday shoppers headed out.  The P clan eventually made their way back to our house where they spent the night.  The following morning, the older cousins attempted to perform baptisms at the temple but changed plans and went to breakfast since there was a 3-hour wait.  Cousins played, we power-walked the neighborhood a few times, I foot-zoned, we all ate another round of Thanksgiving yumminess then everybody headed out Friday afternoon.  The roads were clear and the sun was shining!  Always fun when family comes to town.

Elsie, Jenna, Jameson, Korinne, Abigail

Friday evening we joined Aaron's side of the family for more pie and ice cream.  Bonnie & Bryant's family were in town for another day (except Jameson and Garrett left just before we arrived) so we had fun catching up with them.  Cam and his boys have temporarily moved in with Bob & Janene so they, too, were around.  We played "Up & Down" (a card game) and talked and laughed until bedtime.  Aaron, Bryant, Cameron, Jantzen along with Breanna & Derek went to an 11pm movie but the rest of us were smart enough to go to bed:).

Anna & Lillian

Well, okay may not all of us went to bed.  Anna and Lillian stayed up plenty late anticipating a sleep-over at Breanna & Derek's apartment but when the movie ended, the idea didn't materialize.  By Saturday afternoon, extended family had left town and we got back to business.  Aaron sold the kid's beanbags for an amazing price (someone was really lucky) and helped roll them out the door.  They were fun but took up a lot of space.  The kids got the cash so I suppose it was a win-win for all:).

Sunday evening we busted out the rest of the Christmas decorations and the kid's tree for upstairs and turned on the David Archuleta music (tradition).  It was a little melancholy for me not having Tanner around because he always did certain things (like put up the nativity set).  Imagine our surprise when Brinley got out the stockings to hang and found a card inside each one - handwritten by Tanner.  It was so touching and heart-felt it made me cry.  He had written the cards before he left in August and hid them away so it was a complete surprise for all of us.  It was a wonderful evening.

Thank you November.  I love you.

December - you may arrive now.