How to Have a Great Thanksgiving...in 12 Easy Steps

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? And the rest of your long, holiday weekend?

Mine was SUPERB, and I hope all of you had a wonderful one as well. (I have been remiss in coming by all of your blogs, but I am absolutely hoping to catch up on my blog-visiting today, so I can't wait to visit and see how your holiday went!)

Our holiday and weekend were filled with all sorts of good stuff...family from faraway places, all sorts of great food, some Christmas activities, and (of course!) a big (HUGE) Bama win.

But instead of me just telling you all about it, why don't I share pictures with you from the weekend? Then you can just see all the evidence--in 12 easy steps--for yourself.

We spent the first part of Thanksgiving Day at Gan Gan's (Gary's grandmother) house. There was so much good food (Gan Gan makes the best dressing EVER, and I was still eating leftovers of it last night!), and all sorts of family gathered there. It was a great way to start the day!

So, we get started there with...

# 1
Pose for pictures with your cousins.

#2 Wrestle with your cousins.

#3
Manage to take a family photo.

Then it was off to my parents' house, where a huge family gathering was taking place. My Grandma came from Texas, along with an uncle and another aunt and uncle and cousins. And then an aunt and uncle came from North Caroline, as did another cousin and friend. Throw in McKenna's boyfriend, my brother and his wife, my nephews, and my sister-in-law's parents, and we had quite a crew. It was perfect, and gave us plenty of opportunities to...

#4
Play backyard football.




(Sydney was the designated cheerleader.)




#5
Pose for a BIG family picture.

#6
Get a "four generations" picture with Grandma, Mom, me, and the girls. I am treasuring this one.

#7
Box your boyfriend.
(For some reason, we have always had boxing gloves in our house. As a child, my brother Christopher and I would have heated boxing matches; and it continues today.)

#8
Play Guitar Hero.

#9
Cheer on the Longhorns.
(and get disgusted by my cousin's love for the A&M Aggies)


#10
Host a Tea (and then a Coffee) Party.

(This was the CUTEST thing, and I've decided that Sydney seriously has a future as a waitress or barista.

Sydney started off by inviting all of us--several times--to a tea party, complete with a real tea set but "imaginary" tea. After she enjoyed that so much, Dad asked her if she wanted to serve our coffee. She set out the cups and the stirrers and the sugar and the creamer. She poured the coffee from the carafe, asked everyone what they wanted in their coffee, and had the most fun doing it. Everyone was so impressed by her "proper-ness" as she served everyone, and she even got tips for the great service!)





#11
Cheer Bama on to a great (huge, exhilirating, JOYFULl!!!) win!!!

Well...Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and I'd been anticipating seeing my Grandma and other family members, and the food was just outstanding...but I would be lying if I said that I COULD NOT WAIT to get on campus and in the stadium for the Alabama-Auburn football game. Going into the game, we were 11 and 0 and ranked #1 in the country; and, even though we felt like we should win the game pretty easily, you just never know when it's a rivalry game. And, besides, Auburn had a six-game winning streak on us.

The crowd, though, was absolutely pumped up (loudest I'd EVER heard it) and the game was absolutely thrilling. We ended up winning 36-0, and there was just this huge sense of relief and joy that filled every corner of the stadium. Partly because it meant we'd just completed an undefeated season, that we still have a chance to win the national championship, and that we beat Auburn.

The stadium got louder and louder as the game went on and by the time the last five minutes were ticking down, it felt like the stadium was going to explode. SO. MUCH. FUN.

Gary went with me to this game (the first game he's attended with me all season long) and we ha a great time. Here are a few pictures of the game (from the drizzly, foggy atmosphere...to the crowded stadium...to the scoreboard with each change of score...and, oh yeah, me looking pretty excited to be there!).








#12
Start to get ready for Christmas.

Sydney was so excited to help Mom and Dad get their Christmas tree up and start to decorate it with them.

And we got to enjoy some other Christmas preparations as our weekend winded down to a close. On Sunday evening, we had our annual Family Christmas Tree Decorating at church (we have a meal, then sing fun Christmas songs and then Christmas carols, and then each family puts an ornament up on our tree); Sydney and the other kiddoes practiced for their Christmas play; Gary got our Christmas decorations out (I'm starting to work on them today); and we celebrated with our first night of Family Advent in our home (this is one of my most precious Christmas traditions, and it's the primary way we keep the focus on Christ during the holiday season). It is absolutely "beginning to look a lot like Christmas"...and I, for one, am excited about it!

Whew...that was a long post, but it sure made me happy just looking at those photos all over again and reliving all the good moments with all of you.

I can't wait to hear all about your holiday too. I hope it was a great one!