Giving Thanks

Dave-the-dog was pretty excited to have the boys come visit! Andy came down on Sunday while Jeff, Todd and TJ came the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving morning after breakfast, the boys went to visit some skate parks in the area. Jeff's been skate boarding for years but Andy and Todd are just now getting into it. The weather was much colder here than last years 80's. It was in the 60's/low 70's so dinner wasn't outside this year. One afternoon we turned on the hot tub. Andy and TJ jumped into the pool which was about 58 degrees, and then jumped back into the hot tub! BURRR!

It was just the six of us for dinner that day. We'd bought a free-range turkey which I brined the night before. I had fully intended to cut it up and try and smoke it on the barbeque. After standing outside to get it set up, I decided there was no way I was going to stand out there in the cold and work on it for a few hours so I threw it in the oven and finished everything else. All I can say was it was an amazing turkey! Don't know if it was the brine or just free-range but it was so delicious!!! When we were putting it in the brine, we couldn't get over how huge the wings were. They're not like that on a regular turkey. I guess it was the free-range that made it like that?

Why is it that Thanksgiving is a day for consuming way too much food? Tradition is a movie after dinner. We went to see the cartoon "Megamind." I love going to funny movies with the boys because they laugh so hard and it makes me laugh all the more!

Dad picking off the rest of the turkey so we could boil the carcass for some soup later. That Friday night Kris (Chai) and Jeff Ainsa came over for dinner with the Hallmark family too. We had a nice visit.

Jeff dropping down into the bowl. This picture gives the illusion of it being a gradual curve when it was really straight down!

Dad and Jeff and Todd went golfing on Saturday while Andy and TJ went climbing. I got ready for dinner with my family that night. My brother Don, wife and kids came over. We celebrated my nephew Cary's birthday. Don did all the cooking. I just made a salad.

It's been pretty nice having the last couple of Thanksgiving's here. I'm grateful the boys were willing to make the drive down here for their second visit to Arizona since we've been here!