Not Quite the Thanksgiving I'd Expected...

I'd pictured Thanksgiving this year to be a busy, yet joyful and delicious type of day. I was scheduled to work in the morning, and then Joe and I were hosting his family for dinner. It was going to be a crazy day, but I was ready. It was going to be fun!  But my silly pregnant body had a different plan. I ended up waking up sick at 3 am (and again at 5 am) on Thursday morning, and spent the day alternating between the couch and my bed. No work, no socializing, and no delicious turkey dinner. It was a bummer, for sure.

But that's not the point of this post. The point is that I'm still so grateful for how many blessings I have in my life. I express my thanks year round, but it's nice to write it here every once in a while. And let me start with what has topped my list for the last seven years… this guy:

I hit the husband jackpot when this guy asked me to marry him. He proved this yet again this Thanksgiving, when he cleaned up after his sick wife in the middle of the night, whipped the house into immaculate shape, and cooked the entire beautiful Thanksgiving meal. Yup, he's amazing. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you. He already hears from me on a daily basis how grateful I am for his many wonderful characteristics and contributions to our family.

This year I feel like I have more to be thankful for than I can remember in recent years. It feels like things have finally come together for Joe and I in the last year… our jobs, our home, our friends, opportunities to travel and enjoy life, and more than anything, the baby on the way. We've had some real struggles in recent years, but have always pulled through by leaning on each other and our wonderful friends and family. I know there will be more challenges in our future. Life can't always be perfect, and I think we become the people we are based on the trials we face. But I sure am going to enjoy this part of the journey, when everything feels beyond great. This year has given me SO much to be thankful for, and I am excited to see what 2014 has in store for us as well!

Even feeling crummy, I had to pull the camera out for a couple pictures documenting the occasion. This was our first time hosting Thanksgiving, and Joe and I really enjoyed planning and executing this meal!  Joe really made this come together, didn't he? It was fantastic!

Joe roasted a turkey for the first time, and it was amazing!
Dry brine recipe from marthastewart.com

Pretty excited about that bird :)

I did help with the prep on Wednesday night,
and wasn't even feeling a hint of being sick. We made the corn pudding,
 mashed potatoes, and stuffing the night before, which made it so
easy to pull the meal together on Thursday. 

I was pretty pumped about stuffing from scratch!

I took a nap while they played dominoes.
Everyone was happy with this arrangement.

Ugh, I look like crap. But the table looks nice, right?

Let's eat!
The verdict from the healthy people at the table was that everything tasted great. 

I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving, full of family, friends, and plenty of tasty food! I'm going to keep this thankful feeling going through the holiday season… and probably right on until March, when I experience more thankfulness (and exhaustion) than I can even imagine at this point. Happy Holidays!