Thanksgiving Day in St. George

I will have to let the pictures do the talking! I waited too long to post/write this blog. Thanksgiving day with family at the Boardwater's is a huge party. So fun. I hope this tradition sticks! Thanks so much Lesly and Brandon! Bounce house, cousins, swimming, great food, family, fireworks and many memories! 

First Thanksgiving Dinner

     The last 2 days have been busy, busy. I made my first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself! I have always helped by bringing single items or have helped make the whole meal with my mom, but never done it on my own. It's one of those things you want to do, but don't want to do. I always wondered if I could time it all to work out and come together like so many times it has for my mom.

    With Paul's new job it has really hit me that holidays may have to be a little different. We don't have to change the traditions but we may have to celebrate holidays a few days early or late. Pilots work holidays. Pilots with low seniority work holidays. This year Paul worked 2 days before Thanksgiving and 3 days after.

    I chose to go with a classic Thanksgiving menu. I have helped and watched my mom make these recipes for many years.

Menu

Thanksgiving Dinner

appetizers

Relish Tray

Cheese Ball with Apples and Crackers

main course

Thanksgiving Turkey

Bread Stuffing

Cranberry Relish 

Green Beans

Baked Sweet Yams 

Mash potatoes and gravy

Holiday Green Salad 

Homemade rolls

dessert

Carmel Chocolate Pecan Pie with Ice Cream

drink

Sparking Apple- Cranberry Drink

We invited another pilot who commutes to work and would also be missing out on the holiday fun with his family.  I took pictures of everything, I wanted to document this big moment for me. Just about everything on the menu was homemade, the rolls, stuffing, salad dressing and pie.  For next year I need to master gravy (not from a packet) and homemade pie crust. Paul said "This is the best Thanksgiving meal I have ever had". I was pleased with how well it all turned out. My favorite was the turkey. I brined it for 24 hours, stuffed it, rubbed and injected it! It was so moist and flavorful. I also love the big homemade rolls. 

Cancer Mom Retreat

I'm mad at myself for waiting too long to write this post. In the summer a girls retreat was planned for all the Utah Cancer Moms with Cancer Fighting Cuties Group. We are in a club we call "cancer moms". Not a club you want to be apart of but if you are, it's an AMAZING support group. I have asked and learned so much from these other moms. I feel humbled to be apart of a very strong group of woman!

This group is a place you will never hear those words 

"I can't imagine"

 because EVERYwoman in our support group CAN. 

Each of our lives have been impacted by childhood cancer. Each of us are caregivers for our children. We don't have to even say a word, we know how we each feel. We have spent many hours in rooms next to each other holding and caring for sick kids. We have lost loved ones. We welcome new moms everyday. We cry together and send words of encouragement!  Family and friends can't imagine our life, and with that comes pain. I find so much comfort in people we can imagine. I feel so much strength from other cancer families. We are fighting together. They are our family. We share common goals of trying to find a cure. We worry, and same feelings of deep depression and exhaustion. We are strong, well that's what they tell us! Each day we put on the brave face and fight! 

Well we all (some of us) spent the weekend up in the beautiful mountains of Midway Utah! The mansion was huge, and perfect for us all to be together. The beds in lofts is a detail I can't leave out! 

Thanks to Katie for planning and all your hard work at getting donations for us to have this weekend together. The whole weekend was donated, the mansion, the food etc. We were well fed! It was fun to have Waffle Love truck come and make us breakfast one morning. We hung out at night in the hot tub, talked, shared, and laughed. I think we all needed that weekend away! Hope this becomes a tradition!  

The pictures will have to do the talking! What an amazing weekend!