Due to a neat twist in the schedule at work, I had a paid flight home for the Thanksgiving holiday, plus ten days to stay and play with my family in Utah.
It was a day of cooking, eating, resting, laughing, singing, talking and rough-housing at Nana's.
She had eight children. As all of them stayed in the area to raise their own families, we had plenty of cousins to hang out with at family functions. I love going home and seeing how old everyone is getting (as the oldest grandchild, I always imagine the other kids perpetually young; it surprises me to see them graduating from college and getting married, etc. etc.).
Me with my lovely aunts: Sadie, Michelle, and Melissa. I love these fabulous women. Notice we donned adorable aprons before beginning the mashing of potatoes and whipping of the cream. Nana's kitchen is designed just so we each have enough space to work on all the kitchen tasks simultaneously, as Nana flits around instructing, "Now add a splash of milk and stir it in. Honey, your bread is ready to roll out."
We had our traditional green jello topped with cheddar cheese, a Montgomery specialty--trust me, it's delicious!
We're a big enough bunch that we had multiple kids' tables scattered throughout the basement.
I spread the yo-yo fever and had several of my younger cousins practicing tricks after dinner. This is Christopher, the most adorable little cowboy.
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Got to see Pixie Rae!!  |
And my lovely sister, Toad.
I'm so very grateful for family. These people are my anchors in life; they make me laugh, they pray for me when I'm away, they are a riot of sarcasm and hugs.
