Thanksgiving Recap

The night before Thanksgiving, one of my rodeo pals, Stephenie, invited me to do Thanksgiving with her family. It was a lot of fun to be around a family much like my own. We ended the night laughing watching a video of a comedian with the entire family. They sent me home with a plate of desserts that I honestly worked on for almost an entire week :) Thanks to the Ruby family for asking me to join ya'll!

Me and Stephenie

You know I can't pass up a good photo op :)

This Thanksgiving was a little different than most of my others. This is my fifth Thanksgiving in Texas and each year I have many options of what to do, and I am so appreciative that others would include me in their family for this special time. 2006- Thanksgiving with the Jernigans, 2007- Thanksgiving with the Smiths (they put me to work on Thanksgiving), 2008 & 2009- Thanksgiving with the Jenkins (Not a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but instead Tamales, and Chili!!!) This year since the Jenkins have moved to Singapore we had a major dilemma on our hands as of what to do...

After much deliberation me and some of my single gal friends without family in the city decided we would have our own Thanksgiving. After all, why couldn't we start our own tradition!?! We stayed with the Jenkins' family tradition of a non-traditional Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. We split up the menu and all brought something. Gemma and I love hosting and now that we moved out of the city we don't get to do that very often so we had them over here for Thanksgiving. Rachael was in charge of appetizers. Lisa and I split main course she made her family's famous Green Chile Stew and I made a turkey chili. Tracy made fruit enchiladas for dessert they were amazing! After our meal we watched The Holiday by my Christmas Tree that Tracy and I had gotten earlier in the day. It was such a relaxing day and I hope that we can continue this tradition. Here are some fun pics of the day!

Don't you just love my pumpkin turkey? We tried to decide on a name for him, but one never stuck.

Rachael, Lisa, Tracy, and Me (Check out Gemma at my knee)

The gals hanging out in the kitchen, did I mention I love to entertain :)

Gemma and her good friend Lisa! (She is my good friend too!)

Happy Thanksgiving

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." Psalms 95:2

Happy Thanksgiving! Isn't it sort of sad that as a culture being thankful is the focus only one day a year, the fourth Thursday in November?!? There are so many things that I am thankful for it is hard to articulate it all. But here are just a few...

Family - I love that even though they are not a car ride away I love that we talk often and can support each other from afar. My family knows how to make me laugh and cheer me up when I need it the most. Thanks for your love that you show me each and every day.

Great Friends- What a blessing a true friend is... I have been blessed with great friends that the Lord has used to bring me to Him, to challenge me in faith and for me to challenge and bring to Him. I am so thankful for the friends here in Houston that have really made this place somewhere I enjoy and love. For the friends from home that I continue to keep in touch with that show me even though our lives are at different points it does not mean that our friendship has to change. Also, for my friends from college that have shown me it is possible to keep in touch no matter where life may take you.

Faith in the Lord- No matter where life takes me I know that my God is in control and that He will guide me and direct me in His ways. It has been an interesting year and I have had to learn to go with the flow in many areas of my life. What a comfort it is to know that even when things happen differently than we would have hoped, God is sovereign. God knows exactly what will happen and knowing that He loves me should only comfort me as I walk through life with God by my side.

Body of Christ- I am so thankful for the Body of Christ! Since I have been in Houston I have been surrounded by some amazing people that are seeking the Lord in all that they do. It has been such a blessing to be around people who are like-minded. This year I have joined a growth group at the church I go to and it has been such a blessing to be involved in a small group with people from different times in their life. All of us come with different experiences and gifts and that helps us encourage, serve, and learn from each other. This is what the body of Christ is about and I am so blessed to really see this in action.

Health- I so often take for granted the fact that I have been blessed with good health. I am able to lead an active lifestyle and there are so many that I see on a daily basis that cannot. I love my job and that I can make a difference in the lifestyles of others.

At the moment I am not very thankful for my computer because it won't let me upload pictures from the memory card. More to come on Thanksgiving festivities later.