Friday, December 4, 2009

A “Little Rascals” Thanksgiving

At the last minute we decided to travel up North to be with our son and his family for Thanksgiving. I am glad we did. We had a wonderful time as always.Nov 09 misc 1 012 The drive there was crazy, a steady stream of headlights traveling south on the freeway. Were all those people going to St. George? Not once in the 2 hour drive North did we see a break in traffic headlights! Nov 09 misc 1 156 We turned off onto a scenic hwy (the back road) for the other 2 hours, and we were pretty much alone on the road…even the deer seemed to stay off the road, thank goodness. The temp gage in the car read 14 degrees at one point. I was thankful for the warm interior of the car. I also brought along blankets and pillows in case of an emergency.

We arrived late and the children were in bed asleep. Thanksgiving morning was cold and crisp…the waterfall in the back yard reminded me of a mountain stream…Nov 09 misc 1 021 Camille was already busy in the kitchen with the help of Mike…they are so cute together,Nov 09 misc 1 038 this is one Thanksgiving I DIDN’T DO A THING! Just played with the the “Little Rascals”

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WWe even hung out in our P.J.’s for a while! well at least the kids and Papa did….

Nov 09 misc 1 018 the fire place stove was lit and candles on the beautiful arrangement Mike gave Camille were glowing….it was going to be a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Nov 09 misc 1 029 Nov 09 misc 1 026 Camille is a fantastic cook. She is always busy in her kitchen and this year she made a Lemon Meringue Pie! A first for her. And it turned out beautifully! A HUGE hit, as this is one of my favorites!

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I didn’t even have to set the table! It was magically done as I was playing with the “Little Rascals” We were assigned our seats and under our dinner plate was a question to answer. It made for a lot of fun and crazy conversation during dinner. My question was, IF I HAD ONE MONTH TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING OR DO SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD I DO? well the first thing that came to my mind….silly me….was to be on Dancing with the Stars! Who would have guessed? LOL

There were many interesting questions, some serious, some leading to lots of laughter there was entertainment galore. The company was wonderful and we were all filled with not only food, but food for thought too. Camille’s dad, brother and 2 sisters were at the table,Nov 09 misc 1 062 OH and let’s not forget “George the bus driver”. Ryan invited George the bus driver to Thanksgiving dinner. He was alone and it was wonderful to have him join us. Ryan holds a special place in Georges heart, as well as ours.

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This is “George the bus driver” Thanks for joining us for dinner George!

Friday…”Black Friday” shopping Mike and Camille spent the night downtown Salt Lake City, got a hotel room so they could get up at 4 and hit the sales! Camille and Mike love the excitement of shopping till you drop! Have you ever heard of a man like that? He certainly didn’t get that from his dad!

That was our time with the “Little Rascals”, we took them bowling and then off to the hills above town to scout for deer. Nov 09 misc 1 040 We were lucky! We saw many deer this trip and 6 of which bound over a fence and walked across the road right in front of the car. The kids were very excited to see them!

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You will have to click the pics to enlarge. We topped our afternoon outing off with an ice cream cone then home to play and watch some movies. It was a good day.

Saturday evening we took the children to Salt Lake (30 min drive) to see the lights. The annual lighting of Temple Square downtown Salt Lake City is always a HUGE thing. Thousands of visitors come to see this spectacular event. It is so beautiful and amazing, words cannot describe it. So the “Little Rascals” and grown ups bundled up to stay warm and off we went. I wish I had a better camera to capture the beauty of the lights. I could not find a setting to do the lights justice.

This is a pic of a nativity scene in front of the LDS Temple, there is a shallow pond they call the “Reflection pond”. It was amazing.

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Every single tree and bush is lit with thousands and thousands of lights. It is hard to take it all in.

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Owen enjoyed a birds eye view on top of Camille's sister Kelly who was visiting from Canada.

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There was a narration of the birth of Christ and the statues were all life size. It looked so real. I wish I could have captured the awesomeness of the moment.

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We went inside the visitors center to get warm and let the children visit this scene…..one of my favorite….

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When I worked downtown across the street from the LDS Temple I would often go to the visitors center and sit on a bench right in front of this statue of Christ, the room is so beautiful, peaceful and I would reflect on all of my blessings. It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving for me to do so.

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It was a great night, I am so thankful for this little family…

Sunday Camille and her sisters prepared for more guests to arrive at their home. Camille’s younger brother has been called to serve a mission in Hawaii for 2 years and will be leaving on December 11th. Friends and family were invited to say their goodbyes to him. Camille once again outdid herself.

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As a joke, because my kids are joksters…this is what greeted anyone having to use the bathroom. YEAH BABY!

And as we said our goodbye to the “Little Rascals”….we headed back to sunny St. George, where the weather was much warmer!

Nov 09 misc 1 120 Best Friends…..Ryan and Owen, and a kiss goodbye to our still…Sleeping Beauty!

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Until the next time…when we return bearing Christmas Gifts!….

Love you all! Oma and Papa

thank you for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

13 comments:

Diana said...

Wow what a beautiful holiday you had Linda. Isn't it wonderful to not have to do any work on Thanksgiving Day! I think we've earned it and I love it.
All of the Christmas lights were so beautiful Linda, you did just fine with the photos, I could feel how awesome it all was!
It seemed to be a memorable and beautiful Thanksgiving!
Love Di

Eileen said...

Wow! I don't know where to start! I'm so glad you posted today because I won't be around for a few days and I would have missed this!
It's all so beautiful!
I love your little blond cuties! Such a beautiful family you have! And Thanksgiving all looks and sounds like it was so wonderful! What a nice gathering! Your son and daughter-in-law have such warm, inviting hearts, (how sweet to invite George the bus driver!) and it is reflected in their warm, inviting home.

Thanks also for sharing those amazing pictures! The lights are fantastic, and those statues are so beautiful, I can only imagine what it was like to view the Nativity Scenes up close and personal. The reflection pond is stunningly jaw-dropping! And thanks for doing the close-up of the Nativity Scene there. Very moving.
I appreciate you sharing this with us, I really enjoyed it all!

Enjoy your weekend!
Love to you, Eileen

Wanda..... said...

Wonderful post of your family at Thanksgiving Linda. I imagine Salt Lake City's Reflection Pond is lovely all year long. They must have strung lights around every little twig on those trees, just beautiful...your photos captured the sights well.
Your "Little Rascals"...best friends Ryan and Owen and little Sleeping Beauty were probably the best part of the trip for you and your husband. Grandparents are like that!
Enjoy the weekend Linda,
Wanda

Jackie said...

Linda...If this isn't a beautiful winter wonderland, then one doesn't exist.
This is beautiful!!! I am so enchanted with the photos....the snow..the lights....the family...(the pie!!)... :))
I've been missing you.
Smiles from Jackie

Mandy said...

What a trip. I am so glad you were able to visit with Mike and family. Camille is awesome and I cannot believe all that she does. Mike is up there too. Love you all.

Jientje said...

Again another beautiful post where we get to share the warmth of the heart of the family with you. It looks like you had a wonderful time and everybody has outdone his/herself to make this the most beautiful Thanksgiving ever!
Loved the pictures of all the lights, beautiful Linda! Have a great weekend!

Scriptor Senex said...

What a wonderful, heart-warming post, Linda. So good to see the best side of family life.

Pat said...

Oh, I loved this post..all the time you took to share such a wonderful day! I went to Salt Lake and saw the Temple when I was a child..I remember that it made quite an impression on me even way back then..and I mean way back!!LOL!
Camille looks like the perfect hostess, and lemon pie is my very favorite. I never make it, but now I feel the need to!
Those "rascals" are adorable. If we could only keep them small for a while longer!
Beautiful post..thank you so much!

Jerelene said...

Hello Linda!
What a wonderful Thanksgiving you had!! What a lovely home they have and it looks like you had a great dinner too :)
The Christmas lights and decorations are gorgeous!! I would love that!!
I'm glad you had such a nice time spent with family..
Thanks for all the sweet comments...you are a dear friend :)
Love you...Jerelene

Barb said...

I enjoyed reading about your wonderful Thanksgiving with Family, Linda - esp since it was nearby an area I had just visited! They were putting up the lights and the Christmas Story Tableau when we were in Tabernacle Square a couple weeks ago. Yum - that Lemon Meringue pie looks great - it's my husband's favorite.
As always - very cute pics of the Grands!

Cynthia L. H. said...

Wow!!!! What a beautiful occasion you got to share with friends and loved ones.
;^)
Spectacular photos!
;^)

Settlement Canyon Irrigation Co. said...

Hey that was a great wrap-up of our perfect weekend! Too bad I have a double chin in the pie picture!! Oh well. Your temple square pictures are really pretty. The one of Ryan and Owen is cute too. (I need a copy!)
Love Camille

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful holiday! I'm happy for you. Great photos. The last one is just precious.