Giving Thanks (version 2.0)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! We've had a quiet and relaxing day and we've enjoyed it very much. Comfy pj's, no make-up (Josh takes forever putting on his makeup! heehee) and an entire day of cuddling with our pups was really wonderful. Here are some pictures from our day:

We started the day by watching the parade. I always get excited to watch and I get especially excited when the Mike Miller girls come on! It was exactly 10 years ago on Thanksgiving that I was in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as one of the Mike Miller dancers, along with my best friend Jess and another friend, Kelly. New York City for three high school seniors...no parents and a big huge city with all of the sight-seeing coordinated for us was such an amazing experience! Seeing the parade every year reminds me of our trip and the freezing cold day that did the 2 1/2 mile march/dance in the parade and I love seeing the girls and remembering how much fun we had. (Coincidentally, last week I was out visiting Mamaw & Papaw and I got a big bag of some of my things that Mamaw found as they were doing a remodel. The bag contained my Macy's uniform and my warm ups. I certainly didn't try to fit into them but it was neat to see them again.)Okay, back from memory lane! After a pretty relaxing morning watching the parade, Josh started cooking. Here he is tending to the turkey (which, by the way, turned out aaahhhh-maaazingly well! soo moist!):

omg, yummm! sweet potatoes and turkey!:J pouring his beloved Thanksgiving turnips:

Lukey hung out hiding from the broom and the vacuum whenever possible:

J carving the turkey:

My mom came over for lunch and she filled up on Josh's delicious cooking, too!:

Eat up!:

Me and my sweet, gorgeous hubby! (bearded and all...)

Kowe Sue always finds out who will be handing out scraps!

After eating, we all relaxed on the couch for a bit and then ate some dessert. After that, we all crashed and took a nap, even my mom! Here's a picture of the dogs...they were tuckered out!!

Our day was long, restful, food-filled and wonderful! We did miss our families (besides mom), but we were thankful to be at home with our dogs. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we thought we would give thanks like we did last year.

• As always, we are most thankful for our happy home. We are blessed to have a strong marriage and we have been through some very difficult things this year...things that tend to drive many couples apart. Thankfully, we have only been driven closer through all that we've endured. That's certainly not to say that things are all roses and butterflies, all of the time, but things are really very good, which is more than we can hope for!
• Our babies are second on the list because they complete our sweet little family. They bring joy to us that I'm sure no one else understands, but they have carried us through a lot of those tough times that I mentioned before. (Lukey is *the* most compassionate dog and he knows how to cuddle you at just the right times when you're feeling down. He's very intuitive and seems to be highly empathetic. I have cried on Lukey's shoulder more times that I care to admit! For that, I am very thankful.) Yes, we have had our fair share of bites, fights and barking fits, but we wouldn't trade those two mop-heads for the world.
• Family is a given. Being close to family is such a blessing and we appreciate all of the time that we are able to spend with them. Personally, I am beyond thankful for the strength and support of my sister. She is the only person (aside from Josh) that I know I don't have to pretend with. She gets me better than anyone. I am also incredibly thanful for the best in-laws that a girl could ever ask for. I say that a lot, but it is really true...and unusual, unfortunately. I wish more people were able to experience the kind of in-laws that I have.
• We're thankful for our abundance of nephews! They offer lots of entertainment, that is for sure. Nothing makes you feel better than when those little boys light up at the sight of you. They melt our hearts every day.
• Along that same line, we are not only thankful for Alex's healthy and safe arrival, but also for the joy that he has brought to everyone, especially his proud daddy. We can't wait to watch him grow and his picture updates are a highlight of our week!
• We are thankful for friends, both new and old. We have gained some wonderful friends this year and continue to be thankful for the friends that we have had all along. Good friends are hard to come by and we're lucky to have the ones that we do!
• In looking back over the past year, we realize how very lucky we are to have been able to see new places and experience new things.
• I am so thankful to still love my job. It's still my dream job and I work with a group of wonderful ladies, which makes things even better.
• Pretty much, it comes down to the people in our lives that we're thankful for. Things are pretty good in the Wright household these days!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!