It seems like every post I write lately is titled “Covid- _____” because yep, we are still very much in the middle of this pandemic. And now that the winter season is here, covid cases especially in Utah are spiking like crazy. Hospitals are filled to capacity and we are required to wear masks to school, church, stores, or anywhere in public.
We were able to slip away for a walk in the hollow with my dad, Pat, Sarah and Michael.
Because of all the restrictions, we did our very first Thanksgiving just on our own. I know it was hard for our parents to not be gathered together, but we had some really special moments that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
Usually when we are with family for Thanksgiving, the kids run around with cousins, the same people prepare the food, we each bring a side, and we all fall into our own undesignated roles.
But this year gave us the opportunity to make it a family affair. Since I knew we were in charge of our entire meal, I started prepping food a week in advance.
I made rolls with Eli and Oliver’s help to freeze until the morning of.
Blake made a chocolate pie and helped with the layered jello.
Oliver helped fill all of the water cups and put the name cards on our plates.
Brandon cooked the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Evelyn helped me the stuffing.
Our children were so excited for our big feast as they called it and I wanted to deliver.
I set our table very fancy with layered candlesticks, black and white table runner, eucalyptus garland and name cards. It felt so fun to be having a fancy dinner together. (But funny that we spent hours and hours preparing for just a 30-minute meal.)
We took a cold, but leisurely stroll through the hollow by my Dad’s house earlier that morning with Grandpa Dave, Sarah, and Michael. It felt good to be outside and see some family on the big day.
After our feast, we let the dishes sit in the sink and cuddled up to It’s a Wonderful Life, one of Brandon’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions. That led to a very tearful and heartfelt chat about our worth and importance. It was so sweet to see Blake and Evelyn catch a glimpse of that meaning.
Then more pie!
Our prophet President Nelson gave us a challenge to flood social media with what we are thankful for this past week. There has been so much gloom, contention, and bad news going around that it was very uplifting to see lots of people join in to spread feelings of gratitude, despite the challenges we are facing.
