turkey day!

 

me with luke's cousins & sister.

this turkey day was more of a turkey week, as we've had lots of family parties all on different days.

wednesday we got together with my side of the fam.. which only consisted of my 2 littlest sisters & my grandparents on my dad's first wife's side.

the biddulphs are adorable, except my grandma is crazy. it makes for fun holiday dinner conversation.

thursday we went to morgan to go to luke's aunt's dinner. there was easily 100 people there. i thought i knew what a big family was but.. luke's family easily defeats us gardner's. i had a headache by the end of the day trying to know everyone's names.

all in all it was lots of good food & family... i have been so stuffed the past 2 days but been saving room all day as luke is taking me to sushi tonight for my birthday.

tomorrow is my birthday party at slackwater...pizza yay! it's going to be a fun weekend. 

 

the drive home from morgan was gorgeous.

 

luke captured a photo of me mid-food coma.. glasses still on, feet dangling off the coach.. i was so full & SO TIRED. successful, i daresay.

 

turkey cookies.

 

my grandpa carving the turkey, like a boss.

hope everyone's holiday was fantastic! i missed my texas family but it was nice to see both sides. happy thanksgiving! 

grateful.

 

i am so grateful to have the family that i do...and the good friends.

i've grown so much this past year and it's all because of the amazing people i've surrounded myself with.

i'm so grateful for my nephews & niece... everyday they give me a reason to smile. when i'm having a bad day i look at pictures i have of them saved on my phone & i can't help but feel better.

i'm grateful for my parents, always supporting & loving me even when i put them through hell & back.

my siblings & sisters-in-law for being amazing & becoming more my friends than family over the years.

for all of them putting up with my feisty temper, my potty mouth & my tendency to overreact to...everything.

i am so lucky!

happy thanksgiving, friends. i hope it's a great day for you all!

cheese.

tomorrow is thanksgiving, & while i plan on posting a plethora of things i am grateful for, i wanted to dedicate an entire post to this boy.

in case you guys hadn't heard, we are in love.

he does everything in his power to ensure i am happy. he tells me he loves me every single day & he makes sure to get at least one kiss a day (which is hard to do during the week when we never see each other). 

he randomly surprises me...with a guitar, with concert tickets, & by growing out his facial hair for no shave november solely because he knows how much i like facial hair.

it's really the little things that make me realize how much he loves me.

we joke together, laugh together, fight, cry, smile & more.

he's seen every side of me & has been there for me through it all.

 

here's just one instance of his surprising me... i woke up the other night around 6pm to find these sitting on my dresser.

luke came in the bedroom & i said "what are these for??" he said "well, it's the week of your  birthday. so happy early birthday."

seriously!?! my smile was humongous. 

i am so grateful for the experiences that led me up to my first day working at starbucks.

if none of those crappy things wouldn't have happened, none of this would have happened.

it just goes to show you have to weather a few storms in order to get to the rainbow.

thankful.

ah, thanksgiving day.

there is a lot to be thankful for.

today i am thankful for my cute family, for how my life is turning out, for regular's at my work who bring us pies, for food in general, for my best friends, for the house i live in, for my job, for the people i know and love.

it was a wonderful holiday week! i always forget that thanksgiving week is one of my favorites. it's my birthday, thanksgiving, going to the movies with my family, hanging out with good friends, sweatshirts and scarves. it's a little bit of everything i love.

more on the week's events later though. for now i just want to share my favorite part about thanksgiving, other than the stuffing.

so. much. pie.

i'm also grateful for my incredibly adorable, cuddly, lovable, and quite obese cat.

grateful.

every november i make a point to remember all the things and people i am grateful for.

and it is safe to say that i am incredibly blessed.

my nephew and niece.

my cute niece and nephew....

as well as my brothers and sisters.

cute parents.

great friends
[among others!]

cameras. without them we could not capture our memories.

SNOW.

utah sunsets.

definitely more to come.