give thanks

it was a whirlwind november! cory & i bought a queen size bed during the veteran's day sales, but we didn't expect so many visitors back to back. however, it was so lovely to have the gresses, then cory's parents stay with us. trey may be coming this weekend but we'll see. the next person to arrive will be our baby and then my mom!

shelly & craig made a huge sacrifice in coming out here because they worked all tuesday, then drove through the night (usually 10 hours, but nearly 14 with traffic/accidents) to get to tennessee! cory took me to my doctor's appointment that morning and then we headed up to his office in nashville because the doctor's office took FOREVER. cory's parents met us at his office and he tested their hearing (perks of being related/married to a HIS). they were tired, so we went home so they could nap and we finished up last minute thanksgiving shopping. we took them to jim and nick's bbq for dinner, where i was less than impressed with the food. such a bummer! everyone was tired, so we went home and played games.

thanksgiving day! i was excited to put on my first thanksgiving, but at 34 weeks pregnant, with just cory's parents (not big eaters) and us, i was not planning anything super fancy. however, we did a nice gold tablecloth and linen napkins (under $15 from kohl for all!) and we used our wedding china for the first time! i made: orange and sage turkey, spinach/vegetable stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, squash, fruit salad, cranberry sauce and we bought some rolls and sparkling cider (my favorite). shelly made her yummy chocolate pie (and gravy to go with the potatoes)! it was a feast and nobody ate too much, so we had leftovers for days :)

cory's family loves to bargain shop, so black friday is widely celebrated among his relatives! it was my first time going, and even though it was MUCH better than i thought it was going to be, i don't think it's something i will voluntarily participate in. it's a lot of work to narrow down the best sales, get the items in a timely manner and wait in line! shelly was such a pro-her boss was PAYING her to get christmas presents for his family-and she knew all the deals at all the stores. we went to best buy and walmart with her, and none of the really good black friday deals were marked, so you either had to know what you were getting or wander around with the ads.

friday morning we went to a cowboy boot store in nashville where cory and his family all got boots! it was quite a dilemma for everyone to decide on boots-they had quite the selection. we stopped at a mall in franklin to check out some more deals. we ate dinner at chuy's, the best mexican in town (at least that we know of)! on saturday, we did some more shopping and returns and our day was kind of interrupted when the hills' car battery died! luckily, everything worked out and we got the car fixed and made it home to rest for a bit. we tried to see "interstellar" but it was sold out, so we ended up having a quiet night.

on sunday, it was so fun to have shelly and craig at church with us, especially since cory gave a talk! they had to leave soon after we got home and we took long naps. those two are like energizer bunnies and make me feel like an old woman :) it sure was fun to have them out here. i'm so grateful for family!