Thankful

  So much to be thankful for this past year......

We spent Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's home.

We incorporated several of Barbara's (Justin's mom) dishes and treats into our thanksgiving to keep her spirit with us...and we also kept several of my mom's dishes and treats... so we had a TON of delicious food....

I slaved in the kitchen for hours.......(that was funny huh?) no I assisted Chef Justin with all of his creations... and mom supervised. 

Grandpa and Grandma Norris came over for the big feast, and we were excited to be able to present them with this gift we had been working on for quite some time.

Dad carved the turkey and my Uncle Gene and Granny Morris we're there too to indulge in the feast!

Mom and I did some simple decorating to add to the magic and we attempted (second time in 2011) to try and take a sucessful family photo of the Morris/Norris/Starr Crew...it's quite a task with this group, lemme tell  ya. 

And for a brief moment in time, I realized how incredibly blessed I am.... as I looked around at our thanksgiving gathering I felt so much love, comfort, and warmth.... each year life seems to get a little more bittersweet  in some ways (maybe that's just a part of growing up) but I also grow more and more appreciative for my loved ones and experiences we're able to share together.

The day after Thanksgiving Justin had to go to work, but Chase and I had the day off...so we put up the Christmas for Mom and Dad.  Justin had left his fancy camera behind so I snapped these precious shots.