Thanksgiving in Steamboat Springs

Hello sweet family and friends,

Happy belated Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There's something about yummy food, family, and a built-in nap time that you just can't beat. Although it's my favorite holiday, this is the first year I've had a countdown going since August because it was my first break from school and I truly didn't think I could make it to the end of the semester without it. i'm only being a little bit dramatic. Now, we just have to tough it out for a few more weeks and then we're home free and off to be reunited with family, southern accents, yummy food, and the smell of salt water. My mom sent me a picture of the food she made for Thanksgiving and even though I had stuffed myself until I might pop my mouth still watered. I can't wait to see that lovely woman.

This Thanksgiving we met Addison's family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It was cold and snowy and the opposite of Arizona and we loved it. We've decided that while the snow is beautiful it can be a pain and we'll take our 100+ degree summers over snow plows and lots and lots of layers of clothing. Although, I won't lie and say I wasn't super excited to break out my boots and hats. On our first day we explored the precious downtown and spent a lot of time relaxing with his family. I love getting to spend time with Addison's family, but it was definitely too short of a visit. The week was exactly what I hoped it would be, filled with good food, sweet family, and relaxation. I spent a few hours everyday preparing for finals, but finally I just gave up and decided I should enjoy the company I rarely get to spend time with and that school could wait until we got back to Arizona.

When we did head back home, it was sunny and 84 degrees. We spent Thanksgiving with some of Addison's classmates and some of their family. It was the perfect ending to a long day thanks to the delicious food and great company. Addison and I brought macaroni and cheese made from the recipe Addison loves and that his mom was kind enough to share with us. We also brought green bean casserole and I'm happy to announce that Addison approved of both and said the mac and cheese tasted like his Mom's! I was on a bit of a losing streak with my dinners before Thanksgiving so this was kind of a big deal for me. I made a spicy chicken rigatoni that ended up being about 20 times spicier than anyone on the planet would like. I also struck out hard with a honey balsamic chicken that ended up tasting like nothing. I'm thankful for a husband who is willing to try my pinterest experiments and is fine with waiting another 30 minutes for me to run over to panda express and get us dinner after my experiment flops. I will say that I made fajitas and lasagna this week and the lasagna was my best one yet :) !!

Since getting back I've tried to study and get the house back in order. I had been losing weight before Thanksgiving only to gain half of it back in the days before Thanksgiving....shameful, I know. So I've spent time at the gym as well. Addison got a beautiful over and under shotgun for his birthday and took it out to go clay shooting with his friends and is even more in love with it. It really is a gorgeous gun! Sassy was surprisingly unhappy to see us when we got back, but she's made up for it the past few days by being sweeter than ever. She actually got into my lap and cuddled today while I was writing a paper. I got some pretty priceless video of her purring her cute little face off yesterday while cuddling with us.

Addison's birthday is coming up and I'm so lucky that I've been able to spend 7 birthdays with this handsome, brilliant, hilarious, and adorable human being. We have plans to put up our Christmas tree this week and I am so excited. I've still got some Christmas candles from The Lily Pad (check them out if you're in Oxford) and I've been burning them non-stop since we got back.

I hope to update y'all again soon! These next few weeks will be busy for us, but hopefully will include some blog-worthy stories. I hope y'all are all doing well!! We miss you and love you each so much!!

xoxo and hotty toddy to all :)