Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
               ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In the hustle and bustle of life it is easy to get so caught up in the little things; will I get the tests graded, what are we having for dinner, how am I going to get the house clean, laundry done, I don't want to go to work tomorrow etc... How joyful we would be if we remembered to enjoy every minute, rejoice in the mundane, thank God in the difficult times as well as the easy going ones. On Thanksgiving Jim and I are thankful for so much. We have a wonderful marriage, a beautiful, growing daughter, fabulous friends, and families who have provided the foundation of it all.

Our day was awesome! We woke up early and got the turkeys cooking. Jim smoked two turkey breasts that took a long time to cook so they weren't ready for dinner. They were delicious though and produced enough tasty meat for everyone to have a goody bag for yummy sandwiches later. My roasted turkey turned out great! I was a little worried having never cooked a 14 lb bird before. We brined it for  1 1/2 days and then I used my good friend Bobby's recipe for a butter herb rub. (If you haven't heard, we are now on a first name basis with Bobby Flay since Jim's call in to the Food Network on their Live Thanksgiving show - don't be jealous ;) ). I made a few side dishes, as did my mom and my mother in law and it all came together to be a delicious feast. We had Jim's parents, my mom and my siblings all together. We missed my dad, who was in China, but we'll get to visit with him when he gets home this weekend.

Carson ate enough to double her weight. She loved the mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, turkey, stuffing.... honestly there was nothing that she didn't like. She sat at the table with us and provided all our guests with plenty of entertainment. It is safe to say we have a little diva on our hands. In her high chair she paraded all her  tricks; "how big is Carson?", "Are you cute?", "clapping hands", "all done"... We will try to get video posted at some point, however, catching them on film is like trying to get a clear picture of bigfoot on film. 

As I said before, we have so much for which we are thankful. My prayer for the coming months is that in every circumstance we have  a heart of thanksgiving. There is an awesome God who provides for every essential need and we are most thankful that we share a relationship with Him. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
 The Fryes