thanksgiving in a box

this thanksgiving is going to be good for me.
i am a girl who is all about tradition. i've
never not had turkey on thanksgiving day...
even if my family was traveling, we've
done the whole shebang. i'm also a family
girl. {hello, as if this isn't obvious} and i've
always been with my family on thanksgiving.

this year with my parents living away in
johannesburg and us living away from
family, we thought it would be a good
year to do something different. shake it up
a little bit...or a lot. so, we'll be in india
having a very different but probably very
memorable thanksgiving this year. we're
actually probably already there as you
read this! {the miracle of scheduled posts}

so while i am very excited and thankful to
have the opportunity to see this amazing
new country, i know it will feel a little
different this year. but that's good! that
means we are living and experiencing new
things and it will make me appreciate
those classic thanksgivings past & future
so much more. this year thanksgiving 
couldn't quite escape us, and i did
find a way to have it early through one
of our favorite local companies delivering.
luke's local has been a favorite since
living in the bay, and luke saved our
thanksgiving this year by sending us a
sampler of their thanksgiving boxes that
are on sale this year. i love to cook as
much as anyone, but i know that there may
be some others who are in different 
situations and looking for a local company
that still feels like homemade thanksgiving
dinner. this is your ticket! taking a look at
the menu here will make you so excited for
thanksgiving. they really do it right! and
here are a few photos from our little
thanksgiving 2014 that came in a box :)

^^ a pretty darling delivery, if i do say so myself.
*remember, this was a sampler box for 2 - the actual
thanksgiving delivery would be much larger :)

i loved this gorgeous fall arrangement made up of  

french marigolds, sunflowers, milkweed, etc. this

splash of fall color would be so perfect for a 

thanksgiving table, am i right??? ^^

^^ why don't we eat like this all year round? 

that is my question.

one of our best thanksgivings because it equaled

zero dishes :) it might not have looked as festive, but 

i definitely got my thanksgiving fill from this tender

turkey, tangy cranberry sauce, creamy mashed potatoes,

 and the yummiest roasted brussels sprouts- a great addition.

obviously if you have it delivered on the real day you

would put it on plates and make it all fancy, but this is 

our year to get away with not doing that. and it still tasted

just as good :) we also tried the yummy rolls, one of the best

 parts always! there are a lot more amazing menu items

on the website -- i'm eyeing those candied sweet potatoes!

and let's never forget pie. a homemade pumpkin pie 
tastes so much better, and this is how luke's tasted. 
also-the apple pie has an strudel topping that is
out-of-this-world. i could never decide 
between these two, so just trust me! get both :)

whether you're cooking this thanksgiving, being cooked for, 
ordering, going out, or being completely random and going to
india...i hope your holiday is filled with good food and family
 and favorite people and some tradition...or something new.

i'm grateful for things that change and things that stay the
same all at once. i'm grateful for tradition and comfort,
but also for newness and getting out of comfort zones.
i'm grateful for a spouse who loves both and is by my
side every step of every day. i'm grateful for friends
and family who love and support us. i'm grateful
for having a home to miss, and for having new places
and experiences to fall in love with. i'm grateful for
this year for pushing and stretching me and being
one to remember. i'm grateful for the future and for
always being able to look forward. i'm grateful for the
little life we've built on our own. i'm grateful for
all the little tiny things that make up this wonderful
world. i'm grateful for good food, holidays, & reasons
to stop and remember how good we have it - even
just to be alive. here's to some curry turkey this
thanksgiving for us! :) thanks luke's for giving
us a taste of real thanksgiving before we left.

*you can order a thanksgiving box from luke's up until
midnight on monday night-- so go look at the menu here!
and see their cute thanksgiving video here!
xo

thanksgiving 2013

this year's thanksgiving was so cozy and relaxing, just how it should be.

we flew into our city by the salty lake and headed up in the mountains 

past heber, utah with chase's family at a cabin for the weekend.

we sat by the fire, ate way too much food, played games, went on snowy walks,
watched movies, cuddled up in blankets, cooked together, talked with family

we never get to see, read, and had no phones/wifi/laptops/internet.

it was just what we needed.

we finished off the weekend with shopping in park city, going to the last
utah football game, visiting our friends, and doing dinner with my family.

we are so grateful to have a place to call home.
we love the familiar streets and feeling of salt lake city.
we'll see you again in 18 days!

love that cabin light.

chase's brother paris requested banana pudding

along with pumpkin pie + chocolate pie.

grandson + grandma.

the cutest uncle. heart eyes!

as for the rest of the weekend...

leftovers are the best part of thanksgiving,

but we did have to add a few more sweet potatoes..

and found this mustache sweet potato!

meeting the sweetest nephew zachary

we headed down from the cabin and 

made it to the U game on saturday

love our alma mater.

chase accidentally forgot his red.... luckily we still won!

nephew tagg + U games + cafe rio. three things we miss!

and then the christmas decorations

started to appear........

thankful for a cozy weekend spent with family.

now, back to california until christmas!!!

{our sunrise flight..we'll be back soon!}

xo

a different kind of thankful list

i love thanksgiving. 

but, i do get a little bit overwhelmed by all the the grateful & thankful lists and "what are you thankful for" etc. etc. etc. all over the internet and world during this month.

this isn't because i don't care about gratitude, it's the opposite. it's because i try so hard to focus on gratitude every day of the entire year, so when november rolls around i feel pressured like THIS is the time to talk and show gratitude all packed into one holiday...and it feels like i need to have some amazing, all-inclusive thankful list to sum up everything i'm grateful for. this stresses me out because i could never sum up everything in one list, post, day, week, month, or year! every day of life is beautiful and has something to be thankful for, and i am constantly in awe of the blessings of this life.

so this year, i'm taking a deep breath and realizing that this is simply the time to reflect on the gratitude we should be feeling and showing all year round. i'm realizing that i don't need to make grand lists of all the many and obvious things i am grateful for, like our jobs and family and house and health. these are so incredible, but like i said- they are the obvious ones i am saying thank you for in my heart every single day and waking moment. that continues even stronger in november, but this year in this post i am focusing on smaller gifts that i truly am thankful for right now...i want more specific things in my 2013 thanksgiving list, so that when i look back i remember the special and unique things i took time to truly appreciate this year through this wonderful holiday. 

this list is also different because it has some things that i might not have been grateful for normally, but this season has made me change my perspective on them and realize the positives about them. 

this week in my TFA class, i asked my students to tell me one thing they are grateful for. mostly every student said, "my family" ... "a roof over my head" ... etc...which are wonderful things! but then, one student said, "i'm grateful for my ADHD because it means i have so much energy and enthusiasm all the time!" everyone laughed and i smiled and thought what a beautiful thing that was to be grateful. he was taking something that could be negative or challenging and expressing gratitude for the positive side of it. and that, i think, is what thanksgiving season should do for all of us.

so, i don't need to have EVERYTHING in this thankful list. i need to have it in my heart, but i can step back and just list some different and special thankful items for right now. 

so here we go..a little bit of a different thankful list..where i am truly trying to find new things to be grateful for, other than the major things i strive to have gratitude for all year round. 
{i am firstly thankful for you for reading all of that rambling!!}

2013 thankful list

• plans that change. i am grateful that although we are planners and put effort and thought into our future, unexpected things still happen. it keeps life exciting, and reminds me i'm not always in charge. it's a big serving of humble pie that ends up turning out for the best later. 
• g chat. i know it sounds funny! but g chat gets me through the day sometimes. my friends + hubby and i can all write little things to each other and i love coming back to my computer at work and seeing the gmail tab flashing "chase says..." "kendall says...." "anna says..." "di says..." "abby says..." it brightens my day and also you'd be surprised at some of the deep chats you can have on there!
• differences. lately i've appreciated differences more than i ever have before... differences of opinion allowing me to have some of the best conversations. differences in experience teaching me new things. our sweet little newborn nephew being different and even more special because of it. differences are what make us all unique and what makes life interesting.
• serendipity. for being my favorite word and favorite thing. i have experienced so many happy coincidences lately, and there's nothing better.
• comfortable silence. the sign of a good relationship. most thankful for this on nights when i get home from work + a long night of grad school and come in the door to my husband who just welcomes me with open arms and lays on the couch and just lets us sit and relax...and eat kettle corn. no words necessary.
• california. for being our current home and making us feel loved & welcome... and warm{er} this winter.
• challenges. seriously, sounds cheesy but i am grateful for you. you make me feel like i'm doing something with my life and you're teaching me that the hardest things in life are usually the most worthwhile.
• june. for making me so excited for you...you are when i finish TFA, grad school, and a few other crazy things. excited for a change and new chapter..{and to celebrate two years!} also grateful for the hard work that will come in between now and then.
• the gopro. for capturing our life better than ever this year. we have some amazing memories recorded thanks to you!
• dishes. for being proof that i get to cook, that we eat well, and that my husband does them after the meal :)
• airplanes. i can't be writing on the "well-traveled wife" and not mention gratitude for my favorite thing- travel! grateful for airplanes for a) taking us all over the world. b) always making me giddy to be on them. c) giving out biscoff cookies. d) taking us home today to be with family for thanksgiving.

i love this life so much. the good days, the hard days, 

all of it is just pretty remarkable if you step back 

and realize how blessed you are. i love thanksgiving 

even more now that i think i've finally unlocked 

what it means for me-- pushing extra gratitude 

into the areas of life where it might be 

harder to show it all year round.

so thank you, thanksgiving, for changing our focus, 

for providing the BEST food, 

for being a reason to go home and be with loved ones, 

and for kicking off the holidays. {i see you, christmas.}

happy thanksgiving to all! 

XOXO

tuesday ten: we are thankful...

in honor of thanksgiving week, here are ten {of the million} things 

we are thankful for. we sat down and made this list together last night, 

and it was so hard to choose just 10! but we did, and here it it is.

we are thankful...
1. that we get to live away just the two of us in such a fun place and have adventures and fall more in love each day.

2. that we both have good jobs that make us feel 
like we're making a difference.

3. that we both love watching football and 
how the fall has been filled with it.
{we may or may not have been watching football as we thought of this one...}
 

4. that we have amazing travel plans 
booked for the coming year.

5. that emi likes to cook and chase likes to eat what she cooks.

6. that we have a cute little 
apartment #107 to call home.

7. that we see palm trees every day.

8. that we have hot running water so that chase 
can take his 2 hour showers..
{chase may or may not have left mid-list to take his long shower, inspiring this one:}
 

9. that we get to facetime with our family and 
best friends and feel like we're with them...and that we 
really get to be with them tomorrow!!

10. that we have so many possibilities coming up 
in our future that we can't wait to find out about!!

and mostly, we're grateful for a heavenly father who 
provides all of these blessings! here's to thanksgiving 
and going home to be with family!!
 

xoxo