We travelled to Arizona to commemorate the pilgrims and indians this year. And boy are we glad! We escaped record cold temperatures in Salt Lake! We left the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and barely got out of town before a massive blizzard hit.
We spent time with Mindy's two sisters, Autum and VerRona, and their families. Mindy's mother also made the journey with them. Wednesday was spent hanging out, making pies, and enjoying the warm, perfect weather. Mindy made her first ever cheescake (pumpkin cheescake, that is). She didn't realize it was supposed to take a total of 9 hours unti she'd already started. It only took about 6, total. Nothing too fancy, just lots of time in the oven, in a water bath. Yes, it was more than amazing!
Derek spoke his "animal talk" to Autum and Dave's dog (this consists of high-pitched squeeling/babbling). Tyler played video games with Jake and Brian, and we had a grand ol' time.
Thanksgiving morning, CariAnn, Autum, VerRona, Mindy, and their cousin Amanda, all ran the Turkey Trot (10K that's been around in the area for decades and was the first race the 3 sisters ever signed up for). Mindy finally beat the guy running in the turkey suit (she'd been dreaming of for about 15 years) with a time of 44:38. Everyone did well and had a great time. Tyler played in a turkey bowl and showed everyone that he's not slow and/or old! He's a natural athlete, to say the least.
Thanksgiving dinner was scrumptious! We tried some twists on the originals, like chipotle yams, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, the pumpkin cheesecake :), and many others.
Friday we spent time with VerRona and her adorable 3 daughters. Derek and cousin Laura had fun playing outside on the swing set. We ate lunch at Joe's Farm Grill (a place featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" on Food Network). It was to die for!! Tyler said it was by far the best burger he's ever had- ever!
We drove back to Utah on Saturday. Again the weather was in our favor. Early Sunday morning a huge snow storm hit Salt Lake and dumped 1-3 feet of snow on the valley floor! We were grateful to be home and safe.
Our fall has been wonderful, full of fun, and entertainment (thanks to Derek). Tyler's semester will be over soon and we are excited for Christmas- especially since Tyler's brother Justin will be home from his mission.
