Let us be thankful.

Let us all be thankful for...

... cousins...

...for adventure hikes with Grandma...

...for nieces and nephews...

...for silliness...

...for chin faces...

...for kombucha and chocolate...

...for laughter...

...for making new friendships...

...for the earth and the sky...

...for bumcracks...

...for sunlight...

...for afternoon strolls and cowboy hats...

...for after-dinner drinks...

...for sistas...

...for fireside conversations...

...for cigar time...

...for pre-feast jam sessions in the sun......for learning how to play the djembe...

...for guitars......for music... ...for cameras and cute dresses...

...for doggies...

..for Chica's unfailing ability to find deer legs and bring them home...

...for childhood...

...for foooood......for a feast at sunset......for time spent with family and friends......Let us all be thankful for life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

T-Day!

First of all, I am the worst blogger ever for the last few weeks. I'm sorry.
Second of all, I'm so excited for Thanksgiving because we will be spending it in Marysvale! Anthony, Jennifer and the kids are in town and I seriously live for time spent with friends and family. It's the best. Can I just say that my family is the greatest? When we are together, we have so much fun together. So, for the next four days, these are some of the things on my agenda: campfire, hot tub, talk, laugh, cook, eat, wine, kombucha, making music, listening to music, family videos, turkey, hugs, pajamas, pumpkin pie cheesecake, memories, inside jokes, laughing until we snort/cry, snow?, dogs, kids, stories, more food, more wine, more campfire, more hot tub and more incredible memories made in Marysvale! :) Here's a pic from last year...maybe we can expect another snowstorm in the hot tub?
P.S. Mike, Emily and kids...we misssss you! :)
P.S.S. Can Brandon take a normal picture?

Prost!

We took our annual trip up to Snowbird for Oktoberfest last month and as always, enjoyed good beer, good food, good polka music and good company. Cheers! (Prost!)

These guys were kind enough to let us take pictures with them and their very large horns.

Cassidy and Isabella
Brittany and Meag enjoying a good polka

Brittany, Meag and Tamara - until next year! :)

FRA-GI-LE - Handle With Care

Fra-gi-le...you know, like from A Christmas Story? Anyway, I forgot to dress up at work today, so I came up with something quickly. Neato, huh?

Salsa Chicas

Last weekend, Tamara, my mom and I got together for a day of salsa making. We always had my mom's fresh salsa growing up and the last few years, we've totally missed it!! My mom brought some of Nani's old aprons and we wore them all day. I was totally taken by surprise when I put her apron on, put it to my nose and it smelled exactly like her and her kitchen. What memories...

We had such a fun day filled with laughter, conversation, loud music, empanadas and SALSA!

Here we are, bright eyed and bushy tailed...

Then, 8 hours later...not so bright eyed, or bushy tailed :)

Thanks Mamacita for teaching us everything you know about canning! Like Dad said, it is becoming a 'lost art'. :)

Squatternut Bosh

Before

Have I told you how much we like food? Have I told you that sometimes I take pictures of our food? With yesterday's cloudy weather and a box FULL of autumn harvest from my Mom's garden, I couldn't help myself. It's a Butternut Squash Apple Soup, but we also added a pear, cinnamon and a little cayenne pepper. It was delicioso. (click here for recipe)

After

Good one...

"Our individuality is all, all, that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life's bittersweet route." — Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume)