friday photos

We were apparently too busy making and eating delicious food to take any good Thanksgiving photos. My parents came into town for a few days, and Genghis loved having their undivided attention. We spent Thanksgiving day with them and with some good friends.

Genghis spent most of Thanksgiving dinner chasing this cat.


My dad, the food scientists (specializing in dairy and cheese), trying out some of Zingerman's offerings. Still looking for Parmesan that doesn't have a dirty feet/baby spit up aftertaste.


Mom got sick the last day she was here, but put on a bold face.


We had our first real snow this week. After many tears and kicks, we got Genghis bundled up and headed out for a few minutes. He was wary of the snow, especially after falling hands first in it without gloves. I think I'll put him through a regimen of indoor boot training for the next 2 weeks. He couldn't stay standing in his (let alone walk), so we had to go with regular shoes which soaked through pretty quickly.

Thanksgiving Playlist

I threatened to do it, and 1 hour and 48 minutes before turkey day, it's done. Here is my Thanksgiving playlist, in alphabetical order by song title. On a better day, all of these songs would be linked. Apologies. However, I did put it together using Grooveshark, and if you're interested I can share my playlist with you - it should be easy for you to listen to it in all its glory.

I'm pretty sure this is the most eclectic playlist I have ever put together.

(In the spirit of the holiday) Thanks to all contributed ideas. I'll let you know how this goes over tomorrow.

All Creatures of our God and King - BYU Concert Choir & Philharmonic
Amazing Grace - Susan Boyle
America - Simon & Garfunkle
Appalachian Springs (simple gifts) - Aaron Copland
Autumn Lullaby - Natalie Merchant
Battle Hymn of the Republic - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Be Still My Heart - Postal Service
California Dreamin - Mamas and the Papas
Cinder and Smoke - Iron & Wine
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Don’t Stop Believing - Journey
Down to the river to pray - Alison Krauss, O Brother Where Art Thou
Dust in the wind - Kansas
For the Beauty of the Earth - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Give Me the Simple Life - Rosemary Clooney
Heartland - Peter Breinholt
Homesick - Kings of Convenience
How Can I Keep From Singing - BYU
If I had a million dollars - Bare Naked Ladies
John Williams Olympic Theme
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need - BYU Concert Choir & Philharmonic
Peace Train - Cat Stevens
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Prelude 1 - George Gershwin
Shenandoah - Judy Garland
Somewhere over the rainbow, what a wonderful world - Israel K
Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - Lower Lights
Take It To the Limit - Eagles
Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
The Crane Wife 3 - Decemberists
The Fox - Nickelcreek
The Parting Glass - Waking Ned Divine (we have)
We'll Shout and Give him Glory - BYU Men's Chorus
You’ve Got a Friend - Carole King

your favorite...

I usually dislike "your favorite [something]" questions because I don't ever have an answer. In any given "favorite" category I have many things I like, often depending on my mood and most recent experiences. While I realize that most of these questions are meant to open up conversations rather than pinpoint my exact self on a multi-dimensional graph of things, I'm still not a fan.

But I do actually have one true favorite. A favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. For me, it's the perfect holiday. Eating delicious food, visiting with family and friends, sleeping, relaxing with games and leftovers of delicious food. There's not a lot of pressure to meet up in one place in particular, and no gift-giving worries. Plus, people tend to be in pretty good moods because they are just starting into the holiday spirit but haven't exhausted it yet. It's kind of like how you feel really excited at the very start of your vacation as opposed to weather-worn by the end of it.

Bonus if we get a crisp fall day or a late autumn warm spell.

Several weeks (months, sometimes) before Thanksgiving I find myself day dreaming about the Thanksgiving feast. Must-haves for my Thanksgiving are freshly baked rolls, fluffy potatoes (regular or sweet), stuffin muffins (think hearty, seasoned bread pieces baked with tons of butter in individual muffin tins with a piece of bacon over each), and cold pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. Last year we had an amazing turkey cooked by our friends (more to the point, basted every 30 minutes by our friends) that almost got the bird on the list.

One thing I feel Thanksgiving is missing is music. Typically, I celebrate the music side of Thanksgiving by starting to play Christmas music on that day. But it could be fun to have a soundtrack just for Thanksgiving.

Any suggestions for what it should include?

my religious upbringing

When my oldest sister went to college, she called home every Sunday evening to talk to the family. This tradition continued with my next sister and the next, and (somewhat more sporadically) with my brother. I remember feeling very grown up when I made my first college phone call home on a Sunday evening in September of 2002.

I still call my parents most Sunday nights. It's really quite fun to talk with them. Since they have no kids at home, and neither do we, I like compare our weekly stories of adventures because they are in many ways very similar. War stories from work, planning weekend getaways even when it seems like there's no open weekend in which to get away, exploring new restaurants or random midwest town festivals, having friends over for dinner and games.

Also, I've found that the course of the conversation is always unexpected. For example, last night my mom and dad were talking about a gig they had with their folk band, Good News. To get the picture, Good News is a folk/gospel group that combines 4-part vocal harmonies with guitar, mandolin, violin, banjo, and alto saxophone. My dad plays the sax.

He was pontificating last night, after their performance at a very enthusiastic Christian Cafe, that perhaps angels don't carry trumpets, but instead alto saxes. Mom and I both argued that angels were suppose to herald the gospel with a clarion call - not reedy, smooth jazz. But Dad came back and said, Yes, but doesn't it say somewhere that Jesus comes as a thief in the night?

I'm still laughing irreverently at that one. Maybe it's not as funny if you don't know my dad.

Somehow, it reminds me of a children's sunday school class I was sitting in on a few years back. The teacher was talking about Thanksgiving, and comparing each part of the Thanksgiving meal to the gospel. (Remember, these are 3-8 year olds we were dealing with.) He compared water in the glasses to Jesus, because Jesus was the living water. When the teacher asked the children what the turkey could represent, one of the kids called out, "Jesus is the living turkey!"

real butter is so much better than margarine

Remember that time we had Thanksgiving? I know everyone's into the whole 8 days until Christmas and all, but I'd like to take a moment to share these photos with you.






I know, I know. It looks like a Pilgrim-shaped coffin. But it's actually a Pilgrim-shaped stick of butter. My sister carved it for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I have the coolest family.