Giving Thanks

We gathered with the Henry family for Thanksgiving this year. My parents gave us a TON of apples off their tree in the backyard, so I made two apple pies and some apple dip. This is the best apple dip ever. Seriously.

Everyone always wants to know what I am thankful for, and as I think of how to word my response, I stumble. How can I possibly list all of the things that I am grateful for? If you want to know just one thing, how do I pick which thing I am grateful for the most?

So to try to answer this question, here is a small list of a few of the things that I am grateful for (I've tried to put them in order, but the first few are all my number ones):
-Ben. Oh how wonderful he is. He loves me so much and always tells me so.
-My Savior, Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement.
-My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
-My loving and supportive family (including in-laws).
-Friends near and far.
-A college degree and a job that I enjoy.
-A beautiful apartment to come home to.
-A nice car that gets us where we need to go.
-I always have food in my tummy. I have never gone hungry.
-A strong, healthy body and mind.
-Warm (and cute) clothes to keep me warm.

Obviously, there are many more things that could go into this list. What are you thankful for?

Mouth-Watering FHE

We had FHE with Lauren and David tonight. I think everyone liked it:

(Add about 50 million more people and a drive-thru line a mile and a half long.)

Ben- 2x4 animal style and choc/vanilla swirl shake
Vanessa- cheeseburger animal style and chocolate shake
David- 3x3 animal style, extra toast and Neapolitan shake
Lauren- cheeseburger animal style, extra toast and vanilla shake
share some regular fries and animal style fries

Being true California girls, Lauren and I grew up with these delectable creations of pure fresh deliciousness. It has been so long, we had forgotten how amazing they are. We reveled in the self-indulgence tonight and had a lot of fun looking up the "secret menu" online to make plans for what we will try next time.

Some of you are seriously wondering what all the fuss is about. This really is not "just a hamburger." Their meat is FRESH, literally never frozen. They include FRESH, CRISPY vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. The buns aren't smashed to a pulp. The french fries are cut FRESH from a potato right in front of your eyes.

Really, can you get that at McDonald's, Burger King, or Wendy's?
You cannot.

So to all you fellow In-N-Out lovers out there: the day we've been waiting for is finally here!
Happy Eating!

Behold, your little ones...

Ben and I teach the CTR 7 class in our ward. Every other week, we struggle with keeping these 6 and 7 year olds entertained while trying to teach them important gospel topics.

Last week we had the Primary Program in Sacrament Meeting and my impatience with the chaos reminded me of why I am not an elementary school teacher. I can't handle that many little ones at the same time. (Although sometimes my freshman Algebra 1 classes aren't much better...)

So as we approached another weekend and I pulled out the lesson manual to start preparing, I was filled with anxiety again. What should we do to keep this particular lesson entertaining? How do we control the crazy boys that run around, hit each other, and won't calm down? How do we invite the Spirit into that atmosphere? My anxiety led me to feel a strong dislike for these kids.

Oh the humbling experience that I had as we entered the Primary room today. I walked in thinking, "Just get through the next two hours and then you don't have to do this again for another two weeks." (We actually team teach with another couple so that we can still attend Priesthood/RS every other week.) I couldn't help but smile back when the kids greeted me with huge smiles on their faces. My feelings of dislike melted away when one of our cute little girls sidled up next to me. I told her that I loved her pink dress and that pink is my favorite color. She whispered, "It's my favorite too." A few minutes later, she took took my arm and wrapped it around her waist and cuddled me through the rest of sharing time.

I asked the Primary President after church if she knew the reason behind this behavior. I was told that this girl's mother had a baby last week and she was probably just looking for a little extra love and attention. This made me realize that my real calling is not to teach a lesson but to love little children with a perfect love (Moroni 8:17).

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 18:10

My (Not-So-)Secret Love Affair

Those that really know me know that I am secretly in love with this sexy man. Of course he is no competition to Ben, but I heard this new song on the radio yesterday and was euphorically happy the rest of the day:

Avid Reader

I came home from work today to find this:Obviously, this book was riveting.

Friendship

Last night Ben and I attended a 138th Ward Family Reunion. We are so glad we went. We were able to reconnect with old friends that we haven't seen in a long time. It was so fun to chat and laugh and see who is married and who has babies. I didn't realize until last night the strength of the friendships that we made in our BYU student singles ward.

I doubt that there are very many student singles wards that can get together every couple of years and have a "family reunion." Bishop Klein really fostered a feeling of family in our ward, and it has blessed all of us. Bishop said something last night that I have been pondering. He said that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has brought us all together.I want to share my feelings and a small testimony on this thought. We all must travel different paths through this life, because we all have a different job to do. But how wonderful it is to know that if we keep the commandments and strive to follow the Savior, all of our paths will eventually lead back to Him. Last night I had a small glimpse of what I think it will be like when we are reunited after this life as brothers and sisters of our Heavenly Father.

To my friends:
Despite the fact that I may not see or talk to some of you very often, I still like to think that we are good friends. I hope you know that I love you. I have loved the fun times we have had together and I look forward to every opportunity that we have to be together in the future. But if those moments are far and few between, know that I am still thinking about you.

Witchapalooza!

Every year Gardner Village in Murray decks out in all witch-themed Halloween decorations. They put on a dinner-theatre show that is a lot of fun. They usually take well-known songs and change the words to match the storyline. My parents went last year and thought it was a lot of fun, so they took us with them this year.

Before the show starts, the witches come around to the tables and get to know the audience. One witch in particular took a liking to Ben and asked him to meet her outside at a certain point in the show. This is the fun that ensued after Ben met her out in the lobby:

Ben was totally in his element. We all had so much fun and the food was delicious. It was really fun to wander around the village and window shop (I LOVE the Christmas Shoppe) and get in the mood for Halloween. There were quite a few women there dressed up as witches. It is a pretty popular place to be in October. Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun night out with the family!