Sunday, April 22, 2018

My 32nd Birthday and Thanksgiving

For my birthday, I took the day off work. My mom treated me to a sushi lunch and some shopping. 


When I got home, Brandon had a few birthday gifts and surprises, then he and I went to see a movie (with plenty of movie theater popcorn) and had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. That, combined with lots of well-wishes from friends and family, made for a happy day.


Later in the week, Brandon and I met my parents and Tessa for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. On Thanksgiving Day, when I was preparing pies, I pre-gamed with my leftover cheesecake.


Check out those beautiful pie crusts!!


On Thanksgiving Day, we went to Brandon's grandma's house to celebrate with his family. 



My parents went to my Grandma's. This was her last time hosting Thanksgiving, according to her own proclamation. My mom sent me this picture of her preparing mashed potatoes. So cute!


Tessa's kids were with their dad on Thanksgiving, so we all got together to celebrate at Tessa's house later in the week. The kids are always so thorough in preparing the table with decorations and name cards.



I'm thankful that we have such loving, supportive families on both sides. And I'm thankful we're near enough to have close relationships with most of them. They're the best!

Vegas Trip November 2017

Thomas's football team didn't come close to Indiana this fall, so Brandon and I planned a trip to see an away game. There were a couple games closer to us, but we found cheap plane tickets to Vegas and made a long weekend of it. It was such a nice change of pace from chilly, gray Indiana!


The first night there, we went to Fremont Street and walked around Old Town.



The next day, we walked for what felt like 10 miles. We explored the southern part of the Strip and played a little Roulette. My favorite part of any trip to Vegas is exploring the over-the-top hotels and casinos. No one does it bigger than Vegas!









My favorite: the Bellagio fountains


Our second night there was the football game. The Cougars played UNLV and pulled out a much-needed win! Madison and Micah drove down from Provo for the game, then stayed with us overnight before heading back the next day. It was so fun to see them and Thomas for a bit!



 The next day we had to sit through a timeshare presentation (still didn't buy one), then saw "Mystere" - a Cirque du Soleil show. It was so good! Humans are amazing.







It was so hard to leave the next morning, but Vegas gave us a good sunrise show on our way out.


Turkey Run State Park

Brandon and I took a beautiful Saturday afternoon to visit one of central Indiana's treasures - Turkey Run State Park. Neither of us had been there before, but we loved the gorgeous scenery. Indiana's got more to see than most realize!











Dad's 63rd Birthday

We met at Bynum's Steakhouse for a nice dinner in honor of Dad's birthday.




I love this family of mine!