Utah: Thanksgiving

We spent a reasonably relaxed morning at home. 

The kids were quick to take advantage of a few minutes to play in the snow while we loaded the cars and got ready to leave for our big family gathering.

As per usual, Shawna reserved her church building and we started congregating there around noon. Naomi brought rolls and was in charge of mashed potatoes and gravy. Matthew and I did the turkey. We bought two turkeys, butchered them, and cooked them in the sous vide for nearly 24 hours back in Albuquerque. They were then frozen and brought with us to Utah. After thawing them, we put them back in a sous vide bath in our cooler at the church for two hours, then broiled the pieces real quick just before serving. It turned out pretty good and was gobbled up in it's entirety. 

There was lots of other good food and plenty of company. 

All of Naomi's siblings were there and many of their kids and grandkids. I don't think anyone got a final count and several people had already left when we took the group picture, but it was agreed that this was the biggest turnout in years.

We stayed into the evening, playing games and visiting. We got home around 8:00 pm, and since we're in vacation mode, there was still plenty of time for a bit more game playing. This Thanksgiving I find myself especially grateful for the family I married into and all the wonderful people who love and encourage my children.