Thanksgiving 2013 {the family}

**Posting this even though I still have tons of pictures to add but I want to get Thanksgiving done so I can work on Christmas posts!**

With our desire to keep Christmas super simple we decided that our big travel holiday would be Thanksgiving this year. We traveled to Utah and Idaho in August for my Gram's 80th birthday so we decided to make it a Reed family event for Turkey Day.

The Arizona Reeds (formerly the NYC Reeds) are the Dr.'s brother Trevor, sister-in-law Shelley and their 5 kids. The Dr.'s parents also flew down from Seattle for the occasion so it was a full house. Luckily we were able to use some connections to stay in a nice hotel right around the corner for cheap while we were there.

It was so much fun to hang out with our four nieces and one nephew. I can't believe that when I first started dating the Dr. there were only three of them and now there are two more! I have to say that I am extremely impressed by these kids and their parents. The kids love to read and can play for hours together with nothing but a balloon to entertain them. Did I mention that the oldest of the kids just turned 6? Their parents are so calm and deliberate with each child and I feel like I learn so much and am inspired to be a similar parent whenever I'm around them.

Most of our weekend looked like this:

Madelynn, Cameron, Camilla and Me

Piles of kids and lots of giggling!

While the Dr., Trevor and their dad Harlan were out hunting on the reservation, Shelley and I stayed at the house carting kids around and baking with the brothers' mom, Janet. We had a great time talking about our husbands when they were kids, the trouble they got into and how much they've changed over the years. Shelley and I both felt so grateful for the paths that our husbands took when they were young(er). Trevor had the chance to play the string bass for a very prestigious orchestra that could have made him quite famous. Instead he chose a different way and as a result is now able to have a family, study music in a way that allows him to give back to the community and learn more about his heritage and tribe.

The Reed Brothers Band

I learned that the Dr. missed the deadline for a scholarship that could have taken him through grad school without having to pay a dime but I am so glad that he learned the things he did as a result of that mistake. He finished grad school without a stitch of debt anyway. Trevor missed the opportunity for that same scholarship twice but Shelley agrees that the lessons they've learned as a couple far outweigh that stack of money. It was great to bond a little more with Shelley, I feel like whenever we see them it's always such a quick, hurried visit or there are 40 other people around to see too. I liked hanging out with the Reed women and being one of them.

It was nice to have a little more time with each of the nieces and nephew as well. This was the first time we were able to meet our newest niece Gwendolyn. She is almost 3 months old and so so so cute. She is a pretty chill baby, barely crying the whole time we were there. She was content to sit on anyone's lap for hours just peering around at the chaos. It seriously melted my heart to watch the Dr. hold her. He's so big and she's so tiny!

Gwen & The Dr.

And now for a giant slide show of pictures of the family!

Camilla & Madelynn

Cameron

Madelynn, Sadie & Cameron

Sadie, the lady with lots of personality!

Camilla, Shelley & Gwen, Madelynn

"Oh Auntie Sarah, you're so boring!"

Thanksgiving 2013 {the hunt}

A few months ago Thomas's brother Trevor text him and asked if he wanted to go bow hunting on the reservation some time in November. To my surprise and without any hesitation Thomas replied- Yes!

I was mostly surprised because neither Thomas nor his brother know how to hunt, let a lone with a bow. Yes, Thomas did get his archery merit badge at age 14 but I don't know if that really counts. Nevertheless, it seemed like an exciting thing for the brothers to do together.

Upon arriving in Flagstaff for Thanksgiving Trevor presented his brand new, shiny bow:

Ooooh, aaaah!

The boys went out practicing on Monday and I could tell Thomas was hooked. He ended up buying a bunch of arrow tips and toting an archery target all the way home to Boston.

The tribe has been needing antlers and other materials for some of their dances and traditional ceremonies so I think Trevor and Thomas wanted to show that they were willing to work for the tribe. Thomas's clan within the tribe is also Coyote so it seems fitting that they were going on a hunt. I was a little worried that if they actually shot a deer they wouldn't know what to do with it. I just kept imagining that scene from Tommy Boy where the "dead" deer destroys the car.

They have no idea what they're in for

Tuesday afternoon Thomas, Trevor and their dad Harlan set off for the Hopi Reservation. Before they got to the actual hunting part of the day they stopped to help identify the location of a peach orchard that once belonged to Harlan's uncle. It sits below one of the mesas and is mostly decayed. There is a group on the res trying to preserve and restore it and they needed some verification as to the location. Can you believe that peaches, corn, melons and squash can be raised here in the high desert with less than 10 inches of rain a year! It's amazing!

I can't say it's always been a dream of mine to live on a reservation in the middle of the desert but I really look forward to when it's our time to move here. I mean, look at this place- it's amazing!

No, that's the Dr., that is his brother (who will soon be a Dr. too), see the family resemblance?

Harlan & Trevor look over the orchard

At dusk the hunting began. They found a lot of signs of deer, tracks and droppings etc. but didn't see any animals.

 

 They hiked around for a while, practiced with the bow and then found a place to camp for the night. Did I mention that the temperature was in the low teens that night? They built a fire, cooked chili and hot dogs, read from the Book of Mormon and talked. Thomas said the stars were the brightest he's ever seen, not one bit of light pollution to dilute them.

Harlan was not very happy about having to stay on the res overnight

 Harlan slept in the car, turning it on many times during the night to warm up. The Dr and his brother roughed it in a small tent with a wool blanket over their faces to keep warm. I think they liked being manly, carrying around the bow and generally being tough guys.

Hunting continued early the next morning but they still didn't have any luck finding a deer to shoot. Frozen, dirty and tired, they headed home. We were all so excited to have them back! They were only gone for a little over 24 hours but I sure did miss my man!

Thanksgiving 2013 {the food}

Did you know that the Dr. and I love food? If not then I will inform you- we love food. A lot. We love to cook at home and we love to eat out. There's just something special about cooking a meal for someone else or sitting down to share a meal- it brings people together.

Good heavens, we probably ate a Thanksgiving size meal every night we were in AZ. We really wanted to stock up on some great Mexican food while we were there since you can't even buy refried beans here in Boston. We stopped at the Mesa Temple for a session on Saturday morning after arriving in Phoenix the night before. Lunch was in order after that as we had a 2+ hour drive to Flagstaff ahead of us. We popped into a little place called Mango's in downtown Mesa and it didn't disappoint. The chimichanga, the tacos, the beans and the rice! Ole!

Monday we made a trip to Phoenix to pick up the parental unit coming in from Seattle. What do they have in the Phoenix area? That's right, In-N-Out!

How could we not stop?? Their special sauce runs in my veins! Just look at those burgers and animal fries:

Is your mouth watering yet?

While the Dr., his brother and dad were all out on the reservation hunting, Shelley and I baked up a storm at the house. She made bread, I rolled pie crusts and the kids pulled apart the bread for stuffing. I made the turkey brine and the Dr. roasted it up the next day with some amazing gravy, potatoes by Trevor, green beans and asparagus. Everyone helped and it turned out great!

Caramel Apple Pie

Pumpkin

Banana Cream

French Silk (to die for!)

Stuffing helpers

The Turkey carving the turkey

The result of all our hard work

 Other foods of interest we had while in Flagstaff: Cafe Rio, Downtown Diner (Harlan's favorite greasy spoon for breakfast) and the Olive Garden (not that cool).

When My Melly Came to Visit

Melanie and I have been friends for a long, long time. We have seen each other through a whole lot of ups and quite a few downs in the past decade or so. We have laughed so hard our tummies hurt and our faces cramp up. We've cried because we didn't know what else to do. We have worked together at "the Crack" and Sunglass Pros, we have been roommates, island mates and concert mates. I have watched her belly grow three times and seen her develop into such a wonderful mother to her boys. And we have eaten. Oh man, have we ever eaten more than our fair share of food together. I may have even flown her a few orders of our favorite Tiny-Spicy Chicken all the way from Logan, Utah to Maui while she was pregnant and craving nothing else. That is true friendship.

This year I have been able to see Mel 3 times! I surprised her in May by showing up at her house unannounced, we went to see Fun. in concert in September and this fall she came to Boston with Mama Rosa (her mom) and her youngest babe, Jaylen.

They arrived late on a Friday night, flying standby with a 18 month old through 3 airports. Bless their hearts!

Saturday we drove up to New Hampshire and enjoyed a little leaf peeping. We found the most amazing country lane lined with tall, tall trees in the most beautiful colors!

Can we just build two houses at the end of this lane and be neighbors forever, please?

Me and the Dr.

Mel, Mama Rosa and Jay-bird

Sunday was church day of course and that means driving through some of my favorite neighborhoods with the most drool-worthy houses. We pass this house on our way to the church every week and I want to have trees just like these in my yard someday.

I can haz?

After a quick lunch we headed for the beach. I think Mel and I would agree that the beach just soothes the soul. There is something so comforting and relaxing about being there. Even if it is freeing cold, windy and there was a pack of dogs running wild.

Melanie and I shared many deep conversations on the beaches of Maui. The ocean is like an old friend to us, holding all of our worries, our hopes for ourselves and each other, it remembers our laughter and the sunburns we've sustained from long chats at it's shore. It remembers eating ice cream on the sea wall in Lahaina for Mel's birthday and breaking into the ocean-side pool at Papakea. It remembers me laying on the cool sand at Wahikuli beach late one night, gazing at the stars and wondering what in the world I was doing in Maui. As I lay there trying to grasp the gravity of a situation I hadn't expected, the ocean became my friend and has remained ever since. Although this is not the Pacific, I still feel the same reassurance as I always have when I see the sea.

I suppose that is enough cheesy reminiscing for one post. 

Jay ate lots of sand and ended up plopping right down in the water, soaking himself to the bone. 

Monday was spent walking all over the city. We went to Harvard, Boston Common, the Public Gardens (Jay loved the "Make Way for Ducklings" ducks), Cheers and the carousel all before we even started on the Freedom Trail.

He was trying so hard to get these ducks to come to life

Make way for Jay!

I can't get enough of the old graveyards here.

The Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Boston from this balcony.

We ended our day in the North End of Boston where the greatest Italian food outside of Italy can be found. Giaccomo's is our staple in this quaint neighborhood. We once waited in line for nearly two hours in the freezing cold for their food but luckily we only had to wait a few minutes this time. We ate ourselves silly and Jaylen made friends with our waiter. He just couldn't figure out this man who spoke so loudly and with such a strong accent, Jay was fascinated. I wish I would have snapped a picture of them together. We stopped at Mike's Pastry for some sweet treats although we had to take them home with us and eat them once our stomachs had processed dinner a bit.

Paul Revere's house in the North End

Tuesday was a little slower day, we went for a drive to see where Mama Rosa grew up near Bedford. We saw the house she lived in and she pointed out the places in the neighborhood where she used to play with her siblings and friends. With all the major historic sites we saw this weekend it may seem like this was just another boring neighborhood but you could tell it was a sacred and special place for her. 

We toured the Concord area including:

Walden Pond with a picnic lunch

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House where she wrote the novel Little Women.

And Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thorough and Ralph Waldo Emerson are buried, among others. Have I mentioned that I like cemeteries? 

Old North Bridge and the sight of the shot heard around the world. Jaylen was very into the ranger's presentation. Just kidding. He was eating rocks and throwing leaves the whole time.

Our last stop of the day was the Boston Temple. We tagged along with a youth group for some baptisms and confirmations. I can't believe that this is the first time we've been in the Temple together.  It was such a sweet feeling to sit next to this sister of mine, all dressed in white. My heart swelled with happiness to participate in such sacred work with such a dear friend. It truly was the cherry on top of a wondrous long weekend.