Our Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a special holiday for our family this year because Lloyd didn't have to work. I convinced him to run the Modesto Turkey Trot 5K (3.1 miles) with me. Since Lloyd hadn't just ran a marathon last month like I had, he needed to work up to running 3 miles. I am so proud he took my challenge and ended up being able to run the race on Thanksgiving morning. We also got Katelyn and Kylie involved in the fun. They ran the kids' half mile. Here we are before our runs.

The girls' race was first and here's a shot we got of Kylie near the finish line. Katelyn was right behind her and I missed her finish all together because I was taking pictures of Kylie. After the girls' race, Lloyd and I lined up for the 5K. It was pretty crowded; there were over 1100 people who ran the 5K. Since this race is shorter than most of the others I run, I tried to start out a bit faster. Yes, it was only three miles, but it was still a challenge. I wanted to sprint at the end, but just couldn't. I ended up finishing in 24:44which is a 7:58 mile average. Lloyd started out slow and ended up passing a lot of people at the end. I loved cheering for him as he crossed the finish line. He finished in 31:54 with a 10:16 mile average. It was a great way to begin the day for all of us. It may just have to become a family tradition.

After our "fun run" we had the missionaries over for a Thanksgiving brunch. It was wonderful with eggs, hash browns, ham, and crepes. We love to have the elders over especially on holidays. We want them to feel loved and have plenty to eat. They came over for Halloween too and will be here Christmas Eve.

After brunch, we headed to my mom's for Thanksgiving dinner (yes, more food to eat) in San Jose. We had a simple and relaxing Thanksgiving with Bryce, Chareen, Susan and Josh Anderson, and Ray. We tried something different this year - a deep fried turkey. It was okay, but we think we'll go back to the traditional way next year. It was a day to be with family and enjoy our many blessings.

In this picture Kylie is showing her true colors. I know I can be a real nag with the camera. I do feel so very blessed and grateful for my beautiful family. I just want to capture every moment before these kids are all grown up. My blessings make me so joyful.