Happy Thanksgiving!!!

What a lovely day! So very much to be grateful for today. Everything we brought to the dinner was a HUGE hit, especially the Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies. Nick helped all morning with the cooking and did the deviled eggs and jalapenos himself. The sweet potato casserole was a recipe we got from a guy Nick works with and it turned out fabulous! It was just wonderful to be able to spend time with both of our families together.

See, Nick's sister's husband C is my parents' godson. Both of C's parents passed away when he was young. His mother was actually murdered, so there's a lot of trauma in his past. Before she was killed his mother asked my parents to be godparents to C and his younger twin sisters. After she died, her parents got custody and raised the kids for several years, but within about 10 years both grandparents were gone too. C was about 19 by this time, and he moved from his home about 3 hours away to our town to be close to my parents and go to school. His younger sisters were still minors, so they went to live with their aunt and uncle until they were adults. Anyway, C really began to become like a part of the family, to the point that my brothers and I consider him a brother, my parents consider him a son, and he calls them Mom and Dad.

So Thanksgiving dinner this year was made up of both my (and C's) family and Nick's (and his sister's) family. We are blessed to have families that get along well, and it was just a sweet time for us all. My friend D was able to join us too, and I think she really enjoyed it.

I hope you all had many, many blessing today. Happy Thanksgiving!