Thanksgiving 2014

 I guess it's better late than never right, y'all?!  This was actually the first Thanksgiving Jon and I have been physically together.  Two years ago, we had just started dating and last year I flew to Wisconsin  by myself to be with Jon's family because he was in Afghanistan.  So yeah, it was pretty exciting for me because I'm the girl and girls get all excited about first holidays together and stuff.:)  From what we hear, the first years of marriage can be tough when it comes to compromising on whose family to spend which holidays with.  Believe it or not, I think we were ready to seal the deal on spending the rest of our lives together when we discovered we wouldn't really have that issue.  Praise the Lord.  Early in our relationship we discovered that Jon's big family holiday was Thanksgiving, and my big family holiday was Christmas.  Ta-da! Basically, let's get married.  :)  So, the plan is to gather in Wisconsin with Jon's family for Thanksgiving and in Virginia with my family for Christmas.  Obviously, it's never easy to sacrifice any holiday with loved ones, but this seems to be working very well for us.  How about y'all?  Any interesting family holiday arrangements?

We headed out to Wisconsin Wednesday evening to meet one of Jon's brothers, his sister and dad at the airport.  We just had to make a pitstop at the amazing Culver's for cheese curds and custard on the way to Jon's mom's house.  When in Wisconsin...you must stuff your face with as much cheese as possible.  We get to the house, and as tradition goes, we stay up late chatting with loved ones and eating yummy snacks.  Thanksgiving morning, Jon's mom took us out to an amazing big breakfast, we headed over to visit with Jon's dad for a bit, and then over to his grandma's house on the lake to join in on all the fun.  There have to be about 20 people in one room, around one long table.  It is amazing...truly a picturesque Thanksgiving with the sweetest people.  One tradition the guys participate in is a football game...usually in the snow...because Wisconsin is frigid, or at least it is in my Virginia raised mind.  Clearly, I do not enjoy participating in anything that would include a temperature of less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Therefore, my "tradition" is to chat with the ladies inside while eating lots of cookies.:)

 Friday, some of us headed out to Carr Valley Cheese to learn about the art of making cheese and to stock up on tons to share with the family.  Oh my goodness, y'all.  This cheese = amazing.  You can order some.:)  Friday's tradition is to gather at the lake house and enjoy Jon's grandma's incredible homemade pizza.  Sadly, I don't even think I have a picture of it because it's just that good.  I was too busy inhaling it to snap a photo.  Thanks, Grandma!  Saturday, we had lunch with Jon's mom and stepdad at the airport, and headed back home to have a day of rest on Sunday before Jon had to go back to work.  I hope y'all had amazing Thanksgiving celebrations with family, friends and loved ones!