Giving thanks for Thanksgiving

I am not sure how I forgot to do a Thanksgiving blog.  Maybe I didn't take enough pictures....but still....it is blog worthy even if I didn't capture every moment digitally.

We had a great trip to Lehi.  We got there Wednesday afternoon and, of course, Dad and Kyle took off to a movie.  Jandy went with them too, I wanted to, but I had a mission to accomplish.  I was bound and determined to make my first perfect lemon meringue pie.  Kyle's maternal grandmother is one of my best friends, we get each other.  I get to take her to the temple every Thursday and we all go to her house for cake every Sunday night, and occasionally a lemon pie.  Leila Sullivan makes the best lemon meringue pies EVER.  Everyone in her family looks forward to their birthday for the gift of their own lemon meringue pie.  Mason didn't even share his this year.  Ate the whole thing himself (over time I think).  So I asked Grandma to show me how and I watched her make one and then she watched me make one.  Over the next few weeks I made 4 more, for practice, and none were quite right, but were good, and getting better, so I was hopeful that I would peak at Thanksgiving.

So I stayed home from the movie and started making my pies.  The first one- the filling got a little scorched and water got in the egg whites, so they wouldn't peak, but we used them and it was fine, we deemed it the "kids" pie.  The next one went so smoothly, everything was fantastic, and it baked up beautifully.






I was so proud.  I have never been so proud of anything I have ever made.  When Kyle and Dad and Jandy came home I made each of them take special notice and tell me how beautiful it was.  Mom didn't have room to refrigerate them, we should have just left them on the cupboard, but we decided it would be best to put them out on the picnic table on the deck (since it is so freaking cold in Lehi).  Mom had saved a cake box, and we carefully put them in it and put them out on the deck.

Then Jandy went downstairs and let the dogs out to go potty.  Emily at this point in storytelling would say (DUN DUN DUN.....) They are dachsunds. Their noses work really well.
It took Lilly about 12 seconds to get on the table, chew through the box, and destroy both pies.  Gus was barking the whole time, that is what tipped us off.  I don't think he was tattling on her though, he was just mad that he was too fat to jump up on the table, and wanted her to push some off to him.

I secretly hoped that that much egg whites and sugar would kill her, but she didn't miss a beat.  I on the other hand was completely deflated.  I must have looked really pathetic as I stood by the remains of my hard work, because Shayne and Grandpa both came and gave me big hugs.  Kyle asked me what I needed at the store, and at 9:30 pm, I popped open a Dr. Pepper and started over.
My mom, my savior, encouraged me and helped me, of course she could have made them perfectly without me.  We whipped up two more pies, which turned out...fine...but they were missing the key secret ingredient....LOVE! :)  My heart was not in it.  They tasted great, but I still can't even believe that something so cliche'- so holiday sit-com, actually happened in real life....to me....and my first perfect pie.  It was a good lesson to me- I've decided no one should have so much pride in something, and I was being chastened, and humbled!

Thanksgiving dinner the next day was great- all the classic Shelton foods and tons of it!  We were at Steve's house, and Juanelle had it all decorated so cute.  Ashley Shelton had the fantastic idea of Skyping with Brashley in California, so we could all be together.  It was just right.
We were sleeping in a hotel, so Kyle took Matty back for a nap.  Kyle napped, Matty watched TV and played on the Ipad.  Luckily she  couldn't figure out the locks on the door!  We sat around and played games, and looked at Black Friday ads.  It was a good day.  I felt very grateful to be surrounded by my loving family.

The next day everyone came swimming at our hotel.  We met the capacity limit! Luckily no one else from the hotel wanted to swim at that time! We shopped and we got some great black Friday deals.  Kyle loves watching the craziness and as long as we never go with our hopes high, we usually find a great deal or two and come away with a good story or two.

Saturday was the pinnacle of the trip.  We weren't planning on even staying that long, but then Penny told us that Shayne had decided to be endowed on Saturday in the Mount Timpanogos Temple, so we changed our plans in a jiff- we definitely didn't want to miss that!

 Shayne got her mission call about 12 seconds after the prophet announced girls could go at 19 instead of 21.  She is going to Perth, Australia and is stoked.  It was a very crowded session, with 3 other missionaries and their families doing the same thing, but it was awesome to be at the temple with my siblings.  This hasn't happened since Andy's wedding, I think- and he has 3 kids now, so it was long overdue! Families are Forever, the Church is true, and we are greatly blessed to be a part of it, and BECAUSE we are a part of it.