Gobble Gobble for TWO

It was just me and Mel for Thanksgiving. 

We had a blast. 

Derek, Rachel, Rose, Charlie, and Milo came into town. Allison and James opened their home for a Tuesday night soup and pie night. Rachel's long-time friend Chris came. We had a great time. Evidently Mac watched my location on Allison's phone for 30 minutes until I arrived. He was disappointed to see me stop for a bit (I grabbed McDonald's so I wouldn't arrive at 1:00 hungry). He had also asked Allison to stay away when I got there because if she's there, I talk to her instead of playing with him. Cute kid. He showed me the basement and gave me a picture he had colored. 

Derek and kids arrived. They all played well. Rose hung out with the adults. She's so funny and mature. I let each of the kids pick an advent calendar from the collection that I brought. We had a great dinner. Allison is an excellent cook. She made potato soup and chicken noodle soup. I made an Italian soup and apple pie and pumpkin pie. 

Wednesday I went walking with Cindy Brewer in the morning. Then I got a few last minute things I needed to make dinner. Mel came over and we watched Survivor and Amazing Race, followed by some holiday-themed baking shows. 

Thursday I got up and walked while talking with Maria Trump. We "go on walks" a lot. She's in California and I'm here. We arrange to walk while we talk on the phone. Derek and Rachel and kids went to mom and dad's, so I went over there after getting ready for the day. We visited for a couple of hours. Milo said he wanted to see my house, so Derek, Rachel, Rose, and Milo piled into my car and we went to my house. I started my turkey and my rolls, gave them a tour of my house that they hadn't seen yet, and drove them back to mom and dad's. 

I then made mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce. Mel and I ate around 4:00 pm. She made the most delicious sausage dressing. It was sooooo good. We had a fun little dinner with just the 2 of us. I dished up plates for mom and dad and we went to the movie. We saw "The Fabelmans," an autobiographical movie about director Stephen Spielberg. Some parts hit hime, like when the parents told their kids they were getting divorced and when college-aged Stephen told his dad that he hated school. It was a good movie, though. It was fun to see Spielberg's perception of his childhood/youth. 

Cute turkey that Jenifer and Cindy brought over. Jenifer makes these every year. 

Friday morning I went walking with Cindy Brewer again and with Jenifer Jarvis. Then we got in Cindy's hot tub. It was a wonderful morning. Mel and I took it easy and decorated the house for Christmas. Saturday was also a slow day. We slept in, got Chinese food at T-Bone, finished decorating, and just relaxed. We dished up a bunch of leftovers for Mel. I went to Starlyn's at 6:00 to watch Hallmark Christmas and Mel went back to Provo. Overall, it was a fun weekend with FaceTime video chats with Kamiko and Bekki and Allie. 

Mel and I got the same LAME fortune: "If not from trees, where does money come from?" She said "I guess it didn't matter which cookie I chose." TRUE.

This is me thinking about my anxiety

It's Sunday evening. I've been very stressed and anxious about the upcoming week. That seems to be the theme of every Sunday. I hope it gets better. I do have a lot for which to be grateful - friends, family, job, kids, house, car, ward, health, therapy. I can do this!

The annual "Thankful" poster

Dang Rona Finally Got to Mom and Dad

NOT a picture of mom and dad sick, but this post needed a photo.

I was driving home from work in early November and got a call from mom. She was crying and asked if I could meet her at the hospital. They had just taken dad to the ER by ambulance. I was halfway home, so I picked up mom and took her to the hospital. We took time to pack a bag for dad, then forgot to bring it. We made it back to dad's room. He had been very lethargic all day. Mom couldn't get him to wake up all day. He hadn't eaten or had much to drink. He couldn't sit on his own, so mom called 9-11. 

After tests, they let us know that dad had Covid Pneumonia. Whoa! We didn't see that coming. Mom thought he might have pneumonia because of the sound of his cough. We didn't suspect Covid though. Since I had a trip coming, mom had me leave the room. When it was time to hear results and the treatment plan, I went back in the room. Mom and dad's neighbor brought dad's bag because he was definitely staying at the hospital. We left shortly after 10 pm. Dad's oxygen levels were already better and doctors were encouraged. 

The next day they talked about sending dad home. Mom asked that they keep him one more night to keep an eye on him, which they did. He got rest and care. By the time he went home, mom had taken herself to the hospital to get tested for Covid. She tested positive. So, dad came home and mom had Covid. I was out of town by then. What a roller coaster. At least mom felt ok. They were able to take minimal care of themselves with the help of neighbors bringing in dinner. Their ward is really good to them. 

It's going to be a long road. Dad needs to take it easy. He worked in the shop earlier this week and that set him back a bit. He spent 2 days resting. I think they're resigned to resting at least through Thanksgiving. I'm glad it wasn't worse. 2 days in the hospital for dad and a quick visit for mom isn't bad.  

Disney with Stranger Things Gang

Me, Kristen, Sarah and Cam Christesen

When I was at Sarah and Cameron's house in July, Cameron told me I had to watch "Stranger Things," a very popular TV show. I told him there was no way I would watch it because it's scary and I live alone. He said I HAD to watch it. I said NO. He then tried to bribe me with merchandise from the Disney Store. I didn't bite. Then he offered me a one-day trip to Disneyland if I would watch an episode with him via FaceTime. "OK." 

I got back to Utah and we arranged the time to watch simultaneously. I loved the first episode. I spent my spare time the next few weeks watching all 4 seasons. We scheduled our Disney day and I bought my plane ticket. Kristen bought a ticket to join us and to be the 4th person. Sarah, Cameron, Kristen, and I went to Disneyland on Saturday, November 5. 

I made a paper chain to count down. We texted often in our "Stranger Things Gang" group chat over our excitement about the upcoming trip. Kristen and I arrived Friday around 1:00 pm. We took an Uber to Sarah's school. She's the office manager at a Jewish school in Orange County. We got to meet her co-workers and we got a tour of their beautiful campus. Then we drove to their welcoming home. We met up with their friend Lauren and her daughter, Lily, at a place called "Starfish." It's an Asian fusion restaurant and was amazing! Wow, it was delicious. We went to bed early to be ready for the big day. 

Thunder Mountain Railroad

So happy to see the beginnings of Christmas decor

Toy Story Mania

Starlyn loves Dory, so I had to take this picture

Silly Swings

Cute ticket - it's always fun to see what you get

Saturday we got up early and left their home at 7:30 to get to the park. There was an accident right at the entrance of the Mickey and Friends parking structure, so we went to the Toy Story parking lot. Good thing I know Disney. We started the day in Disneyland and our first ride was Thunder Mountain on our way to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. We rode Pirates, Space Mountain, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Rise of the Resistance, and Buzz Lightyear. Cameron isn't a huge Disney fan and hadn't been in years. In fact, he'd never been to California Adventure. The weather was a perfect sunny 70-ish degrees all day. At 1:00 pm, we hopped over to California Adventure. Cam really liked Radiator Springs Racers. We did the Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania, Web Slingers, Tower of Terror, and had delicious tacos. We also went on the Silly Swings.  It was such a fun day. By 8:00, we were going to go back to Disneyland to ride Haunted Mansion, but we decided we'd done enough, so we went home. I like leaving the parks on my own terms. It was fantastic. We grabbed Taco Bell and McDonald's (for Kristen) on our way home. We were tired. We had sore feet. It was GREAT.

Sunday we slept in, then went to breakfast at a French restaurant. We then went to their local farmer's market. I bought a beautiful cutting board. I just couldn't resist it. After the farmer's market, we went back to their house and rested. I napped a bit. We watched "Tangled" because Kristen had never seen it. We had leftovers for lunch and Sarah made a delicious dinner. She is such a great cook. We finished the day at the beach, watching the sun set. She and Cameron are the most fun hosts. They always have Diet Dr. Pepper, they ask if we want or need certain foods, and they make me feel so welcomed. I love visiting them and look forward to going many, many more times. 

This design is called drunken checkerboard

I had emails to deal with before flying home. I got answers when I landed in Salt Lake. I stopped at the grocery store, took a quick shower, then went to work for some Monday night meetings. Vacation OVER.