Friendsgiving 2014

One of the things I loved most about watching older friends and cousins grow up is seeing the incredible friendships they formed. Being in or attending each other's weddings, throwing baby showers for the other, play dates and baby-sitting their kids. Friends become family especially when you are so far away from your family. When I moved here, I had no idea that I would meet such amazing friends. We have a small group, and all of us are from far away (California, Missouri, Connecticut!), so we are exploring this new city together. We try to get together as much as possible, both just us girls and sometimes with the men, too. I had been wanting to host a Friendsgiving for as long as I can remember (just wasn't feasible with working Black Friday back in Missouri every year), so when one of my friends in our group suggested it, I jumped in and offered to host!

A printable that I made up for the occasion. Unfortunately, the words were cut off a little bit, but it was still cute!

See my husband hard at work in the background? He's the best!

We offered plenty of beverage options, but I wanted to have a signature drink! You can find the recipe here!

The no-sew burlap table runner worked great on the food table along with a menu I made up! 

I just used the burlap table runner I had made over a white table cloth and sprinkled a few leaves over it! Then added the center decorations and a couple pumpkins. 

The center table decorations were so easy! Just painted mason jars and flowers from Dollar Tree! You can see the construction of them here!

Didn't quite get that roasted color I was hoping for, but for a first try, I'll take it! Delicious!

Sorry, this picture turned out a little blurry!

Not the best picture of either of us, but it'll work!

I adore these girls, and Jared's face in the background cracks me up, so I had to leave it in! So blessed and thankful for great friends that become family. :)

It was an amazing night filled with great conversation, games, and fantastic food. I had fun designing a couple printables, decorating, and cooking along with my husband. Everyone brought a side dish or dessert to share, too, so we had a ton of food! There was enough for leftovers for days. I was so excited to cook a turkey for the first time, and although it wasn't without its struggles, it turned out delicious.

Did you host or attend a Friendsgiving? If so, what was your favorite part?

Gratefulness

It may seem obvious that "Gratefulness" is the title for my blog post today with the fact that it is Thanksgiving, but truly, friends, I have sat down at my computer to write this post at least a dozen times. I keep adding and re-writing because I constantly feel that I don't have the right words to say to express how truly grateful I am.

You see, I had a really rough couple of years before I reached a turning point in my life and before I met my sweet husband. Times when I never thought I would see a time when I was legitimately happy. I was still truly blessed with so much at that point in time, but now, looking back, I am speechless. The blessings in my life outnumber all of the not-so-good times, and I wake up happy every day. I find myself just sitting in my car thinking about all of the good in my life, and I don't know if I will ever be able to find the words to thank the Lord for all that he has done in my world and how He has changed my life. Because of Him, I made it through the hard times to stand in the place that I am now, and I am truly grateful.

When I was younger, we would always go to a friend's house for Thanksgiving. In reality, the friends were more like family, and we knew all of the visitors that would be there. We always shared what we were thankful for, and my answer was always "friends" or "family" or "the opportunity to spend today with each of you." And while those answers were always true, they did not express my gratitude enough.

This year, I will be without my mother, father, and siblings on Thanksgiving. I will still be with family, my husband and our dog and cat, but it's still a different feeling for me, and at times I have felt sad. But I am thankful that I will be able to speak to them and know they are safe and enjoying each other's company while I enjoy being beside my husband with our close friends. I will be appreciative that I have the chance to visit them and talk often, as there are so many that have lost their loved ones and will be without them this holiday season. I am grateful that my family is growing, and I have such a wonderful new family, as well. I have the chance to be a daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, and aunt but never feel like an "in law"  because they have embraced me in their lives, as well.

That husband of mine brings me such joy, and I thank God every day for that love in my heart. That he put the two of us together, to continually uplift and encourage one another, to constantly support and enjoy each other's company. To be best friends living every moment beside the other.

I am humbled by new beginnings. By opportunities that range far and wide and for the chance to experience this amazing world. I am grateful for new friends and when I miss my family, remembering the families that are apart on this day because they are serving our country either domestically or overseas. I am thankful for hobbies, especially the chance to run on this cold morning  and accomplish another goal when so many don't have that same opportunity.

Most of all, I'm grateful for the future. The chance to make memories and chase dreams and continue living every day.

And I'm thankful for you. You are the reason I write. Your encouraging words and support make blogging so enjoyable for me, and the passion I feel when it comes to this blog grows every day. Thank you for making it meaningful for me.

On this day, and every day, I am thankful for life. Let us remember to embrace each day even more than the one before. To brush off the bad and remember all of the good. To live for one another and to encourage each other. And let us pray for peace both in our nation and in our world. Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Free, Downloable Friendsgiving Printables

Who says you can't write two posts in one day? I have so much coming up for you, and I know many people are hosting Friendsgiving dinners ahead of Thanksgiving (or this upcoming weekend!), so I wanted to share the two printables I made for our dinner. I will do a full recap on the blog of our Friendsgiving dinner later! I made a general printable, as well as a menu printable (which you have full access to edit!). My husband and I are pretty traditional when it comes to Thanksgiving menus, so most of the items on our menu are ones you would expect. Hope this helps if you are hosting one!!

You can download this one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-5ar_ib73nmdEUzYThDWERiX1U/view?usp=sharing

You can download this one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-5ar_ib73nmWVNFUFRlVXFqTUk/view?usp=sharing

What are you doing this Thanksgiving? Share below in the comments! I am running a 10K Turkey Trot on Thursday morning with a close friend, and then my husband and I are going over to her and her husband's house to watch football, hang back, eat appetizers, and then eat the big turkey dinner at 5! We're excited for a week full of festivities!

Happy Holiday season! I consider tomorrow to be the start of the Holiday season, and it's my favorite time of the year. I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!

Meeting Friends in a New City

Okay, so this was the only thing I disliked about moving to Utah. I didn’t know ANYONE besides my husband. I didn’t have a job when I first moved here, and so I was desperate to have someone else to talk to besides my husband. Don’t get me wrong. He’s the best, and he does a great job of listening to me, even when I ramble on and on about something (which describes my usual conversations…). And he’s met some people through work. But, I was eager to have a group of girl friends that I could go out with, get drinks, dinner, whatever with, and then be able to rely on them when I needed to vent or advice about something that only girls really understand. I still talk and email back and forth with my best friends back home, and I don’t think anyone could ever take the place of them. But, everyone needs someone to hang out with. I would sit at home and clean and watch tv by myself when my husband worked evening/night shifts and be wishing I was out doing something. I just didn’t know how to start meeting people.

It took a couple months, but I finally have some really great girlfriends. I met a great friend when I started my job at the lab, and we definitely have similar ambitions. Unfortunately, she started her PhD program and moved to a different lab, but we still get together as much as possible. The rest of my lab, though, is composed of guys. Not that guys can’t be friends, too, but it’s just not the same. So, I joined this group called “Meetup.” Have you ever heard of it? It’s basically like an online group organizer. There all kinds of groups and “meetups” from Hiking with Dogs to 20-30s Ladies to Free Fitness. It’s such an awesome idea. It’s not an online dating site. It’s for meeting new people and finding groups that have similar interests as you. I joined the Ladies group and a couple others and went to a get-together one night at a restaurant downtown. Almost all of the girls there had just moved here from all over, from the East to the West Coasts. They were all like me, just looking to meet new people. I immediately hit it off with a few girls, and the other night, we met to try out a restaurant we had never been to. It was so much fun. We all connected and could just talk as if we had been friends for years. We learned a lot about each other and shared some of our past experiences and aspirations. I could see these girls being close friends for a very long time. :) And the best part is, we’re all getting to know this new place together. The hiking, downtown life, skiing, etc. We are planning to meet up and try new things, with and without our significant others, every couple of weeks. I never thought I would be so happy to join an online community. :) If you’re looking to organize a softball team or a book club, for example, or want to join one yourself, I would definitely suggest joining Meetup!

My friend from the lab and I at her going away dinner!

Trying out a new sushi place with a group of girls I met through the meetup! :)

Ironically, I also met another great friend through a fitness group that I joined. A former European League Basketball Player organizes a free fitness meeting every Tuesday and Thursday after work and teaches different exercise techniques. He even provides all the equipment! It’s so nice of him, and he does it just to stay in shape and continue teaching, as he did before he played professional ball. One of the girls that came actually works for the same place I do, just at a different lab, so we had the chance to hang out the other night at a concert downtown. Through her, I’ve met another great friend. Like I said, I love this site. You still meet people in person first, but the internet brings together people in a similar situation as you because it’s a big city, and it’s sometimes hard to meet people without someone introducing you first or at work (which isn’t always easy either).

Enjoying a local concert with these two lovely girls and new friends!

It’s so nice to have a social life again. :) Hopefully soon, we’ll meet other couples to go out with once in a while or get together with the girls and their significant others.

Happy Monday, friends!