Holidays and Other Happenings

So apart from emotionally intense blogging (sorry grandma!), we've been spending a lot of time celebrating the various fall holidays. Here's a recap of what we've been up to...

Halloween
For a 4-person committee and very small budget, I think the ward trunk-or-treat turned out great! Temperatures were chilly and the gym was packed, but we made the most of night.

We didn't judge the chili cook-off, but we acted like it! We used cups instead of bowls to maximize tasting efficiency. The two we liked the best actually won overall, so we felt pretty legit

Daniel wanted something low-key and easy for trunk-or-treat, so we went as Sims! Daniel made our plumbobs and treated them with extra care

I think we looked pretty awesome!

Our schedules worked out so Daniel didn't have to shave for about 6 weeks. He decided to channel the most epic beard of 2012 by dressing up as Seneca Crane for the real Halloween. I went as Katniss, my friend Katie braided my hair (my hair's long enough to braid!) and my friend Emily helped take in my dress, so I owe a big THANK YOU to them!

The big 2-3
I turned 23 on November 9 and celebrated with a mocktail party! We invited our friends/neighbors over and enjoyed hanging out and eating/drinking. Sarah let me borrow her Sam's Club membership and we took advantage of the ridiculous items that this place has to offer

A shotgun full of tequila

This is the only picture I took during the party, me and my mint  mojito

Daniel and Nic did an awesome job decorating, but next time they'll need stronger tape. This is what the morning of November 10 looked like

Elder Nelson

One of Daniel's classmates has some awesome connections with the General Authorities. We were lucky enough to have Elder Nelson come visit MCW and give little fireside/devotional talk thing about the importance of preparing our lives for blessing and saving others. It was such a real treat to be in close proximity to an apostle, plus we got our picture taken with him...

So. Awesome.

Thanksgiving

We decided to stay in Milwaukee this year and celebrate Thanksgiving with some dear friends. On Wednesday night, we participated in the Harper tradition of pie night! This has been a part of Janey's Thanksgiving routine for years and we were very lucky to be included on the guest list! Daniel made his delicious chocolate mousse pie and there were plenty of other yummies too!

Yummy pie and yummy man!

 Instead of a traditional turkey, we had prime rib and salmon on Thursday! We had the rest of the Thanksgiving must-haves though, like mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. We watched some football before/afterwards, and then had some more pie!

Daniel and the 6 pound prime rib

The smoke alarm kept going off, so we kept all the windows open while the prime rib cooked. It was windy, but really warm for this time of year!

This didn't go the way I thought it would, but I'm glad so many people are thankful for Daniel!

Daniel preparing the feast

We went Black Friday shopping on Thursday night. We went to Wal-Mart and stocked up on DVDs and couldn't understand why this game exists...

We waited in line for about 30 minutes at Target, this is what the line looked like when we got there

After sleeping in today, we decorated for Christmas! This is the first thing I did...

If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas (or pretty much whenever), this is it

Our cute little tree!

Red and white lights in the windows

Leftovers and Last Night on Earth with good friends

We know we have been given so much and are trying to be more mindful of our blessings. We feel so lucky to know so many wonderful people and enjoy the great freedoms we have. We hope the holidays treat you well and this holiday season finds you happy and healthy!

-Jenn