We're back and fatter than ever...

We recently returned from California--and back to reality--which is kind of a bummer, but we had a really enjoyable trip! We had good weather there and back which made driving more bearable. On Thanksgiving day we went to my Uncle Rich's house and had his famous BBQ turkey-- I swear there is nothing like it! Even the white meat is juicy! Then on Friday we had all of the siblings and families over to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving ham and games. It was so fun to be with everyone-- we had a great time, but we felt like such porkers, gorging ourselves on two separate occasions. We also took some family photos-- our individual family one is posted up above. We thought it would be a good opportunity to get a big group picture with Dad and some individual family photos for Christmas cards. It was strange to see how much Dad's disease has progressed just in the short time we have been away. His movements are a lot slower and more deliberate now, and he has become a lot more compliant to the rules of the house (which is a HUGE blessing!). The Folsom Telegraph (our city paper) did a story on Dad and his disease. It was well done, but while talking with my mom about it she had mentioned how she wished they would have included the comments she made about how her faith has helped sustain her through it all. What would we do without the gospel?! However, she is really happy that someone had at least given his disease some attention so that people could understand him and others like him who suffer from the same condition. This and a few other specific experiences in California really made me appreciate the relationships I have with the people I love.