Thanksgiving 2019

Thanksgiving was one for the books!  We broke from our traditional Thanksgiving ski trip at Whistler and drove to Boise to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday.  I'll be honest, my boys were grumbling about not going skiing but ended up having a great time and Whistler had NO SNOW!  We definitely won this year.

This is what the middle of a 7-hour drive looks like.  Little did I know I was sitting on Henry's chocolate chip cooke which remained on my pants throughout  most of Thanksgiving dinner until my sister rescued me.

We left for Boise on Thanksgiving morning because Randy had work and the boys had school the day before.  It was a good thing too because the roads were clear and we never saw a single cop.  However, things were super depressing when we stopped to gas up and get lunch at McDonald's and discovered that all the fast food restaurants were closed for the holiday.  My boys were so disappointed as their dreams of feasting on Big Macs on Thanksgiving Day (their ultimate feast as opposed to the typical Thanksgiving food they don't really care for) were dashed to pieces.  Instead, we ate at the only food place available: a gas station Subway.

We were a sorry sight and I felt bad for us spending Thanksgiving on the road, even though I knew we were only a couple hours away from a real Thanksgiving meal.

We timed our arrival in Boise perfectly as we walked into the church full of 150 people just as my dad was introducing us.  It was awesome!  This was also my FIRST Thanksgiving with my family since I got married.  I was excited to be with my people!  My grandma has a huge posterity and all but a handful of cousins were there to celebrate her all weekend long.  Despite the cold weather and our huge group, we still managed to have a good time and eat really good food.  Spjute's know how to cook and feed a crowd!

 I booked a hotel room in the same hotel as my dad and sister, so we spent our evenings and free time with my siblings while all the kids swam.  I am reminded once again that it's not about the location of a vacation.  Sadly, it's really the hotel pool that is the measure of a successful trip.  If the kids are happy, I'm happy.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of our experience...

We were a massive group so we had to meet at church buildings for all the activities

A few kids brought their Bay Blades (toys that spin) and the boys were in heaven

Walking to the Boise Capital building where we took a giant family picture

Marcus and Uncle Dan ringing the giant bell because boys will be boys no matter how old they are

I love us!

After more swimming, we got pizza and ate at dinner at the hotel.  It was a great set up.

My boys are fish

On our last day there, we went to my Aunt Ann's cabin in the mountains.  It's beautiful and off the grid and we were so busy hanging out and eating good food that the only pictures I have are of my boys playing on Uncle Brian's fire truck.  We had so much fun playing in the snow, shooting guns, and playing games.

The last activity was dinner (hot dogs, all-you-can-eat milkshakes and nachos) and a huge Nerf gun battle.  My boys were dripping sweat and took it very seriously.  The bounce houses were also a nice bonus.

We drove home Sunday morning and are lucky to be alive.  As soon as we left Boise, the snow started to fall and the roads were terrible for a few hours.  Semi trucks lined the sides of the road as they chained up and then removed their chains over and over again.  Randy was driving when we hit a patch of ice that sent us sliding and fishtailing from one side of the road to the other.  It seemed to last forever and I was certain we were going to roll off the side of the road.  Miraculously we didn't and I attribute it to the prayer I offered before we left.  Seriously.  We were being watched over.

We had a great time and it was fun to celebrate Grandma Spjute!  She is an amazing example of love, faith, and endurance.  Happy Thanksgiving!