Its the time of the year again...

Here is the 26 pound Turkey!

Dedication! What are we going to buy?

Yes, Margaret got tons of deals!

Well for those of you who don't know, Thanksgiving is always held at my house. It has been a family tradition for 8 years now. So last year my family from Kansas came out and we had a house full. I found a 26 lb turkey, yes and I have the picture to prove it! Anyway, I am getting excited, because we only have a couple of more weeks before we are eating turkey and GETTING READY FOR SHOPPING! Yes, that is right! SHOP, SHOP, SHOP, until we drop or run out of money! It all starts immediately after dinner, we all surround the table and make lists! The list can contain many things we don't need, but they are such good deals we can't help ourselves! I have no idea what my kids want this year for Christmas, but whatever it is I can find it for 1/2 the price on Black Friday! We start off at Walmart, then head over to Target, some split off and go to Mervyns. When we got all of those deals we head to KOHLS where just about everything is 50% off. If you can imagine, it is like the Amazing Race reality show with a bunch of Ribordys! Every year we find ourselves exhausted standing outside Chili's waiting for it to open. It has been a family tradition to go shopping on Black Friday and I can't imagine Thanksgiving without this tradition. Last year was the first year that Colby went with me, we had so much fun. There are around 20 family members that wake up at 3 am and head out to find those deals of a life time! If you have never gone, try it, I guarantee you will be addicted! The deal last year was my Cricut, regularly $185 and found it at Walmart for $114. AWESOME!

1 year and a half ago...

I was looking through some pictures and ran into these pics. I was blown away to see how young the twins looked. They are so grown up now and these pictures were taken almost a year and a half ago at their baptism. They were baptized on their 8th birthday, May 12, 2007. These pictures reminded me that life goes by so fast. So much has changed since these pictures were taken. Not only have the people in the pictures changed, but the life they once knew is totally different. The change isn't a negative change, but it's just changed. Things, jobs, priorities, schools, presidents, and everything else that has any of importance... ummm. But most importantly, the people in the pictures have grown.

Anyway, aren't they precious?

Humble and somber presence...

Today has been a very challenging, emotional, humbling, and solemn day. The day after a presidential election. I watched a historical moment as I laid on my couch last night after waiting in line for over 2 ½ hours to vote for a man that wasn’t elected president. I have never felt so nervous about a person being elected for president, Barack Obama… which takes a lot for me to even say because I don’t want people to think it is about the color of his skin. I loved McCain… but now it is time for me to support my country and the decision we made. I will support Barack Obama as my president. I will follow McCain and I will in "not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together." - Senator McCain. I love this country, and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for being born in a free country. I am thankful that I live in a country that allows me to vote and voice my opinion. I am thankful that women before me had the courage to fight and rally so that I could have the right to vote. I love my country, I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be an American Woman. I know that people like me are feeling disheartened this morning, but if we love this country, we will pull together and accept the choice that the majority of the American People made. I want Obama to be successful; I do not wish him failure. Our country depends on whether or not he can or will follow through with the “change” he promised.
I am proud of the fact that now our country can say that we are not a racist country. This is something I have always felt to be true, last night it was confirmed.