Day 4,300

The Higdons Are Here for Thanksgiving!

Auntie Shelby snuggles!

Sheeba snuggles!

Fellar, you're jealous? We'll keep snuggling you too!

Thanksgiving means TONS of cooks in the kitchen. 

Ella Mae was looking up her jello pretzel "salad" recipe on Pinterest

And while some of us cooked, others got to learn Cribbage and play other fun games!







Happy Thanksgiving!

We were so grateful to be celebrate such a special day with my younger sister and her family. What a blessing it was to cook and laugh and spend time alongside her after so many years! The Lord has so richly blessed us and this year, we are most thankful for His church, our shepherds, our marriage, and our growth toward Christlikeness. 

Day Nineteen Hundred

The Feast of Thankfulness 2016

Little Chef was up all morning preparing our afternoon meal. 

She made the turkey marinade, the rolls, the pretzel jello salad, the corn, the apple pie...

...AND the homemade whipped cream. 

It was difficult however, to determine if she like helping or licking better. I think maybe the squeaky clean utensils might be an indication of where her heart truly lies though. 

Oh yes, squeaky clean toes as well. Because you can't let a drop of heaven go to waste, even when it turns up on the bottom of your foot. 

Mimi's finished product.

Not over exaggerating: the absolute best turkey I've EVER had. Ever. Pinterest, you win. Mimi, you win more because you made it happen. Oh, if taste buds could speak!

#MimisMeal

For only 21 months, we've got ourselves quite the chef and we're more grateful than ever to share such sweet days alongside our tiny best friend. She's lit up our lives in ways we couldn't have experienced without her and as I reflected on yesterday, being her mom has made me realize with greater truth the incomprehensible love, grace, and mercy our Father pours over his children. And that sort of Love builds a desire in me to always find a reason for gratitude and thankfulness, regardless of circumstance.  

"In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

My heart overflows in thanksgiving for the life God's called me to and for the people He's blessed me to walk alongside. Every day, I desire a life marked by obedience because of what He's done for me. I am so grateful. 

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

Ours was relaxing, entertaining, fulfilling, and productive. Our little nest is finally starting to really become our own and we're buzzing with joy over the outcome all our little projects. Thank you Jesus, for allowing me to thrive under the care of my husband and in the richness of motherhood. But more than anything, thank You for your death on a tree...that saved a wretch like me. 

Day Fifteen Hundred and Thirty-Seven

The Baby's First Thanksgiving

Give thanks with a grateful heart <3

First Thanksgiving with Amelia.
First Thanksgiving with my family and Adam.
We are so blessed.
So grateful.
So happy.
So thankful.
I love you, sweet family of mine.

Day One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy-Three

The Florida Family Thanksgiving

It was a happy Thanksgiving, indeed.

We spent the holiday alongside some of our favorite people - for the second year in a row - and hope that by next year, we'll have started a true Thanksgiving Day tradition without an end in sight! Christian and Marissa, we are so grateful for your friendships and for wrapping your arms around us here in Florida, especially during the holidays when being with family is what we desire most. You've made us feel apart of something so dear and so special and we can't thank you enough for your generous hearts. And your outstanding food. Duh.  

So outstanding, in fact, that after his second round of dinner, Adam was officially TKO'd...

Tryptophan Knocked Out.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Conleys!

Incredibly grateful for the friends we have, the family we love, the baby we made, and the God that we serve. 

Day Eight Hundred and Nine

The Third Thanksgiving

A baking wife...from scratch. That's what I am!

Before getting married, we were encouraged to set a few traditions for our new family that we'd hold onto over the years. Though we've only been married two little baby years, this was our third Thanksgiving together, and for three years now, this has become one of our traditions...

Handmade - from scratch - dinner rolls for the holidays.

Adam's very favorite. A secret family recipe that he's drooled over all his life. Now, together, we're in charge of seeing that he gets his Mom's special rolls at least three times a year! (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, of course!)

With rolls prepared and another secret family recipe - almond roca - made the night before, Adam and I headed over to our friends' Marissa and Christian's home for a Thanksgiving meal. 

Let me tell you something. For my whole life, my family has always been that family…the family who invites anyone and everyone in need of some family lovin and good food into their home for the holidays. I can't remember the last year we celebrated a holiday without at least one "non-family member" present. And it's something I've always loved about growing up in the Mays house. Yesterday though, I got to experience Thanksgiving from the opposite side. Adam and I were those friends in need of some family lovin and good food…and just like my family did for so many friends before, the Recchiuti's did for us. They took us in, gave us food, and made us feel like we were just another link in their New Jersey family chain. For that, we are so grateful. The distance between us and our families is hard. Especially on me. We have so much that we miss back in Washington, and though I'd love nothing more than to sit around the dinner table with my family, spouting off jokes and handing out hugs, our time with our friends was a treasure that we've been blessed to have. 

Thank you, Marissa and Christian, for being so kind to open your home to us on such a special day. Thank you, family, for preparing us with traditions we'll continue for years and years to come. Thank you, Adam, for being my constant, most loyal, thoughtful and cherished friend. And thank you, Jesus, for giving me the eyes to recognize the countless blessings You've poured into my life.

Day Eight Hundred and One

The Dinner Decor

From our Bible study group to you and yours (just a week early)…

Happy Thanksgiving.

Sondra's sweetest little decorations are always putting a smile on our faces. So is that candy she's always leaving out...

Day Four Hundred and Thirty-Nine

The Moorean Thanksgiving

For our second year in a row, Adam and I have been away from home on Thanksgiving. And it’s a tradition that we might just continue as long as we can! Quite obviously, Tahitian culture does not celebrate Thanksgiving, so the island day went on as usual: paradise-like and as gorgeous as ever.

  <insert jet ski pictures that haven't been developed yet here>

We decided that the only natural thing to do on this very special day in Moorea was: to jet ski! So, we rented a jet ski for an hour, jumping waves and touring the island unlike ever before. It was an incredible experience and one we’re so very thankful for. Giggling in my husband’s ear while dashing across the water was unforgettable. As was the Jolly Rancher blueness of the ocean.

Returning to dry land, Adam and I rinsed the salt water from our faces and made our way to the pool for a few drinks (he was feeling much better than the day before) and some relaxation. They make it quite easy here to do both at the same time. Their gigantically large infinity pool comes complete with a swim up bar!

Reading, swimming, and flirting comprised the rest of our day until dinner. Well, the flirting didn’t stop at dinner actually! Adam and I dressed up as much as we could and made our way to The Mayflower resturaunt for a very un-American Thanksgiving meal: lasagna!

It was scrumptious, but we maybe, ever-so-slightly missed the turkey dinner that most families were enjoying back home. But we did as best we could with what was on the menu, and chose a place to dine that at least sounded somewhat Thanksgiving-ish!

Our night from there got a bit messy. Usually, the tryptophan from the turkey has everyone worn out an hour after eating. Buttons come unhooked and zippers unzip. But nothing that simple happened last night. Instead, for some unknown reason, my eyes began swelling. Oh baby, so romantic. A few hours later, my mouth looked like that of an ape’s. (My poor husband!) And then, I could feel my throat constricting.  By that time, it was 2 AM and we were panicked. (There are no 24-hour pharmacies on Moorea and I didn’t even think to bring Benadryl on the trip). We called the front desk for help, but they couldn’t do much of anything – they only carry Advil. Our only option was the hospital. So, a taxi was called immediately and we rushed to the hospital…30 minutes away.  Our driver sped as fast as he could and got us there in 25 minutes. We were dropped off at the emergency entrance and admitted into room #2, where they tried their hardest to understand what was happening to me; neither the nurse nor the doctor spoke much English. From the looks of my face and the choking action Adam was making with his hands, they got the point and gave me some form of Claritin and prednisone (? I think…whatever the stuff is that reduces swelling). They put us up in another room and told us that we needed to wait there 3 hours before leaving to make sure that the swelling of my throat had subsided. Fair enough. So, we lay sardine-like on a twin hospital bed and slept as best we could from 3 AM until 6 AM when they finally released me. My throat felt (obviously) much better after the meds, as did my eyes. And though this entire disaster could have been handled quite swiftly with the pop of a Benadryl, we had to learn the hard way. Never again am I leaving to a foreign country without a small emergency medical kit, complete with: Benadryl, Tums, Pepto, (more) Aloe Vera, (more) sunscreen, and Claritin. Expensive experience is what Adam calls times like these. I’m just hoping that it’s not literally as expensive as my horrid imagination is telling me. Who knows how much 6 pills, a bottle of water, a 2 AM visit, and a 3 hour stay costs in Moorea…

But I can say: Adam and I felt very thankful for our health yesterday and the medical assistance we were given when we needed it the most. What a ride! I swear, Adam and I are never far away from epic story after epic story. Even in paradise.

Day Seventy-Seven

The Charming Roads of the South

Long road trips make for good conversations. The further South, the better. Movie scene pictures line the long stretches of highway; many fitting to be a postcard someday. Scattered among the miles are curious hideaways, hidden treasures, antiqued stories. The roads we've traveled have opened our eyes to unfamiliar realities, where the ways of life contradict the pace we've become accustomed to. It's a whole world of different out here - a true culture shock - but one that we're thankful to have experienced. 

It was a bittersweet ending to our trip through the Bible Belt. We left Jeremy's after a good night's rest on another blowup mattress. He escorted us to I-65 via the back roads of Tennessee on his motorcycle, showing off his bike stands and racing skills along the way. We stopped for our last Clarksville meal at Taco Bell, grabbed a coffee from Starbucks, misplaced a brand new mug, said goodbye, hugged and hugged, and hit the road. Seven hours of conversation later, we arrived in Montgomery, Alabama, where we were treated to true Southern fixins at Cracker Barrel in outstanding company. Mmmm. Another eight hours stands between here and home, and tomorrow, we'll finish our Thanksgiving journey. 

Day Seventy-Six

The Not-So-Black Friday

After a few days with the brothers, I have a clear, very clear, image of precisely just what my little boy will someday become. With only one brother of my own, and the rest a group of redheaded princesses, my days of Barbies and House haven’t quite prepared me for the troublesome Conley boys. In just a few minutes, they managed to knock over a tree while Grandma, Kim, and I chatted in the kitchen. They came strutting in with the tale of their adventure, and looking to the girls, we all shared a moment of rolling eyeballs. If this is what I have to look forward to, my suspicions remain that the events of this weekend will be those of daily life. Assuming that boys are in the future plans, of course J

We left Paintsville this afternoon with a full belly, thankful hearts, and beautiful memories. It was a joy to spend our first Thanksgiving with our family in Kentucky, and we’re grateful for their company. Being so far away from “home” hasn’t been too difficult, but celebrating the holidays alone would have been a whole world of change for me. We miss our wonderful families back in Washington, but are so very thankful for the small family we have in the South.    

Day Seventy-Five

The Kentucky Thanksgiving

20 hours. 1243 miles. Florida. Alabama. Tennessee. Kentucky. Paintsville, our Thanksgiving destination. Nestled in the far eastern portion of the basketball-frenzied state, this town is home to some of the sweetest, generous, most stubborn folks I’ve met. Meet Grandma Chris, the leader of the pack. She’s a Southern belle with a Conley fight, and boy is she saucy! After a lovely Thanksgiving meal, with all the fixings of a Mays/Schend feast, I was feeling 100% at home. The only thing missing was the fiery spunk of my redheaded family, but I quickly found solace in my new Grandma. We ventured over to her house following dinner, and the boys took her by surprise. Not weird. Jeremy unveiled the Desert Eagle, and handed over the dense piece of metal to their unsuspecting Grama. I wasn’t kidding about the “gun thing” when it comes to these boys. Goodness. Her facial expression says it all. This family keeps getting better by the second. And Aunt Kim? Yeah, she’s rad too. A redhead who’s got just as much kick. I love my people! Our first Thanksgiving was perfect and completely worth every mile, minute, and penny. 

Oh, and Black Friday in Paintsvile? Nothing like anything I've ever seen before. Pure insanity.

Day Seventy-One

The Thanksgiving Outreach

I'm still struggling with the gag reflex that harassed me all night long. But the three hours of service was well worth the squirms and goosebumps. With a group of 16 individuals, our table put together 1,100 Thanksgiving meals in a way that I wasn't initially prepared for. The food was made in mass bulk, brought to us in 5-gallon buckets, and with ice cream scoops we plated the serving in production line style. The outreach event's goal was to give away 100,000 meals this Thanksgiving, after serving 70,000 people last year. My job? Master Mashed Potato Scooper. Well, mashed potatoes is a generous title. I'd prefer soupy or runny. In any case, the KFC-esque taters will surely be appreciated by those families and friends who wouldn't otherwise have the gift of a proper Thanksgiving meal. The volunteer turnout was astonishing and a visible work of the Lord. We're looking forward to the difference that our bit of service offered and excited to hear of the transformations the outreach will bring in the name of God. As for Adam and I, we might have second thoughts about our portions of turkey this year. After volunteering for the unpopular job of bucket cleaning, Adam's gooey and slimy service could create a preference for ham on Thursday. And with the smell of turkey radiating about our apartment, we've had just about all we can handle of that bird for the year. We'll soon find out.