Thanksgiving with Family

We had a nice Thanksgiving, with Dusty's family here in Montrose. Dusty's son, Joe, and his wife, Jen, came down from Grand Junction with their three kids and we all gathered at Dusty's sister's (Vonnie) house. There were 15 of us and it was a nice, low-key holiday. Lots of good food and conversation!!

I had the idea of taking some family pictures. I didn't know if everyone would agree to it, but they did and I'm so glad! We got some good pictures! Here are the best of the bunch!

My little family....Dusty, James and me!

Joe and Jen with their three....Jack, Juliana and JT

John and Vonnie with their three.....Ryan, Katie and Devon

Vonnie and Dusty with their mom, Stella.

All of the boys from the Ryan and McChesney families.

All of the girls from the Ryan and McChesney families.

And here are all of us together. I was quite pleased with this picture, in particular! It's so hard to get a good picture of so many people, but somehow we did it!!


With Thanksgiving behind us, we head into a busy time of year. Hanukkah starts this week. As is always the case, we will be melding the two religions of our (Dusty's and mine) upbringing. As we light the Hanukkah candles, we'll also be decorating the outside of our house for Christmas! Unfortunately, this year the eight days of Hanukkah will be over long before we really get into preparing for Christmas. I always love to take pictures of the lit Hanukkah menorah in front of our decorated Christmas tree, as it always speaks of what the Ryan family is all about. But, alas, that won't be happening this year. Perhaps next!

We have several traditions that we enjoy at this time of year.....sharing Hanukkah with families who are unfamiliar with the holiday, going to the Christmas tree farm, decorating the house (inside and out!), baking, going for a ride in the evening (complete with quilts and hot cider or hot chocolate!) to enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights in our area and other holiday-type activities!

I hope you'll enjoy your holiday season as much as we do! Find the time to spend with your families and give them an extra dose of love. It's the BEST gift that can be given!!