It's currently 0 degrees outside, but with the windchill, it feels like -16. Consequently, I will not be leaving the house today, and I figured it'd be the perfect time to catch up on my rather large blogging gap ;) As usual, I feel way behind - it's been such a busy and exciting fall - so my plan is to start current and work my way back...way back (even back to HI days...oops!). All this to say...be prepared for a mini explosion on the blog, like probably multiple posts today!
Thanksgiving was extra special this year. It was our first time hosting the big meal, and friends and family traveled to celebrate with us in CO. In addition, we had so much to be thankful for this year. God is so faithful, and we were thrilled to "officially" announce (via Facebook...obvi) our pregnancy earlier that week (more on that later!)
Our first guests arrived on Wednesday. Dan's parents drove up from Texas, and Dan's cousin Emily drove down from Wyoming. [Dan's cousin Luke and his fiancé Linda were also planning on joining us, but due to some car troubles, they had to back out at the last minute. We missed their company, but totally understood!] We agreed that even though we all couldn't be together, it was really neat to have the DiBlasi's represented in the west, as well as at home on the east coast.
Dan and I shopped and prepped as much as we could ahead of time so that we could enjoy the maximum time visiting with our guests. Overall, it was a great team effort and everyone contributed to the holiday meal. In reality, though, Dan gets most of the credit in the kitchen! He found and executed some delicious new recipes. He also had the genius idea of using bacon fat...yes bacon...instead of butter to smother the turkey. It was probably one of the best turkeys we've ever had!
After the turkey was in the oven, we enjoyed some delicious dips and appetizers, along with Dan's butternut squash soup.
And Sydney wasn't the only adorable pooch in the house. Emily brought her sweet dog Hannah for the weekend!
Our friend Jon and his wife Colleen drove down from Boulder, CO and spent Thanksgiving with us. Jon, Dan and I all went to high school together...small world...and it was great to catch up with them! Once Jon arrived, he took right over in the kitchen with Dan (his family owned a restaurant back home). Those boys did a fabulous job!
Our beautiful table and feast...
Later in the day, our friends Anthony and Kenzi joined us for dessert. They're pretty great people!
Although the boys fought it, they eventually agreed to cooperate with my photo shenanigans, and I'm really thankful for all of these group shots.
Side note: If you follow me on Instagram (k_diblasi) you already saw this, but I officially hit 16 weeks on Thanksgiving, so I documented with my first public baby bump photo...pre-turkey, no less.
Dan's family stayed in town through the weekend, and we packed in a lot! The girls did some shopping while the boys watched hockey and worked on Emily's car. We visited Garden of the Gods, (Although, our time was cut short because of the world's worst leash-walker...Sydney), and Dan gave us a tour of his office/Fort Carson.
Showing us all of his awesome flight gear...
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Keep Smiling...
