who i'm missing

The holidays are meant for spending time with your family. Unless of course, you live thousands of miles away and are a poor graduate school couple. Oh, and your wife works on the holidays. Boo hoo, right?
To me, Thanksgiving means Sam and Maren and the kids. We always go to PV, where Maren and I try to out fancy ourselves from the year before. The first year in Chicago, I cried while I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and thought of our broken tradition. And Maren threatened to boycott the holiday altogether, much to Sam's horror.

The second year in Chicago, we were so fortunate to be able to go back to AZ and have an entire Yamamoto family party. It was so nice to be able to be all together again. Staying up late talking, playing games, eating delicious junk, and just being together. Below is a picture of the morning donut race. Look how cute those kids are! No really- look!


So here are the PV Yams. We love them and miss them. And we hope they have a great Thanksgiving. We of course miss all of our family and are so thankful for them and all they do for us. We know their well wishes and prayers sustain us while we are so far apart.

And to you, Maren, here is hoping that next Thanksgiving finds us at the same table where there is sure to be fresh green beans wrapped in bacon, homemade whipped cream, a beautifully decorated table, and lots of laughs and fun. Love you!