Thanksgiving Open House

Dad and I have always loved Thanksgiving. It is most certainly our favorite Holiday, for it stands alone as one that has not been marred by the commercialism of this world we live in. And yet, no one else seems to share this great care for such a special day. No, Christmas decor and songs begin surfacing mid-November at many homes, and much, much earlier at stores throughout America. Thanksgiving is seen as either the beginning of an on-going month of over-eating, or the day before the real shopping begins.

So this year, we decided to '"spread the love" and do the un-thought of -- celebrate Thanksgiving even after the holiday had already passed! Shock of all shocks! Sunday afternoon, several families came over and enjoyed a potluck, and time spent with friends. While it wasn't overtly "Thanksgiving-ish," it was still nice to have a chance to get-together without the commercialism of a "Christmas Party." Here are some pictures of us. . . I failed at photo taking that evening, so most of them are out of focus, crooked, to bright, etc. Please forgive me.

The fun began with a rousing game of Spoons. After one genius piled all the spoons directly on top of each other for one round, we all came out of it with scratched hands. You can't really tell at all with this photo, but Ashley's hand was quite beat up. That aside, I think she should be a hand-model. Agreed? ;)

The "Girls' Side." Note the obligatory space between Mark and Kelsey.

The "Guys' Side." I am not certain what is going on here, although I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that some of them were cheating throughout the game. And enjoying it immensely.

Then we braved the outdoors to head over to the shed for some more games. Snow had accumulated on the trampoline, and Abby and I got each other sufficiently wet. Here she is, barefoot in the snow.

Ping-pong in the Shed. That was short-lived, as the heater was not working and it was snowing outside, making it quite cold!

The lovely Kelsey Q2.

After eating, we went back downstairs and played Apples-to-Apples. Around the circle, we had: Sydni Kaden, Sarah Hickle, Rachel Hickle, Sonja Hazell . . .

. . . Kelsey Q2, Abby, Alida Hazell, Corey Q2 . . .

. . . Zeke . . .

. . . Jordan Kaden, Nathan Hickle, Sarah Hazell . . .

. . . Mark Hickle. . .
. . . .Dylan Applegate . . .

. . . Me, and Rebekah Applegate. We were on a team and this was our hand. :)

Decision Making. . .

Which to play?

Skyler Kaden and Isaac, dressing up!

After Apples-to-Apples, we played several games of Murder in the Dark. I believe we were about 2 out of 6 when it came to successful games. :) "Does this look like the face of a murderer?"

And here are some faces of friends. . . Corey.

Sydni

Brett Stickler