Full of Thanks (and food).

It was the most seamless surprise.

Execution was flawless, the secret was kept safe, and my mom was without a clue as to what my dad and I had planned, even as we pulled up to the airport where our surprise visitor awaited our arrival.

I have to say, Dad and I are a pretty good team when it comes to surprises!

This past week was spent in the company of my Aunt Pam, who decided to come up and visit from warm sunny Scottsdale.

It was a week full of fun, lots of laughter, family time, and even a welcoming Northern Lights show as we all made that late drive home from Anchorage the first night.

Man, family is something special, isn't it? We didn't even have to be "doing something" to have fun. Simply being in each other's company was enough.

Granted, it was often spent around special happy hour beverages, or skipping through fresh pow, but what mattered was that we were all together.

That's what I'm most grateful for every year. As we sit around the table and express our gratitude for what we have (a home, a table full of fabulous food, security, and love), I'm always brought back to family. My family has given me so much in my wee twenty-two years of living and I am beyond appreciative for all of the love and support I have gotten, from parents and siblings, to cousins, and of course, to Aunt Pam.

Thanksgiving this year was one helluva memorable one. And it left us feeling full, in our tummies, but more importantly, in our hearts.

 

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Pam got quite the snowy surprise when we went to Homer for the day!

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Thanksgiving morning never looked so good.

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After our shenanagins in the snow, I decided that the best thing to warm me up would be hot chocolate... with peppermint schnapps.

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Family photo with the girls!

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Greetings from the Krulls!

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And cheers to a lovely holiday! Until next time, Aunt Pam.

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Winterfall.

It's twelve degrees out and there's snow everywhere. Christmas commercials have officially begun their incessant advertising and local shops are already getting into the holiday spirit.

And yet it's not winter.

This time of year has always confused me.

We get snow the first of November and though we have Thanksgiving, a major holiday, we seem to breeze right through it in anticipation of Christmas.

But what confuses me more is that according to the calendar, it's still fall.

Wait, wait. It's fall? How can it be so when it looks like a picturesque Winter Wonderland?

Since it looks like winter but is still technically fall, I have decided to call this transitional period "winterfall."

It's the best of both worlds and it sounds an awful lot like Game of Thrones "Winterfell."

Anyhow, my closet is also in turmoil too because as much as I want to slip into those sparkly holiday tops and chunky Christmas cashmere sweaters, I know it's still a wee bit early, yet far too cold for autumn attire.

Maybe I could petition to make it an official season, provide us Alaskans with an appropriate set of clothes. 

Who wouldn’t want a fifth season? Another season means another set of clothes, which means bigger wardrobe. And who wouldn’t want that? 

 

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