turkey day...

This year for thanksgiving i cooked. it was so much fun and i must say my family was amazing. they let me run rampent in that kitchen. they were helpful and most of them (cough*cough tyler cough*cough) were able to sense when i needed a little space to focus.

there was a big difference in our holiday this year, though. this is the first major holiday we've had since tyler and rachel got engaged. the night before thanksgiving day i was sitting at my kitchen table with rachel and we were pouring over a new cookbook i have called sauces (more updates in the future about this book. it is amazing!). as we talked about the food i was struck by how grown up that moment was. when i was little i remember watching my mom and my aunt lisa do the same thing together. it seemed to me that sister-in-laws were the best. you always have a buddy but you don't have to share a room or clothes. and here i was with my very own. rachel is the best blessing and she is one of the things i'm most thankful for.

here's some pictures of the food. you'll notice that there aren't very many. it was hard to be the photographer and still make sure the food came out.

my birthday...

birthdays are dangerous terriotory: a year older, a year wiser, or something. i was so dreading this birthday. to be 23 and feel like i haven't accomplished any of the things that i really want out of this life. i know it is ridiculous, i understand that. i understand that 23 is young and i still have a lot of time to accomplish these things. but there is that nagging voice that continues to haunt me: "chelsea, you're not ever going to get a chance to fall deeply, madly in love. chelsea, forget it- you can't change yourself, let alone the world." this voice is dangerous.

but i have some exciting news- i wasn't allowed to wallow in my self pity. why, you ask? well, because i have just about the best friends a girl can ask for. my friends took me to dinner and it was the best. as i sat there looking at these people who mean so much to me i couldn't help but feel the warm, fuzzies inside. each one of them reminds me that God is faithful to provide just what we need, just when we need it. how awesome is that? so, when you've got the birthday blues call up my friends. they don't disappoint!