One big happy family

That was how our Thanksgiving 2011 was. Let me elaborate...

For the past few years we have gone to Jacksonville, FL to spend the holiday with my Aunt, Uncle, cousins and their families. But unfortunately with money and schedules and everything else, it didn't work for us to go down there this year. Which was such a bummer, and we were all sad we were not going, but we decided to make the best of staying in Michigan!

Marks parents came over to my mom's house, and my sisters were home, and so both Mark and I got to spend the day with our immediate families (minus Mark's brother and family who were out of the state). It was fabulous! It was so nice to not have to drive between the houses, and it just made me smile that our parents get along well, and just seeing everyone sitting around the same Thanksgiving table. How awesome will it be when we have kids and can just (comfortably) have everyone over at once??

Also, the Pierce family was not going anywhere for Thanksgiving so they joined us! Jack and Robin own the Doster store and are Anna, Amy, and Shangnan's parents. We have known them forever, and they feel like family. I love their kids sooo much. Which everyone knows so I will not elaborate. :) 

Here is Thanksgiving 2011 in pictures....



These are the little turkey place settings that were actually verrrry tricky



Missed a picture of the table, but here is the aftermath of all the delicious food!



Marks Mom taught us how to knit scarves and hats! We loved it :)



The Menu



Anna and Amy decided they would be team skins. Everyone else was shirts.




We went to Black Friday at Target on midnight (yeah we are crazy - but it was fun and we got some good dvds with our giftcards) with Lex and her friend baby Kate (pictured here). Mark wanted to get season 6 of Friends  for $7.99, which is the only season we dont have. But we could not find it, he was so sad - which is why Kate thought holding up 6 would be nice.



The Pierce family (Robin -holding Amy, Jack, Jenna, Lex, Shangnan, and Me- holding Anna)



Mark's job!

Mark got a job!!!!!!!!

Awesome things about the job:

• Full time
• HEALTH INSURANCE
• Benefits like 401k
• In Kalamazoo
• Its in a packaging company (Graphic Packaging) - which is what Mark's degree is in
• I will get to see Mark some nights
• Free slushies in the break room
• Free steel toe boots
• Free work glasses
• Cool big machines and cardboard  corrugated paper board rolls (I have heard quite a bit about these so I put them under the awesome column)
• No more Pizza Hut (and spending a small fortune each month on gas)

Not so awesome things about the job:

• Every 28 days it goes from 1st to 3rd shift. Might be a little tricky.
• Its in a factory and Mark will be working on the floor. He worked in a factory through college and always talked about how glad he would be to have a degree and never have to do that again. So it was a humbling position to take.
• He will have to work some Sundays
• Mark will be on his feet for 12 hours at a time doing monotonous work, which is painfully boring

All this said, we are really thankful for a job. Mark is going to keep looking and we are going to keep praying for what our role in youth ministry should be.

Mark has been training full time the past week and half, as well as delivering pizzas at night. He has been working like a mad man. The past week and a half I have only spent awake time with Mark once. Its been craziness! I am so proud of how hard he is working for us and to pay our bills and provide for us. Its amazing how he has pretty much paid every cent he has made in the past two years to Wayne State for me to go to school or to various health institutions to get me healthy. What. a. stud. Oh yeah, and while I am bragging about Mark. Even though its easy to say pish a factory job would be easy to get, over 1,000 people applied for this job, and they had 300 people take a test, and 30 interviews (or something like that) and Mark was in the top 4. So, yeah, he is awesome.

Mark is going to be done at Pizza Hut in another week. He is not sure when he starts his 12 hour shifts, but should be in about 10 days. My sisters are also coming home for Christmas break next week, and so I am prettttty pumped for that!

Yay for Christmas and goofing around!

Blogs I'm working on:
- ER rotation in Hastings MI
- Our last Wayne State bill
- Thanksgiving 2011
- Our new church
(hopefully that will make me do them!)

Love,
Brittany