Thankful

In honor of Thanksgiving this week, here is a list of 25 things I am grateful for this year:

1. A wonderful husband who is my best friend.
2. Sisters who are my other best friends.
3. Parents who worked so hard to raise me with so many opportunities and who are still such a wonderful support to us.
4. Being a member of an incredible church that blesses my life every day and provides me with a better perspective on life.
5. A wonderful warm apartment that we've made into our home.
6. Learning to cook and bake.
7. Eric's work ethic and his hard work to provide for our family each and every day.
8. The opportunity we've had and continue to have to gain an education.
9. Football season!
10. Autumn in Utah.
11. Getting to know my wonderful new family better.
12. Kids and babies.
13. The chance to work with the beautiful young women in our ward.
14. Cafe Rio!
15. My shows: Grey's, NCIS, 30 Rock, Glee (sometimes).
16. Spending time together playing boardgames with my hubs.
17. Our wonderful vacation to Europe this summer.
18. Finding good deals.
19. A healthy body.
20. Eric's three day work week and the fun getaway we are going on this weekend.
21. Living close to family.
22. A mother who is such a great example to me.
23. My dear friends.
24. Meeting my beautiful new step-daughter earlier this year and looking forward to the trip we'll be taking to see her again soon!
25. The chance to get our Christmas shopping done early this year!

College Gameday

We were so excited for the Utes to beat TCU this weekend that we woke up at 5 am on Saturday to get hyped up at College Gameday! I'd never been to College Gameday before, so even though it was so dang early, it was a lot of fun to be in that fun atmosphere. It was also fun to see Erin Andrews up close (not just for Eric but for me, too!), looking at all of the funny signs people had made, and just watching a national show go down in our great state. Unfortunately, watching the game itself was an entirely different story... but we were still glad to have had this fun experience!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I have always loved the pumpkin chocolate chip bread at Great Harvest because it is so delicious! This recipe is the best homemade pumpkin bread that I have ever tasted, so hopefully you enjoy it as well!

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl or mixer, combine sugar pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla and eggs. Mix until smooth.
4. Slowly blend in the flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.
5. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from the oven and cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes.
6. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves from pan. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.