Thanksgiving Table Setting for Two

I'm starting to discover that if I'm going to put effort into anything that I need to document it in some way. You know, like if you really take time to put a cute outfit and hairdo together for date night, a picture should probably be taken! Or if you spend 3 hours in the kitchen preparing a fancy Sunday dinner, someone should take a picture of the finished product. I love looking back on memories preserved in the form of a photo, Facebook album with good picture descriptions, or a homemade scrapbook. These preserved memories usually serve to comfort me in the midst of change or give me inspiration when my creative well has run dry.

Unfortunately, I don't do a very good job documenting my life. So many fun dates with Ryan, girl outings with my mom and sisters, or movie dates with my best friends in Dallas do not have pictures associated with them to help me remember those good times. Dinners I've put hours of work into only exist in my memory. I'm getting better at it thought - that's part of what this blog is for, actually! This year has brought a lot of change my way, but documenting memories with my family, trips back to Dallas, and getaways with Ryan has proved to be a great source of comfort to me because it's helped me to be more aware of my gratitude for those special people and special moments.

So to keep more memories so that I can learn from them, be comforted by them, and be grateful for them, I'm going to do my best to document our Thanksgiving 2014 on the blog. To be honest, Thanksgiving this year is going to be unlike any Thanksgiving I've ever had before. Ryan's going to be traveling with the football team on Thursday and Friday, and since we are already spending a crazy amount to visit TX and VA family in January, I was planning to just spend the holiday week hanging out and working on blog projects. That's not a bad thing, but a lot of times I use Ryan's absence with football travel and games as an excuse to get lost in my self-imposed to-do list and forget about my need to be around people and build relationships.

I'm really thankful to tell you that a sweet coworker and friend at my part-time job has invited me to her house for Thanksgiving. I was hesitant to agree at first, mostly because I was intent on getting lost in my to-do list, and I was sad that Ryan wouldn't be around to go with me. But I'm going to go and have a great time and put effort into making new friends. Ryan and I will celebrate on Saturday when he gets back, and I'm going to do my best to make it special for him since he'll be working with the team all week.

I'm planning on keeping things pretty simple, but am excited about setting our table with some of the prettied we got as wedding presents that I haven't been able to use yet. When I put together our wedding registry, I tried to be really thoughtful about choosing simple, classic pieces that could be embellished over the years and look good with many different decorating schemes. Honestly, I kept saying to myself "what would Ina Garten put on her wedding registry?" When it comes to kitchen and table decor, Ina is my style icon. I love the way she keeps things simple and elegant so that the food can be the star. We have been really happy these simple, classic and rustic table decor pieces thus far and I look forward to creating new looks with them for years to come!

Shop this look:

Plates and round platter: Pottery Barn Gabriella Dinnerware Collection

Chargers: Round Rattan Chargers in Brown from Pier One Imports

Silverware: Katherine Flatware from Pottery Barn

Tumblers: Cafe Glassware from Pottery Barn in Amber

Table runner: Pottery Barn Classic Linen Table Runner in Flax

Candle holders: Potter Barn Antique Mercury Glass Holders

Pumpkin: Tuesday Morning

Table scatter: Home Goods

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