I am thankful

for

beautiful colored leaves

four glorious days off of work

warm temperatures that mean short sleeves and no jackets

rainy days that mean movies and fires

snuggling up to a warm body big or small

sniffing the tops of little heads and smelling sunshine

lazy days spent sleeping in

waffle breakfasts

my nephew and friend who made the 9 hour trip to come and spend the holiday with us

watching my girls set off on a run with their Marine cousin

warm apple pie

friends who know I hate to cook and offer to cook for Thanksgiving

the moment where we stop and offer thanks for all we have to the One who deserves all thanks

boisterous little voices playing hide and seek all around the house

stretching out on comfortable couches after dinner and just talking

getting up at 2:30 am to go Black Friday shopping

online shopping where you can save even more money

a laughing lunch with a good friend

a movie with our whole family

a 30 inch Pie in the Sky pizza with extra cheese

football

and

more than anything else being with family that I love more than life itself

Thanksgiving Memories

We took our 2nd annual Thanksgiving trip to Gatlinburg this year with our friend Heather and her girls. We had such a good time getting together last year and staying in a cabin that we decided to do it again.

I love being up in the mountains. It is such a relaxed time for all of us. No schedules, no pressure, no responsibility for cooking (Heather's way better than me and covers that department while we are up there), no rush to go after-Thanksgiving shopping. Instead it is lots of catching up, laughter, good food (that Heather cooks:), the girls playing with their friends, Bud getting to watch football uninterrupted and just plain relaxation.

Our gorgeous cabin for the weekend

Our living room, dining room area

The few from our back deck

The lower gazebo deck

The hot tub that Heather and I finally kicked the kids out of so we could get a few minutes of peace and quiet

Bud thought he had died and gone to heaven with this projection screen t.v. He would have slept down there if I would have let him.

The kids absolutely love this million pound (not really but I have no idea how much it weighs) piece of granite in front of the Ripley's museum that spins on a small amount of water. They could spend hours spinning it and getting soaked.

My three gifts all wrapped up under the Christmas tree display.

All five girls together. They are getting so big. Weren't we just celebrating Mack's and Abby's 2nd birthday last year?

David Tallent's illusion show. He is pulling half dollars out of Mack's ears.

Best friends since age 2. Such different personalities they are.

Trying to get a picture under the giant Christmas tree.

The girls got "hillbilly" teeth and Maddie wore hers all weekend, everywhere we went.

Maddie and Sydney. Maddie is a year younger and a foot taller. They are both short here because they are on their knees. Funny kids!

The two youngest in front of the lit Christmas tree

Sisters and friends

It is easy to get wrapped up in what we don't have or what's wrong with our lives. The truth is that we are incredibly blessed and grateful for everything. This trip allows us to step back from the busyness and realize just how much we have to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving Memories

We had a wonderful time in Gatlinburg, Tennessee over the Thanksgiving weekend.  We rented a cabin with one of our best friends from Ohio and her girls. It was a relaxing weekend filled with good food, good friends and plenty of laughs.   It was warm enough to eat our Thanksgiving dinner on our deck overlooking the woods behind the cabin.   Heather and I enjoyed going to the outlet malls at midnight on Thanksgiving and shopped until 4 a.m. We hiked to Laurel Falls in the Smoky Mtn. National Forest on Friday and rode the trolley to the aquarium and downtown Gatlinburg on Saturday.  The girls had the best time playing with their friends that they only get to see about twice a year.  We headed home on Sunday with the rest of the United States.  Our three hour trip became about five and half hours but we didn't mind and plan on doing it all over again next Thanksgiving.