Thanksgiving Down South

There are not many places in the world where you can celebrate Thanksgiving week this way.  We experienced cold frosty days last week, but today, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went to the beach. We had a great time and almost had the beach to ourselves.

We began with a picnic lunch on the beach.

Then some time spent in the sand

Olivia told her mother that she had decided that she wanted to live on the beach when she grows up. Megan told her that she would have to leave a room for her mom and her dad. She said, "deal!"

The next order of business was to purchase a Christmas tree on a budget.

We found one.

We were not going to get a wreath this year but the girls enthusiasm prove too much to bear; we totally caved.

And so we took it to the house.

Megan, Addison, and Emily Grace went to the tree lighting ceremony downtown while Olivia and I put the lights on the tree.

Just yesterday I got the Christmas lights put on the house. They look fabulous if I must say so myself.

We decorated the house and the tree.

Emily decorated mostly her favorite limb.

So, with the crazy weather and the Christmas preparations it would seem that Thanksgiving is clearly in our rearview mirror. It has been a crazy year. I I am concerned about my vocational future.  There has never been a time that finances was as much of a concern for me as it is today. It might seem to many that we don't have a heck of a lot to be thankful for but ... These girls above and all of the experiences in this entire blog atest to a God that loves us with all of his heart. He is faithful and He is a God that will never leave us.

We have plenty to eat. We have a home to live in. We have vehicles that run most of the time. We are surrounded by friends who have stuck with us and encouraged us like we have never felt encouragement before. We have family that love us. We have healthy children. We have a deep abiding love for one another, Megan and I. Our sins are forgiven past, present, and future. Our church bells ringing and freedom, we can worship as we please. We are free to pursue our greatest dreams and security and peace.

This Thanksgiving will not slip away without deep abiding thoughts and prayers of thanksgiving on our lips because we are blessed indeed! It is not easy, and we do not know what is ahead, but we do know that God is faithful and that he does have a plan for our family. 

I met with the dear old friend of mine last week,  just a few days before I preached her funeral. Some of her last words to me was a reminder that we don't know what tomorrow holds but we do know who holds tomorrow.  It is an old saying but it is so true. We can't wait to see what is next because somewhere deep in our souls we know that God is working on something great and that the best is yet to come!

Goose Creek

Today we went to Goose Creek State Park between Washington and Bath. Neither of us had ever heard of it but a friend of Megan's encouraged us to go and see it.

We went on a hike through the woods and the wet lands. We hiked hard on this beautiful Fall day.

Turns out that Emily Grace wanted to be the guide - so we followed.

And followed ... 

We saw creation in many ways.

And we rested:

We happened upon this log over this canal. Addison decided to give it a shot.

She fell into this canal - all the way in. Other than being cold, she was ok. Megan gave it a try ... And made it.

Addison tried again. We were proud of her.

Our trail came out to the road so we followed it back to the car. Now the walk was on asphalt but it was as beautiful as it had been all along.

So that was it. A simple time in the life of our family. Everyone had a blast. We were close to nature and close to God and close to one another.

Park Entry: $0

Hiking Guide: $0

Beautiful views: $0

Experiencing Life as a Family: Priceless 

Class of 1995

So this is Megan's 20th high school reunion this weekend. The idea was to make a weekend of it but that didn't really work out. As it turns out, it was all for the best; the only thing we really missed was the Friday night football game and according to others we didn't miss anything.

It turned out that the 4H camp that Megan worked at and attended as a young person was having a celebration weekend. We went straight there. The girls had a blast. We all did. 

We got to experience a large part of Megan's life that we had not yet experienced. She enjoyed showing us the camp and we enjoyed getting to know it.

It was a fun experience for us all.

There was bluegrass:

And horses:

And food:

And crafts:

Face paint:

Hayrides:

We explored the camp:

Then we went canoeing. There is so much that could have gone wrong here, but alas it was a lot of fun and a great experience for everyone.

After the 4H Center we went to Megan's High School friends house and then to Liz Bugess house. Next, the girls went to a kids night out while Megan and I went to the reunion.

This was the big moment. Megan got to see many friends that she had not seen since high school. She was in her element. 

It was interesting to me to see some of the people who shaped the world of the love of my life even before I ever knew her.  Needless to say, some of these influences were overwhelmingly positive and some every bit as negative but still I like the person that it has all made her.

I didn't interact so much, I didn't really know anyone except the most beautiful and most radiant person in the room. I thought again and again throughout this day how lucky I am. The princess of the ball loves me - you can't get much more fortunate than that.

I love my wife, I love everything about her. I love the way she encourages our family to do new things and how it stretches us to share experiences that most people only dream about.  I love the way that she includes all of us in almost every facet of her life.  I love the way that she is moved with compassion for all of her old friends -even those whom she has not often seen. We experienced Megan in all of these ways on this day. It was her class reunion but we are all richer for it.

Without any doubt these are the ramblings of blessed man with a blessed family.  Lets hear it for Megan and the entire Class of 1995!