A Joyful Thanksgiving to You...

So much to be thankful for. We hope that your day is full of joy, and we praise our God, from whom all blessings flow...

guitar turkeys...they make their Daddy proud

a few leaves from our thankful tree

Recently

Happy Fall! Life here has been so full, and I'm really just getting to the place (I think) where I feel like I have some sort of handle on things and can begin to function in a way that feels more normal. For instance, today we went to the craft store and bought some things to begin some projects I want to work on in the coming months, and up until now such a thought would have been totally overwhelming to me. I remember when we first moved to Bangkok that it was months before it occurred to me that we had a mailbox or that I actually thought to check it- I was just too overwhelmed to look outside the "musts" of each day. I guess it's been a bit like that coming this way, too, which I wouldn't have anticipated, but there you have it.

We've had some chilly days (as illustrated by the adorable little gnomes above), and some gloriously warm and perfect days, and the leaves are changing, and it's good to have Fall here. There have been so many good things lately and I'm going to take just a minute to share them...

I had the opportunity to get away with my girlfriends from Berry to a cabin in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, and what a privilege that was! The surroundings were beautiful, the leaves were breathtaking, and the fresh air and chilly weather were just perfect. The best thing, however, is these girls. Our friendships just keep getting sweeter, and I'm so grateful.

And it was fun to share Halloween with these friends- Brea the adorable pumpkin and Christy the crazily believable old lady, along with all of our beautiful children. Life is so much more fun when you have friends that will don jack-o-lantern shirts and gray wigs. My bumblebee costume is an old standard I've had since we were married, and I was happy this year to get to prove its mettle as maternity wear, as well. I added my "smart glasses" from language school as a finishing touch, which Tim declared made me a "spelling bee". :)

Here are our lovely butterfly princess and her charming frog prince...

The frog prince caught on quickly to the idea of trolling for treats. We only went to 4 houses or so, but he continued to ask, "more trick or treat? more candy?"

And finally, our sweet girl and me heading out to vote on election day. It was fun to share this privilege with Em, and even better that they let pregnant ladies go to the front of the line! I'm 31 weeks and counting, and it seems to me that this baby is very likely to follow in sister and brother's footsteps and come into the world at a hefty and happy weight!