So much to be thankful for!

Our family had a wonderful Thanks- giving week of vacation! We started the week with a drive up to Kings' Canyon. We packed a picnic lunch, drove up to the Ranger Station, hiked up to Panoramic Point, and took in the amazing view. I must say though, it was much colder than we expected, or were prepared for! Here's Randy and Audrey jogging a couple laps around the Panoramic Point parking lot to warm up! There was a bit of snow along the side of the trail. Audrey's just trying to keep warm! It was so nice to be up in the mountains, even if only for a couple hours. We were the only people at Panoramic Point the entire time. Although we did get a visit from a few deer. We are so thankful to live in a place so close to the natural wonders of Kings' Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks (not to mention all the other great "nature" destinations nearby). They are places we love and constantly visit. And they remind us of the amazing creativity of our Creator, and the responsibility we have to take care of this earth that God has given to us.

We also celebrated and took time to be thankful in many other ways last week. Our church congregation celebrated it's 40th anniversary, and we celebrated with a Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday night. We spent Thursday morning out at Woodward Park with 1700 other people for the annual Turket Trot. Randy ran the 5K trail with his friend Aaron, while I walked the 2.3 mile route with the kids, my friends Myra and Christa, and Christa's kids too! We had a great time and got some good exercise before eating a big lunch with Randy's mom and brother. We also drove to Visalia Saturday afternoon to visit with my dad's side of the family. The other parts of our weekend were spent relaxing as Audrey, Randy and I tried to keep our little colds from turning into big ones.

At the dinner table last night, we asked the kids what they were especially thankful for this year. It was so encouraging to hear the kids' responses! They shared some very "normal" things, like, my friends and my family. But they also shared about how thankful they were for a school that they could go to for free, and teachers they enjoyed, for a warm house and a bed to sleep in every night, for the ability to share food with our friends and neighbors, for the farmers that live near us that grow our food, and for the gift of salvation that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross. It was a very good reminder that they are paying attention to the words I say and the way we live (hopefully ALWAYS in thankfulness for what we are given).

We hope that all of you had a relaxing week as well and found time to reflect on all the things that you are thankful for this year!