Thanksgiving 2017

The house is decorated for Christmas (pics coming soon!) and I’ve been listening to Christmas music on Pandora for…a while. It’s high time I record some Thanksgiving weekend memories.

This year Thanksgiving weekend was a little different than years past but it was full of things that matter: faith, family, food, and fun times together. Seth and I headed to Remington on Wednesday, earlier than originally planned, so we could get some extra time in with the McCormick’s who made a short surprise trip down. It was wonderful.

Addie wasn’t too sure of me…actually for the first hour she cried in fright when she looked at me. But by the end of the evening I could hold her and she was the same smily sunshine that frequently pops up in pictures on my phone. And bonding with Calvin over puzzles, a trip to see the horses, hide-and-seek, and UNO made for special memories.

Jim and Maria left late Wednesday night to be home for work the next day but the rest of us were together on Thanksgiving Day. As I type this and think back to the message we heard in church that morning I’m pricked as I’m reminded of how easy it is to drift away from a heart of gratitude. And one thing I’m really thankful for is a patient God.

Opa and Oma joined us for the big meal and even though it was a smaller group around the table than some years there was plenty of conversation and plenty of delicious food.

It was a relaxing afternoon. We played games, spent some time out with the horses, and finished off the evening with some Christmas decorating. Oh, and getting ready for our weekend trip to St. Louis.

Friday morning after a few intense rounds of Space Team (my siblings, not me), we began the adventure west, stopping first in Springfield to visit the Lincoln Presidential Library. Definitely a worthwhile stop–both sobering and amusing.

Then we headed to St. Louis and enjoyed some amazing BBQ at Sugarfire. I had texted Jenna for some BBQ recommendations and this one was on her list. It did not disappoint! The casual approach was all part of the experience and there were a good variety of sauces including coffee BBQ and a few other fun kinds. We had some time to kill before the ice rink opened so we did some Black Friday shopping (no crowds= :)) It had been a full day by the time we got back to the hotel!

The next day we took advantage of those wonderful Embassy breakfasts and filled up for a day out and about in the city. We started at the City Museum which I had heard about several years back. Seth has been there several times which was a plus because he had some idea of where to go…but it’s still pretty confusing. If you’ve never heard of or been to the City Museum it’s definitely worth checking out! Basically a bunch of random junk has been brought into this massive building that once served as a shoe factory. It’s a great way to repurpose things that would be sitting in a landfill. Also, if you ever go make sure you wear something slick such as knit or dry-fit material. Mom had on some knit gauchos and she would fly down those chutes! It was great fun and we all got some good laughs watching her zing out of the slides.

These pictures happen to all be in wire cages that appear uncomfortably small. There would be a good number of those but the museum is MUCH more than that.

We were all pretty tired after a few hours of climbing around so we refreshed with some fro-yo for lunch (Lehman favorite) and headed to the zoo. Surprisingly we all left, too. The boys must’ve been on their best behavior.

On Sunday we went to St. Louis for church. The last time I was there I had a proposal waiting from Seth. A little over a year later it was good to be back there with him. It was also really nice to be in a small church because I had left our dress clothes hanging in the upstairs closet at Dad and Mom’s. They were all very understanding.

A huge thanks to Dad and Mom for bringing us along on their mini-cation. We thoroughly enjoyed the time together and can’t put a value on the memories made.