The Feast

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we've all crossed seamlessly into Christmas mode.  We ventured out to Target yesterday to brave the Black Friday crowds.  We waited until the evening and found it to be a good choice.  It was crowded but we got some good deals and eluded any panic attacks.

Our Thanksgiving was a relatively quiet one this year.  We stayed here and celebrated with Jon's parents and his sister's family.  We ate plenty and walked between dinner and pie to clear out some room for dessert.  On our walk we saw Christmas lights, including a Nativity scene which Jonah referred to as "Ghosts".  I think he's remembering Halloween all too well.  We corrected him and then he pointed out the "dog" and the "reindeer" sitting next to baby Jesus (it was, of course, a sheep and a donkey).

I got up early Thanksgiving morning to run the "Earn Your Turkey" 4 mile race.  It was cold but there were a lot of people that turned out to run/walk or watch the kids' races.  We stuck around after the race to see children ranging from zero to eight be dragged across the finish line by their all-too-enthusiastic parents.  It was cute watching the little kiddies run until they started crying and dragging their feet, begging to be done.  I stayed around a bit longer to see if I'd won anything in the race and ended up winning first place in my division with a prize of a free turkey!  Good enough for me!  (Don't be impressed by "my division" as I registered in the Athena category.  For me, it was a fast race--4 miles in 31 minutes--but there were much faster people running that day and I knew the only chance I'd have at a turkey was registering in the embarrassing category.  What other woman wants to admit her weight in front of a bunch of sinewy, muscular runners?)

Happy Holidays to all.  Let's all remember what this season is truly about--the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the life he sacrificed for all.  I am truly grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and in my family's.