wonderful week full of good gifts

• fun & fabulous family 5K to the fancy house
• bag of goodies from laura lea
• encouraging Truth!  

• chicken salad chick with victoria on the porch
• clement art Art Show! so many wonderful people and fun & fabulous art...all for an incredible organization
• beautiful beloved sticker...and the friend who gave it to me with a huge hug

• the lord's chicken and not the lord's chicken gift cards
• the box of candles was found!
• the best homemade lemon pepper boneless wings yet (and fries!)

• chilly beans walk with a friend on mountainbrook
• driveway walking and talking with the marvelous molly
• festivus shirt that caroline found for nick!

• a friend who offers (and gives) ice + cherry coke + good questions 
• delicious sunday lunch with yaya and grandaddy
• sweet sister moments

• some early christmas with nick
• having someone to love that makes saying goodbye SO STINKING hard. 
• incredibly thoughtful and generous and meaningful gifts for each of us 

• vanilla latte + vanilla scone for staff meeting
• first christmas card of the season!
• cash girls all stacked up

• so many kind texts and phone calls and love and prayers
• ferdinand and isabella (the geese) are back
• friends being silly on a sunday morning. love the way these 2 laugh.

• communion dinner with lis at eden church...amazing soups and edible salads and so much love and laughter around the table
• the cats seem to be all better...all their ailments are gone
• date night hands picture from amanda (impressed that she took note of it whenever nick posted it months ago...and saved it...and painted it....)

• pineapple from hawaii from the canadas
• louise davidson's words to nick
• mike marshall's ministry 

giving thanks for thanksgiving

It's always a bit ironic that one of the hardest days of the year for me to post a thankful list is thanksgiving.  The internet at the cabin isn't the easiest...and I really don't want to step away from family time to make a post.  And the other issue is that there's usually way too much to post about (and the more pictures, the longer it takes the internet to work)(or something like that) But something just seems wrong about not posting on Thanksgiving.  So this year there was a pretty normal thankful thursday list....and now the abundance post (and I already know this won't include it all).  Giving thanks for thanksgiving. 

• the brothers.

• the sister

• the four wheelers and indestructible golf cart and all the rides in the woods

• the patriarchs and their devices :) 

• the papa and the siblings

• zoe's smile + her four wheeler driving abilities

• this treasure

• railroad track walking with yaya

• papa palmer and his magical cornbread

• the beauty (in spite of my terrible photography abilities)

• the joy that scruffy brings (he's such a good dog!!  cali, too!)

• the turkey preparation (and eating)

• truckload of wood and the brother who supplied it

• bacon (and the brother who cooked it) 

• the road to the cabin

• yaya and the girls

• upside down blanket girl

• his dedication to getting the reading done

• little walk and keeping warm

• trees lined up just right

• sunshine and smiles

• eli and grandaddy and all of their conversations

• sweet and silly girls by the fire

• cash 2 + cash 6 = cash 8

• pre pre thanksgiving coffee + cranberry cake
• pre thanksgiving fried chicken + pineapple sandwiches
• jonathan's turkey carving station
• lane's willingness to haul off the trash
• brian's mac n cheese
• the green stuff (cool whip and who really knows what else. it's delicious!)
• stewed tomatoes
• bar-b-que deer meat 
• cup of coffee delivered to my hands
• 2nd morning of bacon
• the way wil loves to help and problem solve
• the fun of the black stone grill (the most fun was the one cooking on it)
• everybody cozy in the cabin
• christmas vacation movie watching
• plenty of ice and cherry coke in the outdoor fridge
• secret stash of beef jerky
• caroline went off in the woods to spend time with jesus
• nick's impersonation
• "treats" from the dollar general
• being added to prayer lists
• stars and rings around the moon and absolutely stunning weather
• a family i love love love and enjoy so very much.  just can't get enough of them. 

      ...and on and on and on....always more to give thanks for. always. 

thanksgiving thankful.

• "the purpose of this season/situation is to befriend the presence of jesus." -  faith cho
• sweet friends with their polaroid pictures (now we just need to find zoe's!)

• easy peasy dnow hosting. middle school boys are the best group to host!!!
• our church body gathered around us to pray and commission nick

• getting little things taken care of (and using so many helpful little appliances....laminator, iron, glue gun....)
• collaborating with yaya on a little present situation

• "the praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards." - jrr tolkien
• surprise leftovers from waffle house in the fridge (still don't know who they belonged to...but they were tasty)

• tasty tasty steak
• christmas decorating.  it seems to get easier and easier. (there may be another post about this)

• lots of good podcasts on silence, solitude, stillness and prayer
• this book.  have barely perused it and it has brought tears.  (and it's not nearly as bright blue as i anticipated...i'm really actually very thankful for that!!)

• meaningful life shared walking around lakebottom
• afternoon coffee & cranberry coffee cake with 2 of my favorites

• oh, thanksgiving. what a gift. (it needs its own post in a day or 2...lots of bonus posts may be coming)
• more excellent words from tanner olson:

• hug from a friend that sticks with you throughout the day
• just right run through the woods

•  molly's dressing...she makes it, i bring it....i am able to contribute without doing much of anything...everybody is happy
• my incredible family. i truly am so thankful. 

pre-thanksgiving thankful list

• fun & fantastic time "cabining" with friends and family!
• the way ella grace & eli lead our worship service
• prayers from some of the folks we love the most

• kids kayaking down the hill
• games and walks and a screened in porch. chicken dip and scooters and a visit from betsy and meme. shared meals and moments and memory making!
• the cash 6. love this family God has given me. 

• talking with Mr. Bob about what he's reading and the spiritual disciplines
• extremely special date night with nick (heels and everything)
• getting closer and closer to moving in to CityScape's new campus!

• beautiful BELOVED box. 
• fresh flowers
• phyllis's willingness to host breathe!

• finding shoes that will work at valley rescue mission (and getting emma shoes and jeans for less than $5 total!)
• Pure front porch lunch with will & ella
• Shea's adoption is final!

• no school for emma tomorrow!
• this box of goodness: 

• sisters laughing together
• FALLLLLLL

• celebrating people thriving and operating in their giftings (in this case, brad baker!)
• feeling quite accomplished (thanks to molly)

• lots of good water color painting happening around here
• good hope quote:

• paul sharing about how something nick said 20+ years ago has impacted his life (and just so happens to be encouragement for this deployment)
• good stuff: