We flew back into Nashville, spent the night, and drove to Texas.  Are we crazy?….yes.  But I’d really like for someone to tell me how to fly to Mexico for 2 weeks, have to check an additional bag for work purposes which means we only get to check one bag each, and then go to Texas in cold weather for 10 days, and also transport Christmas gifts…without having to come back to Nashville…ok, I’m already confused again. Anyways, we had to come back to Nashville to travel to Texas, solely because of luggage.  We decided to drive and I think we hit the jackpot with $1.50 gas the whole way.  It made the expensive Thanksgiving plane tickets all that more expensive and it made our trip so much easier to have our own car.

Anyways, my Grandfather had a 90th birthday party the weekend before Thanksgiving in L-Town and the whole family (30 including the little Tardy on the way), was there.  I know it meant the world to my grandparents to have everyone there and despite being just a little crazy, it went really well.  It was great to also get to see my parents and siblings because we will not get to see them for Christmas.  I decided after this trip, however, that I have not changed all that much in my life.  Big groups of people are fun to me, but I always leave feeling very drained and tired whereas Daniel gets energized off of big groups.  So, by the time we got back home, I was EXHAUSTED.  I feel like the little ball in a pinball game the whole time and I’m constantly trying to keep up or recover from the last thing I just hit.  Am I the only one?

My grandparents after the big party

Gran Gran being cute and funny.

We had just “crowned” him with our name tags.

My parents

We spent the rest of the week in Dallas with Daniel’s family for Thanksgiving.  I did not take any pictures of our time together which makes me sad.  It was very fun to see where both of Daniel’s brothers and their wives are living since they both moved to the Dallas area this summer.  We were planning on visiting them in February but we now have some other plans which are taking precedence.    So, Thanksgiving worked, too.  A few of Daniel’s siblings ran the Dallas Turkey Trot and we had two different meals with two different sides of the family on two different days…both incredibly good.  It was absolutely nonstop and I think we drove all of Dallas in the few days we were there.  We also were able to see our friends Matt & Micahl which is always fun too.  Micahl threw me a baby shower on the Saturday after Thanksgiving which will have to be its own separate post but is the final reason we drove to Texas.  Whew!  Through all the whirlwind, I did not have much time to reflect but I guess more than anything, the theme of this Thanksgiving was being thankful for family.

Maybe it’s my outlook on life right now but I really give more credit to the Holy Spirit working in my heart and life to sit here and say, I am more thankful this year than I can ever remember. I don’t necessarily have anything drastically different to be thankful for but for some reason, my mind and heart are focusing on all of the things I have been blessed with and in a very non-cliché way, this is the best Thanksgiving season ever.

Last year I was sick while my parents were here and my excitement to cook the every daunting meal for my parents, dwindled as I lay in bed. This year, I had the company of great friends and family and really enjoyed the day but much more have enjoyed remembering why I have a reason to be thankful and all that God has done in my heart and life and for the people He has blessed me with.

Now before you think that life is just peachy keen and going my way I would like to point out that everything has not been perfect. Even this week, I’ve been fighting the blahs and struggling a bit with how my life looks so different than what I thought it would be and even how I hoped and wanted it to be. I used to believe that if I had a desire or a dream, that God would not have given that to me if He didn’t want me to pursue it, or that He would change my desire completely. I believe that only in light of God’s sovereign reign and plan for my life. I will always desire to have my health, or that Daniel and I can live a long life together, but the truth is, God may choose to work differently but in dependence on Him, He will give me the grace and strength to walk through whatever circumstance I find myself in…whether reaching my dream or goal, or dealing with the loss of a dream.

So, in light of that, I choose to be thankful no matter my circumstances and trust the One who knows my circumstances inside and out.

The LBD Dual Significance: I like the picture above, not the part that shows my damp hair but the part that shows the leaf that is bigger than my head! Maybe its a cheesy analogy but walking that dreary path in Portland (as much as I loved it), was not the best traveled path. It was wet, slick, and kind of gross out. Living life is kind of the same way. Many times it is wet, slick, and gross all around us but if we have the perspective and open eyes, we can see amazing things around us. Like that HUGE leaf! If I was focused on how cold I was or how wet my jeans were or how ugly my hair looked, I might have missed the beautiful trees and this amazing leaf. I really want to live my life with my eyes focused on the big leaves rather than the wet clothes. I have lived the other way around and it is not nearly as cool.

Psalms 95:1-7 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.