Our Thanksgiving Crew

Clockwise from center -- Paul, Vetica, Ken, Kurtis, Jessica, Brandon, Justin (the back of his head at least), Greg, Lauren, a little bit of Abbie, Andres, Mariana, Sophia and Diego. Oh, and me....behind the camera. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of this day, I thought I'd post a list of things I am thankful for this season.

I am thankful for...

God's Salvation -- although this may sound cliche to some, without it I would be a hopeless, wandering creature.

Health -- We often take for granted the fact that we can run, jump, skip, walk, play sports, speak, hear, see, etc. What an amazing gift we have that we can do all these things.

Freedom & the U.S. -- I've recently watched a handful of movies about war, civil unrest, etc in other countries. Those have reminded me of how lucky we are to live in a land where there is no threat of war (at least among our own people), no widespread diseases, famine, and extreme poverty of the masses; where we don't have to live every day in fear that we will be shot, or have to run and hide for our lives.

Family
my dad for his wisdom, guidance, and friendship
my husband for being my best friend and teammate
my brother for being a spark of light and fun
my children for just being who they are and gifts from God
my mom for her kindness and servant's heart
The Kurtz's for their love, acceptance, welcoming, and hospitable hearts

and the list could go on and on and on...

Other things -- the fact that i have a decent job; my husband is employed; we have a nice home; live in a nice, safe neighborhood;have reliable vehicles; heat; light; water; and food.

Really, there is so much to be thankful for!

To all our family and friends -- we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Paul, Monica, Jessica, Abbie, Greg, .... and Boone ;)

After the Snowfall

Scene outside our back door this morning...

First Snow

It's been spitting snow on and off for the past few days but it looks like we're finally getting something to stick. The following pictures were taken just moments ago from our backyard(approx. 8:15pm)...nothing special, but the flakes are big! I thought I'd just post them as a tribute to the First Snow, of our First Winter in Athens, Pa. ;-)

Home is Where Your Heart Is

I received a text message from Paul yesterday that said, "I miss home".
This is typically not a statement I hear from Paul...in fact, I'm not sure he's EVER said he's missed a place other than where his kids and wife are.
I texted him back and said, "Home as in Ca.? Me too!!"
Later that day when he was driving home from work, he called me and I asked him, "What "home" did you mean that you missed?" It was indeed California. And then he went on to say that it was the familiarity of a place he missed most. Driving up the I-5 corridor, coming into Red Bluff and knowing Redding is just up and over the hills, recognizing everything around you and knowing you are coming back to a place where you grew up, where your family is, where your roots are, where your memories first started, where you know how to get just about anywhere.
His comment really struck me because I have been struggling a lot lately with just being in yet another new place...with another new job...more new faces...everything being unfamiliar. I think we take for granted the comfort and safety that comes along with just being somewhere we feel we belong; a place that we know almost inside out.

This reminded me of a poem I wrote years ago...some of you may be familiar with it, but I thought it would be a good time to share it again. It was written as Paul, me, and the kids were making a trip from Sacramento back up to Redding one day.

North on I-5

The clouds you hold in your blue-tinted hair
run smoky black and indigo, bruising
your canvas with their unpredictable power

Your eyes reflected in the spaciousness
of this pregnant land, spotted calico
with the green of oak leaf full in nourishment,
the burnt orange of a fading sun,
and richness of your vibrant earth

Bright lights travel in growing darkness
a constant, streaming symbol of hope
permanently imprinted upon your face.
Always alive, you are the pathway run ancient
between my childhood and my future.

I know you well; I hate you...I love you.

Hunting Season

Paul just returned from a weekend trip to his brother's to finish off the bow hunting season. He came back with a nice buck (see pics below). Paul also took Greg on a couple of hunting outings this season and I've posted some pictures of that as well. Next up is rifle season and I know Paul hopes to get a couple of doe so we can put some good meat in the freezer.

waiting in the "blind"

Guns N' Such

So last weekend Paul celebrated his 34th birthday and we decided to head on over to our Sportsman's club to shoot some clay pigeons which we haven't done since we lived in Colorado. Below are some pictures from our day. Mind you, this was the first time I had picked up my shotgun since shooting in the spring trap league back in Grand Junction in May. I was feeling a bit rusty!


Jessi trying to "throw" the clay for Paul to shoot.









Safety Glasses!










Me...TRYING to hit a clay (but, just for the record, I think I actually hit this one).