There's So Much to Be Grateful For...!

I've been meaning to write a Thanksgiving post since... Thanksgiving! Haven't gotten around to it. Since I really don't like the idea of having to catch up on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I figured I could get this done before the other needs to happen. If you followed that thought, then 2 stars for you!

I really do love Thanksgiving. I love the time spent with family, and the meaning behind the holiday. I don't care if the story they gave us in elementary school isn't exactly the way it started. I like the thought of dedicating a holiday to being grateful.

This past Thanksgiving was wonderful. Almost everyone was able to gather at my parents house (Faith and her three boys celebrated the holiday in Tulsa and were definitely missed). It was so nice to have (almost) everyone all together again. I love the big family gatherings. I love the kids running around playing with their cousins, I love the interaction with my siblings (interesting to think how much the dynamic changes as everyone gets older), I loved playing NCAA football on the playstation (I think that's what it's played on...) and re-learning how to play Super Smash Brothers with my brother-in-law (and actually getting "good" enough that he didn't feel like he had to go easy on me anymore - or at least as easy). I loved it all.

This is one of the first things I saw early Thanksgiving morning:

In case you can't tell what it is, it's my dog (Dingo) curled up on my bedroom floor with a couple of stuffed animals. He's got a pig by his head, and a bear between his paws. I thought it was adorable.

This year my sister, sister-in-law, and I started what I hope becomes our new Thanksgiving tradition. We ran a 5k the morning of Thanksgiving. Dingo got up when he heard me moving around and started following me around the house. He was acting really anxious so I thought he needed to go outside. I opened the door for him twice with no response. I thought maybe he needed food and water, so he followed me as I checked his bowls. Nothing. I went downstairs to make sure Bethany and Jen were up. He followed me downstairs too - normally he'll wait at the door upstairs for me. I couldn't figure out why he was so intent on staying with me, then it hit me. He wanted to go running with me. I used to take him running quite often while I lived at home and later when I was just visiting. He loved it. Somehow he knew what I was planning to do, and didn't want to miss out on it. It was really sad to have to leave him at the door. Before the weekend was out, I did take him for a walk - which he loved.

It was raining a bit when we left, so we were planning on being cold, but I didn't think it was really too bad. I met up with a friend who had also signed up, and we ran it together. I had my phone in my pocket (I always have it with me when I run in case of death or dismemberment or something) and was going to take a picture of us running, but we decided we'd probably turn out better if we waited until after the race. Unfortunately, I forgot to take one after, but I think we looked something like this -

- except we had more clothes on and were wearing lower heels. Other than that I think the similarity is quite shocking (what do you think Heather?).

At the end of the race, I raced a motorcycle.


And yes, it was moving as I was racing it. As we were rounding the last corner, a cop on a motorcycle that had been following the route came up behind us. I called out, "Can I just jump on the back and you zip me around to the finish?" He said, "Oh, you're almost there, and it's only a one-seater." I told him that I didn't mind driving. He replied, "Tell you what, I'll race you to the end, whoever wins, gets to drive." I accepted, looked over at Heather, then took off running. He started revving his engine and was staying right behind me. People could see what was going on and they started yelling, "Yeah, you got him!" and "Way to go!" I totally won. I think. I don't know, but it was a lot of fun and a great way to end the race.

While we were running, the guys in the family went up to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Turkey Bowl. How'd they get in? - "They know a guy." They had a lot of fun playing, and there weren't any injuries to report.

After the race there was a lot of cooking (tons of food) and lots of great time with the family. It really was a wonderful day and weekend.

Now, in the true spirit of Thanksgiving - I'm thankful for my family. I'm grateful that we're all friends. I'm grateful for wonderful in-laws who are a great addition to the family. I'm grateful for my knowledge of God's plan for us and for help that we get in doing the things required. I'm grateful for the gospel. I'm grateful for wonderful people that God has put in my life at specific times to help me become a better person.