THANKSGIVING

Here's hoping that all had a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that we have this day to celebrate; to be with family; to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for all that he has bestowed upon us.



We went, for our 7th Thanksgiving, to my favorite get-a-way. It is a little mountain lodge that my Grampa brought us to 35 years ago this year! Wow-I can hardly believe that that many years have passed! Am I truly this old? Well, alas, we used to bring up the camp trailer and camp out in the parking lot and then go swimming in the hot springs. Or, we would rent a room or two in the old inn. The rooms were small but cozy. I hope to post some pictures soon, although I didn’t get many good ones, and they were on my daughter’s camera, which she has at her house. As mentioned in another post, though they have added extensively to the resort, I still prefer to stay in the old rooms of the main lodge. They are plain; they are simple. We had one this year with a double bed and a sink. The bath was a shared one down the hall. There are no frills, no TVs, and no phones! I get enough technology noise in my everyday life, and these non-amenities are what make this place so special.

This year, all three of my children were able to attend, along with my son-in-law and three grandchildren, my sister and family, my mom and dad, and my only remaining gramma. It is because of her and Grampa (who has passed) that this hideaway is so special. In all, we had five generations in attendance. My grandbabies many mammas! They had Mommy, Gramma, Great Gramma, and Great Great Gramma. :) Though our littlest, Christian, was quite fussy most of the time, we passed him around between the women to keep him comforted as best we could. The older boys had fun playing in the warm-water pool.

Thanksgiving dinner is put on each year by the five-star chef of the inn and is a feast indeed! A buffet of assorted meats, home-grown vegetables, and succulent desserts were available. There were 17 of us all told.

I got to wear my new modest swimming suit for the first time! It felt rather strange getting looks, as I did, but the looks were coming because it was different rather than because I was showing off my body. I felt quite comfortable around family also—a real plus after cringing each year—the one time I don clothing that covers very little (though my old suit WAS a one-piece). For anyone interested in modest swim wear, I found a wonderful site at http://www.modestswimwearsolutions.com

A FEW THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR…

• My Heavenly Father
• The Gospel
• The atonement
• Prayer
• Family
• Food
• A bed to sleep in and food to eat
• An honest son
• The Scriptures
• Goodly parents
• Online friends
• Forgiveness
• Animals
• Children

Blessings to all :)