Thanksgiving 2019

This past weekend was a long weekend in every way.

The weekend felt more like a couple of weeks off from work.  I didn't realize how much my battery needed to be recharged until mid-recharge.

The long weekend left me feeling rested and ready to return to the real world.

Though it would have been nice if the alarm had gone off a little later than it did.

The weekend was long in that we dealt with a dog surgery for Lincoln.  I picked him up from camp on Friday and he was only home a couple of hours before he went to the vet.  He ended up staying in the emergency clinic and didn't come home until today.

We've missed him.

Tampons for Thanksgiving might not have been his best little doggy idea.

Stick to turkey!  It goes through a little easier.

Over the long weekend Andrew and I were able to have several different conversations.

We talked about our accomplishments this year , our goals for the upcoming year, what we were thankful for this year, and a host of other things.

A huge accomplishment for us this past year was paying off all debt.

For the first time in our married lives we are debt free.

We are so very thankful for God's provision.

Being debt free is huge, but it is not what I'm most thankful for this year.

As I thought about the past year and the different things God has done for Andrew and me, I couldn't help but think back to this time last year.

I wasn't pregnant AGAIN despite my desire for a Thanksgiving announcement.

I wasn't loving my job.

I was completely indulging in some serious self pity.

I couldn't muster an ounce of gratitude.

When it was my turn to share what I was thankful for at Weaver Thanksgiving, I passed.

I couldn't do it.

I felt like anything I said was going to be fake.

My heart was hard.

I wasn't thankful for anything.

This year....

Still not pregnant.

But my heart is able to find much gratitude.

God has opened my eyes to all He has done for me.

I can see Him working in the waiting.

I can see him using my wait and the loss of Jayden to encourage other women.

This year my heart is filled with thanksgiving.

And I'm thankful for that.

So this year...

I'm thankful to be thankful.

Going to Harvard

I really wanted to go to Yale.

Why Yale?

Because that's where Rory Gilmore went to school.

But I couldn't convince Andrew who had been there before and said Harvard was prettier.

So on our last day of vacation we headed to Harvard.

It was a beautiful campus.

It was just a quick stop before heading to the airport and starting our journey home.

It was such a fun vacation.

It gave us the RV travel bug for sure.

We both came home ready to buy an RV.

You better believe we will be doing more RV trips in the future and we will be recommending them to every one we know.

The Santa Maria and Our Last Full Day

Vacationing can be exhausting.

So on this day we rested and stayed close to camp.

We did do a little exploring.

Andrew heard there was going to be a replica of the Santa Maria nearby and he wanted to check it out.  I wasn't all that excited but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I cannot even imagine living on this ship with no navigation or really any idea where you are headed.  

Today's lunch was a place recommended to us by our camping neighbors.  Andrew makes friends wherever he goes.  I admire that about him.

I had been saying all along that I wanted to try lobster.  This was my opportunity.

So what did I do?

I ate chicken of course.

Maybe next time.

After lunch we drove and round and did a little window shopping before heading back for a nap.

We do love ice cream on vacation.

We tried to have one last campfire.

Andrew enjoyed it.

In the rain.

I admired it from inside the camper.

It was the perfect last full day of vacation.

Fun and restful all in one.

Quaint Little Towns and Big Houses

Day 8 was all about quaint little towns and big houses.

Mansions really.

We drove to Newport, Rhode Island to check out a few of the cottages by the sea.

I'm a sucker for self guided audio tours.  I kinda love them.

Just call me a tourist.

I can't even imagine living like this.

Touring mansions can make a girl hungry.

For lunch we tried a place called Winner Winner.

It was no Gus's but it was pretty good.

After lunch and mansion touring it was time for another state.

Mystic, Connecticut was the cutest little town.

I loved our time here.

                

  

We both loved this store.  They had the softest shirts!

We tried multiple times to have pizza on this trip failing each time until we arrived in Mystic.  So yes we ordered two LARGE pizzas.