Thanksgiving Day!

 

We had a special Thanksgiving Day yesterday. Historically, Thanksgiving has been a bit of a moving target for us in how we celebrate. Sometimes we’ve spent it with my family. Sometimes we’ve gone to Ryan’s family’s gathering. Sometimes we’ve done multiple visits in one day. (Remember the year we had four or five all in one day? And I don’t even like turkey!) Last year we were on the road headed to Florida on Thanksgiving, and our dinner came from Sonic.

            Yesterday we were with my family…all siblings home for the day! It’s the first time in many years that the entire immediate family has been able to be together for any kind of holiday, so it was sweet! (Missed our extended family!)

            We gathered at Mom and dad’s house, but the girls did the cooking this year. I thought we pulled it together pretty well!

            Ryan and I made the rolls…

            …and this cute turkey-themed veggie tray!

            We took green beans too, but they just aren’t as cute in pictures. Imagine them. 😊

            The table was full – of food and people!

            Lexi was happy to see her grandpa. She was happy to see everyone, actually.

            We enjoyed our food and conversation and squeezed in a few pictures before going our separate ways.

            Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one! We are grateful for ours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

            Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! I know – when speaking to a broad audience – that this day is met with mixed emotions. Some of you have been eagerly awaiting it, whether for friends, family, or food. (Or football.) Others of you are struggling to find something to be thankful for in a hard season, and you just want this day to pass. I’ve had a year or two like that in my life.

            But whether you’re excited for today or dreading it, I want you to know that I am thankful for YOU. Thank you for spending time here each day…or week…or whenever you have time to drop in and read a few words. I am grateful you would take a moment to stop and see the thoughts from my heart.

            I’m also thankful today for the goodness I was reminded of this week as Ryan and I decorated our family trees. I thought back to the years before Ryan, when I cried my way through more than one Thanksgiving and struggled with disappointment in dreams yet unrealized. I wasn’t sure what life would look like someday, and as we recounted our memories, I found myself grateful beyond measure for the fun we’ve had, the memories we’ve made, and even the hard times we’ve survived.

            The little ceramic windmill we purchased in Holland, Michigan, reminded us of the trip where so much went wrong, but we came home with a scrapbook full of pictures, a mind full of memories, and a bunch of belly laughs. The Tulip Time Festival had no tulips, we had to wear hats and gloves on the beach in May, our first hotel reeked of toxic cleaners covering who-knows-what, and a lady at the fireworks heard me walking down a set of bleachers and told me she thought it was thunder. What do you even do with all of that? You laugh about it later and give thanks for windmill tours, second-chance hotels, and a delicious birthday cake.

            The snowflake with the alphabet on it reminded us of the year we did the alphabetical dates all year long. That was, hands down, one of my most favorite projects we’ve ever done in the dating realm of our life together. We saw some fun and unusual things that year: A Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, the Biltmore in the snow, a sunflower farm, and more. What a fun year of memories!

            The moose with the maple leaf we got on the Canadian side of Niagara falls after a perfect fall day and the chance to walk across the bridge into Canada. That adventure was the end of such a fun vacation, and we have nothing but wonderful memories from our thousands and thousands of steps walked all around both sides of the falls.

            The multiple ornaments gifted to us in memory of Allen and Nita remind us of the good years we were able to spend with them before they passed away. Though we never imagined saying goodbye so soon into our marriage, we have no regrets from the time we spent with them, and the ornaments honor them beautifully. (Even hung the ornaments together on the tree, because that’s how they would have wanted it.)

            The little dinosaur snow globe reminds us of our first ever birthday getaway – to the Creation Museum. Back then we didn’t realize we were setting traditions, but we are sure glad we blindly leapt into some things we’ve kept every single year of the almost eleven we’ve been married.

            Our Route 66 patch ornament reminds us of the fun we had stopping to visit our entire wedding party when they all ended up living in Joplin, Missouri, a few years after we were married. It also reminds us of our future travel dreams, which include ALL of Route 66 one of these days.

            The Blue Bible ornament reminds us of the year we took the challenge to read through the Bible chronologically, and we had great conversations that stemmed from sharing what we read along the way. We’ve tried a number of different ways to study and learn as a couple, and this remains one of our favorites.

            The handful of ornaments that represent our wedding and first Christmas together were all gifted to us by friends and family and bring back the joy we felt on our beautiful wedding day and that first Christmas together, chaotic though it was. (Getting married, having a honeymoon, coming home, moving in together, and having Christmas all in a few days was quite the adventure!)

            Lexi’s first Christmas ornament reminds us of the year we had met her but she was too tiny to be at home with us. We went to visit right before Christmas and again at the new year so she would learn us and start loving us even before she was old enough to live in our home. She was so tiny!!!

            The little blue pottery Indiana ornament reminds us of the day we painted pottery with our tenants in celebration of one of their birthdays. It was a crazy day of trying to keep everyone happy (and I’m pretty sure we failed) but it also reminds us of a season when we teamed up to do challenging things to the best of our ability – and solely through God’s strength.

            The stories go on and on for the 122 ornaments we hung and stories we read as we placed then on the tree. (If you’re new here, the story of each ornament is written on a picture of that ornament. I read the stories, and Ryan hangs the ornaments on the tree.)

            We came away from that evening in awe and thankful for goodness in the fun and difficult alike.

            Today we are thankful for life, for the Lord, and for you.

            Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends.

            Much love,

            Ryan and Bekah

Lexi's Little Party

 

Ryan and I do not have this week off work, so Lexi’s birthday didn’t get to be a full day holiday, unfortunately. I had a meeting first thing in the morning, and then she spent the day watching Christmas movies while I did the rest of my work.

            But once we were done with work and working out, it was party time! She donned her Birthday Girl bandana, and I was so hoping she would let us put on the party hat again this year, but alas, the elastic in it had stretched out over the year, and it didn’t fit anymore. Womp womp! (This might be the peril of buying the cheapest dog birthday in a box that we could find.)

            I baked her a dog-safe cake and we stuck two candles in the icing. Ryan sang to her while I documented the event, and we both kept a careful eye on her proximity to the candles. (She finds them intriguing, yet appropriately scary.) Ryan blew out the candles, and sister girl was ready to chow down on that cake! (We only let her have about ¼ of it.)

            We did get her a gift, but we’re saving it for Thanksgiving Day, because it’s the kind of toy that will hopefully buy us some conversation time when she’s feeling crazy.

            We did some pictures with her, she got some birthday greetings – and even a FaceTime! – and then she crashed on the couch, partied out.

            Turning two is a big deal, and she savored it. We love her with our whole hearts and it was a joy to celebrate her!

Lexi Grae: Two Cute!

 

Today our baby turns TWO. Lexi Grae, our little Miniature Bernedoodle, is two. In honor of her birthday, I want to share a recap of her year.

In her 13^th month…she became quite a fan of playing fetch (in the house) and got to be pretty good at it! She also learned she liked TV Christmas movies and puppy commercials.

In her 14^th month…she enjoyed her first Christmas and New Year’s at home with us. The year before on Christmas and New Year’s, she was still a tiny pup with her dog-mama! She had so much fun with all the lights and excitement of Christmas, but she did NOT like the New Year’s party horns.

In her 15^th month…she was such a good girl while I took two weeks of online classes. She did a great job of listening quietly while I was on Zoom! She “helped” us pack and then spent a weekend with her boarding friends while we moved. She transitioned to the new house like a champ!

In her 16^th month… she “helped” us unpack and settle in at the lake, and she was also such a good girl when I had a nasty encounter with vertigo and spent some time in bed. She cuddled up right next to me and made sure I was okay!

In her 17^th month…she ate Ryan’s wedding boutonniere (just so you know she’s not perfect) and learned that was probably not her best decision. She also survived her first go-to-shelter tornado warning with a terrified mama!

In her 18^th month…she helped both of us celebrate our birthdays. Her favorite was helping us open our presents!

In her 19^th month…she participated with our garage sale and loved greeting everyone who stopped by. She also tried standing on Ryan’s paddleboard and did pretty well with it! (He didn’t take her out on it. But she had fun standing on it by the pier.)

In her 20^th month…she was brave over the 4^th of July and all the fireworks. She didn’t love it when they were close and loud, but she tried hard! She also had her first sickness that resulted in a vet visit. It was so sad, but a round of medicine later, she was good as new!

In her 21^st month…she hung out with Ryan for three days while I had to travel to Ohio for work. Since she’s used to having me home all day, that was a big adjustment, but she did great!

In her 22^nd month…she soaked up everything about summer. Walks, nights on the patio, people coming to visit…the whole bit. It was truly a dog’s best life for this girl.

In her 23^rd month…she went on some walks on the trails and worked hard on doing a better job with some of her commands. (She knows them. But she’s stubborn and sometimes manipulative, so actually DOING them is a continual work in progress.)

In her 24^th month…she participated in family pictures, and started doing so great with being trusted on her own for longer periods of time!

We’ve been told that the bulk of puppyhood lasts three years, so we are 2/3 of the way there. She has learned so much in two years, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us to conquer some of her stubbornness. Even so, we sure love her to pieces. Neither of us had any idea we could laugh so hard at a dog – or that one could have so much personality! She is beloved in the neighborhood and such a sweet addition to our family. 

We love you, Lexi Grae! Have the BEST birthday!

Bekah's Bookshelf: My 2023 Reads So far

 

I just finished a novel that checked off this box on my 2023 reading challenge: Book with an Animal on the Cover. It could have also checked off the box Book with Dual Timeline and Book About Adoption, but I have other titles selected for those!

            The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner was a choice for me simply because it did have a bird on the cover. Susie was a new-to-me author, and I knew nothing about the book – other than the cover with its bird! Susie, I learned, hails from Michigan and actually attends the same church as an author friend of mine from a writing conference I went to a few years ago. She has published four books, though they are not in a series, and after reading this one, I would absolutely read more from her.

            One of the things I really appreciated about this book was its careful attention to craft. I’ve read many good books (in my lifetime and this year), but few have been as intricate as this one, and as a writer, I appreciated the craft portion of this book.

            This novel’s chapters rotate among three people and three decades. The book begins with Bruce, who tells his family’s story from his perch in 2013, where he is a son to aging parents, a husband to Linda, the father of three daughters in three very different stages of life, and also a grandfather. He’s retired, reflective, and shuffles among the generations that need him every day.

            The next chapter is the family story told from Bruce’s wife’s perspective…in 1975. Linda is a young musician who could have made it big in the world, but gave it all up for small-town life with Bruce. They’re parents of a young daughter named Sonny, and Linda spends about half her life defending her every decision to her cranky mother-in-law who is an absolute pill. Linda craves a second child and feels drawn to adopt a little boy from Vietnam through Operation Babylift, which rescues children from the war-torn country. Unfortunately Bruce’s brother has been killed in the war and another brother is home from war with severe PTSD, and the idea of welcoming a child from the country that claimed a family member’s life is tough.

            The story then moves to Sonny’s perspective in 1988, when she’s a senior in high school, navigating relationships, future decisions, a younger sister with whom she has little in common, and a mom who is pregnant with the baby of the family.

            Throughout the entire book, the story rotates from Bruce to Linda to Sonny and back to Bruce. The timelines shift from present day to the 70s to the 80s and yet none of the story is lost in translation.

            The relationships push and pull throughout all those decades, and everything weaves together so beautifully.

            It was fascinating for me to learn about Operation Babylift, which was new to me, and also about the prejudices toward adoption – especially international adoption – that faced families who grafted children from overseas into their families. I absolutely recommend this and would imagine her other books are just as well-written!

            This might be my favorite new find from the challenge all year!

Sunday Sentiments

 

We decorated for Christmas this weekend. (In full disclosure, we’re not quite done. But close!) The debate is hot, I know, about decorating before Thanksgiving.

            I used to feel the need to apologize for decorating early, but I don’t anymore. For one thing, with our anniversary in the early December mix, decorating early helps me have a measure of sanity later, and I can’t turn my back on that. Even if we didn’t have an anniversary coming up, sitting in the soft glow of the lights brings a calmness and joy to my soul, and I won’t apologize for making space for that. It doesn’t mean you have decorate yet if you’re not ready, but it’s okay that we have!

            Our beloved “Names of Jesus” tree wasn’t in our house last year. I lent it to a fundraiser – just for voting, not for donating – and I missed having it in our home. It was the first tree I put up this year, and it brought me such joy to read over the many names of Jesus as I worked. It sits in our dining room and will be the tree that keeps me company throughout my upcoming work days. I’m so happy about that!

            We haven’t put the ornaments on our family trees, but they’re up with lights and ribbon, and I’m savoring their beauty on this dark evening as I write to you.

            Because this was our set-apart decorating weekend, we had some time to ourselves, and we savored that, too. Yesterday, though chilly, was a gorgeous day, and we were able to take a long walk together. We worked in tandem on the decorations, and we had some great conversations.

            The slowing down, the savoring – they matter. We need them. In all the busy pieces of everyday life (made busier by the holidays), we need to slow and savor.

            Maybe, for you, that looks like soft Christmas lights. Maybe it looks like slow Saturday mornings. Maybe it looks like reading a book or baking something special.

            Make time to savor. You will be so glad you did.