Catchin' up... starting with Thanksgiving!

Yikes! Life got so busy during December that I didn't even want to think about blogging. Well, that was a mistake, because I feel like I'm so far behind now! I took a break from posting, but I certainly didn't take a break from taking pictures, so hopefully I can catch back up to the here and now quickly! Here goes...

Thanksgiving...

We were able to drive up to Stafford, Virginia, to visit Clint's Uncle Dave and Aunt Lynnae, and their 3 children, Sam, Blake, and Emma. It was so nice to be able to spend a few days with them and get to know them better. They have such a wonderful family.

Thanksgiving morning, Uncle Dave took us to see D.C.! It was only about 30 minutes away from their home. It was freezing (and I mean FREEZING) outside, so we mostly just observed it all from the inside of the warm car. It was sooooo neat to be able to see all of the beautiful buildings and monuments (even from a distance). I absolutely loved it. Hopefully we'll be able to go back sometime when it's warmer and walk around and go inside all of the buildings and everything.

All of these pictures were taken from inside the car.

We did brave the cold to see the Capitol Building; it was really neat!!
And to see inside of the United States Botanic Garden (Christmas tree picture). And Clint and Kaden and Emma got out to see Einstein.
I would love to learn all of the history about each monument and place there. It was amazing, and with it being Thanksgiving Day, it reminded me of how grateful I am to live in this country, even with all of the challenges we are facing right now. It truly is a blessed land.

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner together and with some friends of theirs. That night the whole family had fun playing an interactive guitar/band video game. I was completely entertained; I tried the guitar for about 2 minutes and then promptly gave up my dream of ever becoming a rock star. It was especially fun to see Uncle Dave and Aunt Lynnae sing these rock songs and get into it with their kids; it's no wonder their teenagers absolutely love them.



The drive to and from Stafford was so beautiful; we drove past ranch after ranch, and we were in awe over the lush green grass, the perfectly painted fences, the cozy-looking farmhouses with their nice red barns, etc... Wow!
We also drove past a few Civil War battlefields; driving past those open fields gave me a feeling I can't really describe. The only word that comes to mind is "sobering."


It was a great visit!! We're so happy that we have family who live fairly close to us! It was a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving! Thank you Uncle Dave and Aunt Lynnae!!