Thanksgiving in Review

We hosted a small family dinner for Thanksgiving this year, it was cozy and everything I ever could have hoped for. Seeing my family healthy, happy, and united brings a salty little tear to my eye. Thankful does not begin to describe my overwhelming sense of gratitude for the blessings we received during our challenging time this year. Over the course of a three month period we experienced concerning health troubles, job loss, the birth of our dear baby H, two year molars, a new job, moving out of state, losing our family pets, and essentially starting over. There is no denying the amount of crazy that went down in that time frame but I am thankful for the knowledge gained from those experiences. Most importantly, *I* learned what it means to minister within your own community and how to ask for and receive help. Humility is beautiful.

I was so enmeshed in the joy of turkey day and cooking that I failed to take snapshots of our individual dishes but our menu looked something like this:

Thanksgiving 2011

 Greenburg Smoked Turkey

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Sausage apple cranberry dressing

Fresh Corn

Greenbeans from grandpa's garden

Cranberry Compote
Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows
Homemade Crescent rolls

H takes mashed potatoes seriously

 My brother flew  into town over the holiday, he's a good little brother and I often miss his quiet presence. I don't see him often due to the demands of college on the East Coast and his military career, so our time together is extra special. He got a kick out of being called "Uncle", by his eldest nephew for the first time. Here are some pictures of him on our post turkey walk along the Paducah flood walls.

 

 

3 generations of men; Grandpa, son, grandsons.

Choo-Choo
All Aboard
next stop 
Christmas

Learning Between The Lakes

The Cumberland River was impounded in the 1960s and a canal was constructed between Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, Land Between The Lakes (LBL) became the largest inland peninsula in the United States boasting 170,000 acres and 300 miles of undeveloped shoreline.

Reminiscent of lazy days on the lake where he grew up and not a Colts fan, Bryan  felt like a wild animal shot down taken into captivity. He was not sorry leaving the big city behind to embark on better opportunities for his family in the Bluegrass state.

Surrounded by the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers with Kentucky and Barkley lakes just due east; big city lovin’ stay-at-home- mom, Jennifer was not so keen on the idea of giving up Super Target and Whole Foods for a Walmart and rural isolation. She reluctantly kissed the Circle City goodbye and traded it for the southwestern land region of Kentucky known as the Jackson Purchase.

Follow this blog and learn about life for the C family as they explore the peninsula and beyond.