Much To Be Thankful For

Before we head to Colorado for Christmas, I figure it's about time to post pictures from Thanksgiving... sheesh.

We have so much to be thankful for. Here's just a small sample of my blessings:

First off, I am so thankful for family. God allowed me to be born into a fabulous one, but then I was twice blessed when He placed me into a wonderful second family too! Shaun and I went to our friends' wedding in Atlanta the weekend before Thanksgiving, where we spent time with my in-laws before they drove down for Thanksgiving with us.

Dan, Donna, Collin, Amber and Shaun at the wedding

It goes without mention that I am also incredibly thankful for my stud of a husband. Donna took this picture of Shaun outside of our commissary. That picture to the left of him is Shaun, the CGO (company grade officer) of the quarter for the whole base!


I'm thankful for new beginnings and fresh starts. Our dining room set was given to us as a hand-me-down from some dear family friends, but unfortunately the fabric had several worn spots where the stuffing was peeking through. Donna, a former Home Economics teacher, did a magical renovation to our chairs while she was here. She reupholstered our chairs in a gorgeous new cranberry and cream paisley pattern... What a difference it made!

Shaun and Donna hard at work on the chairs

Living in Florida, we've got a great appreciation for the sunshine and warm weather. We took Dan and Donna to one of our favorite beach restaurants, Toucans, for lunch one day. It was fun to stroll the beach afterward!

----Then, there was Thanksgiving----

Our morning started with a family run around our neighborhood, followed by a lot of good bonding time in the kitchen! :) The run helped us to be thankful for our health and strength God gives our bodies. The food was just another reminder of God's provision in our lives and His grace we receive daily. Though we don't have pictures of the run, we have several of the feast preparations!

Dan did the duty of testing the turkey giblets.

Donna and I with the turkey!

Mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, ginger-rum carrots, cranberry sauce, and deviled eggs... Mmm!

Our 2nd Thanksgiving together (with the same last name)!

So colorful! :)

Turkey and wild mushroom stuffing-filled acorn squash

Showing off the spread with Dan and Donna!

I'm thankful for our wonderful friends too. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with some of our friends. They're from Canada, so it was fun to compare traditions with them and show them an American-style Thanksgiving.

With the Fathers -- Mark, Sally, and Kaede

The table!

All in all, we have much to be thankful for. It was so great to spend time with family for the holiday, and it makes us even more anxious to get back to Colorado for Christmas!

Thanks for the visit, Dan and Donna! We love you guys!!

July 4th Weekend

Our 4th of July weekend started off well with dinner at The Shrimp Boat. If you knew how much my mom likes shrimp (think Bubba from Forest Gump...), you'd know that with a name like that, there's no other restaurant to take her to! Shaun and I had never been, but we were really impressed! I foresee a return trip sometime in the future... :)

Shaun's dinner -- a cheesy, rich seafood gratin

Dad's dinner -- a caper, butter sauce drizzled over a fresh filet of red snapper

Momma's dinner -- bacon-wrapped shrimp in a dijon glaze

My dinner -- shrimp and grits, a southern classic

Outside of the restaurant
When you eat at a place on the water, you have to take sunset pictures before you leave!

Saturday afternoon we spent at Tyndall's beach. It's only available to military, so it's never very crowded. Either that, or no one ever wants to make the half-mile trek down the boardwalk to get to the sand.

The guys body surfed some of the waves for a while...

How I spend my time on the beach... at least until the sunscreen dries and I can get in the water!

We ended up driving about 2 miles out on some dirt roads near the housing area on base. With a little hike, we were right on the water and able to watch Panama City Marina's fireworks display. Shaun took a picture of the crew on our lawn chairs, but I promise he was there too!

Ends up our camera isn't quite fireworks-enabled, but Shaun got a couple snapshots from the night. :)

The next afternoon, we drove up to Destin to get to the airport. We had so much fun with them while they were here. It was sad to see them go! But we made lots of good memories during the week; hopefully enough to encourage them to come back again soon!

Thanks again for a great week, Mom and Dad! Love you and miss you both bunches!