Thanksgiving Reunion

Our Thanksgiving weekend began with a birthday cake for Tim,

I was blessed to have my entire family here for Thanksgiving weekend. Andy and Kim, Jacob and Emily drove in from Columbia, MO and stayed in my house. Tim and Amy and their four children, plus Amy’s mom, all from Dallas, stayed in a nearby condo on the lake. My nephew Ken and wife Ginny, from Houston, stayed only two nights in a motel, and Mark and my other nephew, Rick, from Michigan, slept in the empty house next door to me, which we often borrow. So let's see, that makes 15 of us.


We had dinner at the condo, thankfully. Tim is the turkey cook, so all that happened there. And as the kitchen and living area at the condo were more spacious than my little house, we ate dinner there also. Such a nice treat for me.

Charades with Sydney and Emily acting out a movie?

Jacob modeling Grandma's wig. Everyone had to try it on.

Brooke is 2 1/2, beautiful, and quite a character. Giving only a nod to the doll house and other toys in my playroom, she gravitated, as last time she was here, to my small collection of hearts of rose quartz and other gemstones on my dresser. She carried them around with her, arranged and rearranged them on the coffee table, lost them over and over in the sofa cushions, and chose a special one to take back to Dallas with her. I look at small children’s preferences and behaviors as a reflection of their destiny. I wonder if this means she will be a woman with an extraordinarily loving heart, or maybe a heart surgeon.


Brooke examining my necklace

On Saturday after Thanksgiving, we all went to Lake Oauchita, a State Park nearby, and took an "Eagle Tour" on a barge. The sun was NOT out and it was very cold. Fortunately, we saw several magnificent eagles, so that made the experience worthwhile.

Mark scouting for Eagles

Look carefully for the eagle in the tree.

And on the wing

Carly and Emily trying to stay warm