Thanksgiving 2008

I love this time of year for many reasons.  Mostly because it is the start of the holiday season and most folks are in an good mood.  Anticipation, good vibes and friendly folks are common.

Also -- every Thanksgiving I sit back and think about the things I am most thankful for.  First I have to say I am thankful for Jesus.  In 1971 when I understood some of what He did for me--it changed my perspective and values and direction in life. 

When it comes to families:  I have the best. 

 

I feel like Lou Gehrig, "...the luckiest man in the world."

Next is my one and only - Pam -  She is an amazing woman.   In February we will have been married 30 years.  That was the happiest day in my life. Then Adam and Kelly.  What a couple of great, squared-away kids.  I learn a lot from them and have been immeasurably blessed to be their dad.   We have a lot of fun.  Always have.

Then the other things that make life good:  a great job with a non-profit company that places high value on quality of life; great neighbors and friends; a good church to attend; and the good prospect of a future and a hope.

I hope you and yours are equally blessed this Thanksgiving and wish you a happy and blessed one!

Turkey Dinner Boxes

It's that time of the year again!

Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holiday season. They put out a call at church to help with the Thanksgiving Day turkey effort. Volunteers were needed to unload trucks, box up turkeys and trimmings and reload trucks. So we decided to help.

We arrived for the 6:00 AM shift. It was still pitch dark and about 29 degrees. Brrrr

The seven 18-wheelers were pulled up along the parking garage of the church. Pallets of food in the trucks had to be moved to where the boxes were being loaded. They had three long lines of tables to fill boxes of food. The food was piled into parking places that were marked on the garage floor.One new skill we learned was using the big tape dispenser. It only took a couple hundred boxes to tape up to get the hang of it.

The sun finally showed up. It warmed up and we had about 300 more volunteers show up to pack the boxes. It was a fun time and we felt as if we may have helped someone have a good Thanksgiving. So it was a great day.

Into Biking

Biking with is great! Over the years we have had a couple of different types of bikes. When we were in Albuquerque 15 years ago, Pam and I decided to get mountain bikes. About five years ago I got a road bike which I ride the most now.
This past summer Kelly and I took a ride on the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) trail which I read is one of the most used in the U.S. We had a nice Saturday morning ride making our way through Vienna and down into Mclean. I have had quite a few outings on the W&OD.

A couple of months ago my neighbor Gil and I did a 33 miler (which is modest by real bikers standards but a lot for me). It was a spectacular day starting out in Nokesville, VA and winding through the country roads. A big bonus that morning was a country store in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed some coffee on the front porch.
A couple few days ago, Adam and I rode into Wash D.C (acutally Georgetown). He needed to go to work and I wanted to see that part of the WO&D. It was easy going into town since it was down hill. The 13 miles took about an hour.
Since the kids are relatively closeby, I look forward to riding more with them. I thought once they moved out and moved on we wouldn't be riding very much. But every time we get to ride, its a bonus.

A Back Door for the Garage

We are just about done with the garage. We ordered a new backdoor a couple of weeks ago and the guys came to install it. The old one has a dog door for Ed. Since winter is approaching, we will just let him out the back door.
The guys did a good job. I lov,e watching the professionals do their thing. Besides having the right tools to make quick work of it, they have done it so many times it is almost second nature. For me sometimes these things are a major project. They make it look easy.
The tricky piece of it can be hanging the door 'square' since it opens and closes without any hitches. This one took about an hour and it was done. Works like a champ.
We are going to have them do some siding work, and we will paint the door and it should be all done shortly.