A Day of Thanks

My youngest sister, Natasha invited our family over for Thanksgiving and since this Thanksgiving was an "off" year, (meaning that my married children spent the holiday with their in-laws) we took her up on her offer. Not only would we be able to spend it with family but it was the perfect opportunity for Mar-Kell to show us where he served his mission. That was the plan, but after Mar-Kell got a job and a promotion, he was yoked down and was unable to go with us. Instead, he spent his Thanksgiving at work and with his fiance's family.

We arrived in California Wednesday afternoon and almost immediately began preparations for the Thanksgiving feast. We worked well into the evening preparing 3 different kinds of pies, stuffing and the yams. I enjoyed visiting with my sister and listening to the children play as we went about our cooking.

After sending the men out for items we forgot earlier

in the day we didn't have the heart to send them

out again for a rolling pin so we improvised.

The pies still turned out great.

Everyone dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner.

A few days later we had the ceremonial

breaking of the wishbone.

Brigitta took control of the house and found that the

stairs made a perfect play area.

We took a trip up to a mountain close by for some rock
climbing. Well, at least some of us went for the climbing.

The cousins.

We found several notches in the rocks.

Kendrick tested his strength.

This rock was the highlight of the trip.

If you look closely you can see those who

reached the top first.

While waiting for them to finish their

rock climbing adventure...

Natasha, Brigitta and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Just the right size.

The next evening we went to the town's tree lighting.

Dagny's High School choir performed and did a
fantastic job. After the tree lightening Brigitta met

Father Christmas.

By the end of the day she was snuggled in bed

dreaming of presents to come.

The next day we were off to San Francisco.

This was our first experience on the BART.

It was exciting to be able to go to the big city.

Union Square was all decked out for the holidays.

The tree was enormous.

Each store was beautifully decorated.

As you can see, Brigitta not only loves bears,

but she loves to pose.

We took several forms of transportation.

First the street car and then the Trolley.

Our next destination was Fisherman's Wharf.

The wind was whipping along the bay.

This was as close as we got to the water.

The end of a long and enjoyable day.

On our way back home we took the scenic route

and stopped off at the beach.
It was the perfect place to stretch our legs.

Brigitta couldn't help posing with another animal friend.

There was an elderly couple watching as Brigitta

asked us to take picture after picture

while she posed. They laughed and

laughed commenting on how cute she was.

We had a wonderful time with my

sister and her family as we strengthened family ties.

They opened their hearts and home

to us and invited us in.

Brigitta cried as we drove away saying,

"I miss Natasha."

We are thankful for their family and the

impact they have in our lives.

As for my family at home....We missed them terribly

but are looking forward to a exciting Christmas season with them.