...... FULL

I love this time of year.... not so much the colder weather.... but, I really do love the holiday season, when our family tends to get to spend just a little more time together than usual, when my family is at home together, on a weekday, just hanging out! For years and years, we have had multiple family Thanksgiving celebrations to attend, and usually all on Thanksgiving Day. While I love seeing everyone and catching up, it does leave a girl pretty miserable in the belly department! This year though, due to work schedules, we had our Thanksgiving dinner with Michael's family on Wednesday evening. It was really very nice to be able to eat, sit, relax and enjoy each other's company without rushing off to another meal an hour later.

Thanksgiving Day was a time to relax at home, do a little cleaning and organizing in preparation for holiday decorating, and then to head off to dinner with my family. I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner! It is the only night of the year when we get to enjoy my mom's dressing.... (not stuffed in a turkey... you know, the good stuff... cornbread dressing)... YUM!!! It was great to spend time with my aunt, cousin, and grandparents too (We missed you Gina and Joe)!!

Though Thanksgiving tends to revolve around tradition, I did try 2 things this year that I have never attempted before! First, I baked my very first cheesecake... a pumpkin pecan praline cheesecake!! I was pretty pleased with the results. I love to bake, but this was my first ever cheesecake attempt.

The other first thing I did this Thanksgiving..... leave for T@rget at 10:30 pm with my BFF.... stand in line for an hour outside.... stand in line in the electronics department for at least 45 minutes, and then..... browse around until 4 am!!! I still cannot believe we did that! Let me just say that at that hour, with no sleep, everything is funny!! The memories you can make in the wee hours of the morning!!

So, it's not too unusual to be "full" on Thanksgiving, although at first thought, we often think of only our bellies being full. But, I cannot think of a Thanksgiving ever when my HEART has been so full. Sometimes, when I think of my family, friends and our life, and how incredibly blessed we are, it feels as though my heart is so full it might just burst. Last night at dinner, Zoee sang "Give Thanks" for our family, and as I sat listening to the words that my 7 year old daughter so emphatically sang, I could have just cried thinking about how much the Lord has blessed our family. I have a husband who faithfully leads our family, 2 children who are healthy and love Jesus, a warm home, wonderful friends, and a sweet baby girl waiting for us across the world to come and get her. Yes indeed, this Thanksgiving, I am FULL!!!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100