Thanksgiving 2011

After originally plotting to go to Arizona for the Thanksgiving and then ultimately ruining plans for Julie and Jared, Shan & Ronnie and possibly the Godard's, we thankfully had the opportunity to go to the Browns in good old AV. It was an enjoyable experience. I do have to apologize for a little habit a formed while there, which Brian had to point out to me because I was to oblivious to realize it. On our 8 hour drive to AV, I started reading The Hunger Games....out loud...to Brian. We got 3/4 the way through the book when we arrived. Throughout our time there I found every lull in conversation, visiting, cooking, eating, etc. with family to drive back into the book. I didn't realize how rude this must have seemed. Sorry family, I do love you more than The Hunger Games....i think (j/k).

Brian and I are still getting use to the whole sharing-families-during-the-holidays-thing. This holiday wasn't too difficult because we were able to still pow-wow with the Murphy's at Dumont Dunes on the way back to UT, never mind the fact we were only there 3 hours. It is crazy there...like a whole other type of civilization. Brian and I are apparently bad luck because when we arrived and went to the drag races, 3 of the 4 sand rails broke; 2 of them even before taking off. After ditching the drag races, we headed to the old mines a few miles away from the main dunes. It was pretty neat. The entire time I was thinking of how things would be if the Hunger Games were in such terrain and what Katniss and Peeta would do with such limited resources. Such like a nerd.

Our last stop was hanging with Shannon and Ronnie in Vegas. We had Shannon take pictures for us to send out for Christmas, but I was having a "I hate my freckles,feel ugly, starting to see lindsay lohan in the mirror and overcompensating with too much makeup isn't working" hour. So, I don't think they turned out too well. Nevertheless, Shannon's mad skills with photoshop can be utilized in such dire cases...right Shan?

We finished the book on our drive back. Loved and hated it....assuming we are not the only ones either. I do want to mention that Brian read most on the way back, which meant that I got to hear his pronunciation of Peeta. I love it; it is like he is trying to say peter in a latin accent. It's adorable! His pronunciation for Greasy Sae and tesserae are fun too ;).

To the main point of this post: thanks giving. Like all of us, I have an exuberant amount to be thankful for. I just want to focus on one gift that I feel particularly grateful for this week, the gift of nature and its symbolism of the gospel of Christ. Every year I dread the season change of fall to winter. It is only when I step back and remember that all things typify of Christ, that I am able to get outside myself and realize that all the elements of nature have a purpose of bringing us joy and testifying of Christ. Genesis 1:10-25, God saw that all his creations were good.

Why were they good? Because he knew they would remind us of our need for a Savior, remind us the seasons typify of Christ's life and our own eminent death (winter), but hopeful resurrection (spring). It reminds us of our need of nourishment from the soil (or word of God) and from the Sun's rays (or the Son) to help us grow upward, to progress. God knows we understand the spiritual through the physical. I am grateful that he understands us more than we do ourselves and more than we acknowledge most of the time. He his our Father, why wouldn't he understand us perfectly and create an environment that helps us learn the truth of all things. I hope I can be like him as a parent. I hope I can use the beauty of nature to help my children learn through symbolism and learn truth.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving, thanks to Katie Winder for sharing this video.