Thanksgiving at Bozeman/Yellowstone

I am so very thankful for the days in my life that remind me to be thankful.

John and I had committed to take Johns Dad down the the Great Falls airport this past Thursday and then to pick him up the following Thursday.   Thanks to a generous offer from John's sister Sarah, we decided to capitalize on the three days sandwiched in between and make a family trip out of it.  I ended up driving Max down early Thursday morning and John came with the kids later that evening so we could continue on to Bozeman together.  

We spent Friday touring Yellowstone National Park where we visited Geysers,  searched for wildlife, visited old Faithful and strolled along the walkways at Prismatic Springs.   At the end of the day my eyes literally hurt because I had spent the day staring so intently at the landscape around me.  On Saturday we got dressed up and attended/watched General Conference.   It was exciting to listen to some of the announcements that were made as we listened to church leaders.   Sunday was a fun day as we watched Ed work all day long preparing a classy take on Thanksgiving dinner.   Quail with mint Chutney, Roasted Veggies and Rabbit Stew.   Yummmmm.....    We met Sarah's friends Nora and Chuck and were introduced to several games that my kids now want  us to buy.   Earlier that day Sarah had taken us up to Palisades Falls, a beautiful waterfall not from from their home.  

It was a beautiful day weekend from start to finish.   

We couldn't have enjoyed this trip without the kind hospitality of Ed and Sarah.  

They opened up their home for us even when they weren't themselves there, they stocked their fridge with food to see us through the weekend and gave us a cozy home away from home where we could just enjoy being together as a family. 

It was a Thanksgiving to be remembered.

Taking the long way home

This past Saturday I found myself feeling swamped, absolutely weighed down with a long list of things that I felt I needed to get done.   Every time that I walked by my front window I could see the giant tree tree across the street, its yellow and orange leaves warning me that it's fleeting autumn were worth enjoying.   I've noticed that I have less "carpe diem" in me than I used to which is why I will be forever grateful that Jessica came to me on this day and, in her sweet persuasive way, insisted that we go for a drive.    We drove to Babb so that I could grab some packages that I knew were there, however when it came time for our return trip, I no longer wanted to go home.   The landscape was on fire with orange and yellow and red, and that is when the long list of things I needed to get done no longer mattered.  

We opted for the long way home, which meant an hour long drive along the Chief Mountain Highway, a detour into Waterton for the last hot dog of the season, and then finally home.   The scenes we passed took our breath away, sometimes moved me to tears and at one point caused us to hope out of the van and dance in the middle of the road while we celebrated our first snowfall of the year.  

There is so much in my life that is out of balance right now. I am unfocused, a bit unwilling, and I am carrying a grudge that has been as hard to let go of as my To-Do list.  This day was medicine to my soul and a reminder to me that sometimes it is important to take the long way home.