Thankful Thursday

1. I'm so very glad that Ian joined our family twelve years ago! I'm thankful that we were able to celebrate his birthday at Great Wolf Lodge and that three of Paul's relatives came up to celebrate with us on December 12. He received three phone calls on his birthday (Aunt Janet, my dad/Margie, and the Schrecks), and he also appreciated the gifts he received (Legos, book, Nintendo Switch games). 

2. We were able to have a play date with Micah and Isaiah on December 13. It was the first time we met their two rabbits. 

3. We went to the movie theatre for the first time in two years on December 2. In hindsight, we would have skipped going to see Christmas with the Chosen in the theatre had we known it would be released for free two weeks later to stream at home, but we are grateful for the first two seasons we've watched at home, so at least our money went to what we believe is a very worthwhile venture, and the kids were grateful for the popcorn and drinks we got for free thanks to coupons I got through Coke caps. 

4. The kids and I were able to help pack medical supplies for refugees at our church on December 3. Since we hadn't been able to participate in other service projects while I was unable to drive, I was thankful I could drive to this one.

5. It was lovely to see a Christmas program and have dinner with my niece, Jenna, on December 4. 

6. The kids enjoyed skating at a homeschool Christmas party on December 6. I enjoyed being able to chat with moms, especially my friend Tab during the party. I got to talk with her at length in person two weeks in a row. That might be a first!

7. The kids and Tab enjoyed the Christmas around the World program put on by missionaries to Tanzania on December 9.

8. Nadia and Ian enjoyed the youth group's Christmas party last night at church. Ian came home from the white elephant gift exchange with a Lego set!

9. The last time I was driving the van it hit me that it no longer is painful to press the gas pedal! I also can tolerate my foot dangling for longer periods of time, and I think that my gait seems to be a lot closer to normal. I still can't stand on it for very long, but I'm encouraged by the progress. I still have both feet step on every step on the way down the stairs, but now I can go up the stairs in a more normal fashion provided I have a railing to hold on to. 

10. My Sunday School class recently resumed after a 21-month hiatus due to COVID! This meant that all five of us attended the first worship service together, and then we all went to our classes during the second service.

11. On December 12 I finished recording the video clips to use in making Ian's birthday video. I thought I'd have finished it by now, but instead I've been doing vacation planning in my spare time. I will create the video before the end of this month. I'm enjoying planning the vacation we hope to take in May. Some things that I had been thinking we'd do on that trip have been scratched from the plans such as Epcot (just the tickets not including parking or anything else would be $700 for one day!), Six Flags Georgia, Chattanooga Aquarium, and Andrew Johnson's site. I've added in a manatee snorkeling trip that we're excited about! At some point, we'd love to swim with dolphins, but there are many places you can do that, which can't be said about manatees. There are some other places I'd like to take the kids in Florida that are farther south (ex. the Florida Keys). We are hoping to visit my sister and her family in Quito and also spend time with them on the Galapagos Islands in January or February in 2023, 2024, or 2025 (when we go will depend largely on when COVID is no longer such a pressing issue). I did some research on flights, and at the moment it wouldn't add any cost to the airfare if we flew to Miami, spent several days in southern Florida (Biscayne, Big Cypress, Everglades, Dry Tortugas, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Bahai Honda State Park, Museum of Discovery and Science, etc.), and then flew from Miami to Quito. It's been 9.5 years since Paul or I went snorkeling, and the kids have never gone snorkeling. So, although Florida is the state that we've taken the kids to the most often in terms of family vacations, I'm thinking we might go there two more times over the next few years. Although Universal Studios is also very pricey, we are still planning to spend two days there partially because I'm *hoping* to use credit card points to buy those tickets. Yesterday I applied for a credit card for Paul to help accomplish that goal. At the moment we're hoping to spend about two weeks in the Southeast in May and about one week in the Northeast sometime next fall. We realize we might have to abandon the idea of taking the kids into Canada on that trip due to the fact we're not planning to have them receive a COVID vaccine. If no COVID tests are required to fly, then we'd like to travel to the Northwest in 2023 to see Aunt Janet and cross three more states off the list (OR, WA, and NV). 

12. We're also thankful that Milo has been part of our family for a full year as of December 12. I'm very thankful that he doesn't have accidents in the house anymore. He still needs to learn not to jump on the dining room table and to come when called. He has spent MANY hours snuggling on my lap over the last 2.5 months. Although it was expensive, I'm grateful that we found someone to watch him while we were at Great Wolf Lodge and that he wasn't overly upset by our absence thanks to the fact he really enjoyed their dog, Penny.