Thanksgiving 2007 . . Back to Dawson!

As many of you know, our Thanksgiving tradition has always been to go to south Georgia where my dad grew up and gather there. Because my grandmother's house burned a year ago this past August, we had to celebrate Thanksgiving last year at the Strickland's in north Hall. Well, Mom and Dad have worked themselves to the bone getting a new house built in Dawson and getting it ready for all of us to invade. And invade we did! In fact, Rob said just this morning that we probably should have put down a deposit Tuesday night when we arrived to cover the damage incurred during our stay! I guess 6 adults and 7 children in a 1800 square foot house are bound to shake things up a little!

Here are some highlights of the week . . .
1. Both Micah and Jesse shot their first deer. Micah killed his on Wednesday and Jesse on Thursday. A very proud moment for both of them, but I think even prouder for Rob!
2. The entire family gathered on Thursday for dinner. That meant all of us (13), my grandmother, my uncle and aunt, my 2 single cousins, and my married cousin and his family (a total of 9 in their group). So we had a whopping 22 people in the house for lunch - actually all the kids were on a table on the porch! And it even rained that afternoon! It was wonderful to have everyone together again and visit. And my grandmother had a great day, which was the whole goal - I mean, every 92 year old should see her whole family together at least once a year!
3. Mom, Tamara, and I did our annual day after Thanksgiving shopping spree. We left the house about 6:30 a.m. and hit Target, the Albany Mall, and then Walmart. It really wasn't as crowded as we expected and we found some great deals - mostly because of all the coupons Tamara had - SHOCKER!!!!!
4. The cousins really had a blast this year. Yesterday (Saturday) they disappeared after breakfast and were no where to be seen. Since my grandmother owns 300+ acres of farm land, there were lots of options of where they could go. Ends up, about 3 hours later, that Bowdie and my dad just happened upon them while riding to take off some trash. They had found a secret 'hideout' about 3/4 of a mile from the house! We were amazed that even little Jacob had made the trek not once, but several times, because he had to be walked back to the house to have his diaper changed!!! We all went to check it out and were so shocked and amazed at this great little place they had found . . . good, old fashioned fun and lots of GREAT memories!
4. Dad took us on a hayride on Saturday night. He rode us around the farm and then down to the old mill pond where he used to water ski (scary looking place to me!!) The kids loved the stories and enjoyed one last hurrah before the packing up began.

It was a wonderful holiday. The pace of life in Dawson is at least half as slow as here - no one in a hurry - especially when driving! That is, the few times you might even see a car. It was great rest and fellowship as a family and a tradition that I'm so glad we have! He's so good to us!

You'll see pictures in the slideshow below of almost all the things described above - enjoy! I chose the song "Beyond Measure" because that's what He's given us - way beyond we could ask or imagine or certainly deserve!


Thanksgiving 2007