Thanksgiving!

I had a great holiday…first off God has been very good in my life and I don't show my thankfulness to God nearly enough.

Second…my folks rented an RV…My parents [John, and Dianne], My aunt [Jan], My sister and brother-in-law and niece [Erica, Neil, and Norah], Lindsey and I all jumped in to go to Greeley, Colorado.

Well, we arrived in Greeley and it was great. Two sets of my cousins [1st set: Vicki, Craig, Joselyn, and Elle. 2nd set: Mike, Kenna, Michaela, Chloe, and Annika] were there. Also, my cousin Kenna’s mother and sister were there [Betty, and Cheryl]. I’m probably butchering these names. Count them though. That’s 19 people! Sheesh!

We had a great time. Here's the Travel Log:

Wednesday 11/22/2006

[1] Driving all night [we left at 9:00pm]. Some good conversation. I told dad that I read in books and hear from pastors that sheep are really dumb. Not ever having worked with sheep, I was curious what he thought [he has worked with sheep]. So it was good to hear some stories about sheep from dad. Just some trivia, he said the goats actually have some personality and aren’t dumb like sheep. Also, making jokes about the arch in Kearney, NE…and many other things [especially Napoleon Dynamite jokes]. No offense on the Arch jokes...you get board in an 11 hr RV ride.

Thursday 11/23/2006

Early Afternoon

[2] Eating an excellent Thanksgiving meal [It was great to pray together]. And being amazed at how fast my cousins are growing up. They are all beautiful and smart young ladies.

Late Afternoon

[3] Talking with Erica and Vicki about effective small groups and how to minister to each other.

Early Evening

[4] Talking with Erica, Craig, Mom, and others about angels. This was interesting because Craig had a great relative that saw an angel then died in a farm accident a few days later. We talked about how if you see an angel it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to die, so relax:o)

Late Evening

[5] Staying up until 12:30 at night with Craig, Mike, Mom, and others talking about the difference between what Roman Catholics believe and what Reformed Protestants believe [justification by faith alone vs. cooperative grace, open vs. closed communion and the supernatural activities that some believe are contained in the sacrament, doctrine of the infallibility of the pope, etc.]. After this it was fun because Craig and I stayed up and talked about Eschatology [end times], and what we’ve been learning in our devotionals. Also, we had an interesting talk about the possibility of animals speaking before the fall [BTW, I don’t think they did...other than by supernatural circumstances in which Satan was in the form of a snake and the Lord opening the mouth of Balaam’s donkey in Nu 30ish. That’s just speculation though, I shouldn’t speak where the Bible is silent.]. This was a good time of fellowship and thought provoking conversation.

Friday 11/24/2006

[6] I woke up after a full/good night’s rest it was fun to get up and play with my neice Norah. I think about 6 people slept in the RV, which I think would have stunk because the battery for the RV wasn’t charged…that means NO HEAT! It was freezing out there. I’m glad the girls didn’t get sick.
[7] After a good "leftover food" lunch we went to Estes Park. It was awesome. Driving through Big Thompson Valley. It brought back a lot of memories because we used to go out there every summer growing up. It's just as beautiful as ever. Long's Peak was quite the site as well. We also droke into Rocky Mountain National Park and saw a bunch of elk [the other car saw a moose] and we went past Moraine Park [where we used to camp] and up to Bear Lake [where most of the hiking trails we used take, start].
[8] Later that night we went to the Christmas Parade in Estes Park. It was pretty cool. And I must admit I participated in a lot of "parade banter". We caused quite a scene. It was good fun.
[9] In the car ride home a bunch of folks slept and Mike, Lindsey and I talked about church...pastors...schisms [church splits] and such. We talked about how he felt some of the treatment of some of the ministers in his former church [Methodist] was unfair...but he didn't know how he could have prevented it. We also talked about how he feels reluctant to join a new church [Presbyterian after moving to CO] after experiencing the politics and pain in the old one. It was a lot of food for thought.
[10] We got back to Greeley around 9:00 and I ate some chips and cheese dip and fell asleep watching Napoleon Dynamite.

Saturday 11/24/2006

[11] We packed up and shipped out for the trip home. Sang some songs. Listened to Erica sing the "cappucino song"... and Lindsey and Erica sing some Christmas songs. Also, I was coerced to sing the IZ arrangement of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with Mike by Craig.
[12] Arrived home around 12:30pm!

I will always remember this trip. It was great. Next time I'll have to take my guitar:)

I'll post a few pictures later.