Thanksgiving Trip and December Blessings

Hello dear friends! I am sorry for my extended absence from the blog.   We took a 2-week trip over Thanksgiving to visit our family in Texas.  I want to share some of our pictures with you.  It was such a wonderful trip in every way, and I'm grateful for every precious moment we got to spend with our loved ones. It has taken me a bit of time to go through my pictures to share them with you :) 

My husband and I like to road trip together, as there are so many more things you can see and enjoy as you travel. It does take longer, but it is more about the journey experienced together. My husband is a seasoned truck driver, and so that makes it very nice for me because he loves to drive. I did do some of the driving as well, but he did the vast majority of the driving, while I .... took pictures... ha! Many of these pictures are through the windshield, but we also would stop and get out as well. 

So beware... this is a rather long post... a cup of coffee or tea with a lovely treat would be nice to enjoy as you scroll through the pictures, and virtually travel with us :) 

The Lord blessed us with clear roads for the ENTIRE trip!
We left home, just as a wild winter storm rolled in.
The storm clouds were amazing to see, and we were glad we were not driving in those clouds! 

In the Palouse prairie, there were many old buildings such as these,
which had weathered many storms. 

The Idaho State Police were having an academy graduation at the Capitol, so we got to see all the wonderful young men who were so willing to serve our great state! We thanked them for their service. 

Idaho State Capitol

All the state police cars lined up in front of the Capitol. 

All the State policemen graduating from the academy
entering the Capitol for the ceremony. 

Dan and I inside the Capitol. Other than the state police officers, it was just us inside the building! We wandered the halls completely alone,
and we were able to peacefully enjoy it all. 

Looking upward - so beautiful! 

Looking out a second-floor window towards the city of Boise. 

We left Boise and headed to Twin Falls where we crossed the
 incredible Perrine Memorial Bridge. This is VERY flat country, and as you drive, you cannot see the river until you begin to cross the bridge.
Then you look down into this immense cavern ~
it is just hard to explain how huge this bridge and cavern is! 

We pulled into a lookout area just past the bridge. 

Oh my! My heart and stomach were in jitters. There were parachute base jumpers jumping off the bridge as we watched! I was able to quickly catch these images with my zoom lens. There is no way I could ever do such a thing! 

Could you do this? My hat's off to you  - and anyone -
who would attempt such a feat!!! 

We then drove to see Shoshone Falls. That was incredible to see... the mighty Snake River falls over these rocks, and is called the Niagra Falls of the west.  The falls measure 212 feet tall and are 900 feet wide.  Shoshone Falls is known to be one of the largest natural waterfalls in the United States
surpassing the height of the famous Niagara Falls. 

From Twin Falls, we drove on to Moab, Utah where we spent the night. Early the next morning we began our tour of Zion National Park, The Arches. It was truly magnificent! We saw SO many incredible rock formations, each of them so amazing, and unique. Around every corner and bend of the park is something new and amazing to see.  

You can't even begin to imagine how large these rocks are. From a distance they look big... but once you get out and hike up to them... they are immense! 

I think you see the joy in our faces in this picture. We were having the best time! Just the most incredible views, and too much to see in the short amount of time we had. Yet, we got to see so much, and just felt incredibly amazed at the handiwork of our Lord in this park! 

I had packed homemade sourdough bread from home, along with fresh fruit. We brought a cooler for snacks and picnics like this. So we stopped and enjoyed a lovely lunch.  (For those of you with "eagle eyes" who may spot that apple cider vinegar bottle - no we weren't drinking apple cider vinegar (ha!) I make my own kombucha, and I reuse bottles to store my kombucha in :) 

We visited a local park in Moab where this beautiful bridge
crosses the Colorado River. 

We saw this blue heron fishing just below the bridge. 

Such a beautiful place. We enjoyed our quick visit to Moab so much. This is an area where you could spend days exploring to your heart's content! Incredible :)  

Soon it was time to continue our journey to Texas. 

We drove for several hours until we reached Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

The next morning we drove to my parent's home,
and enjoyed a happy reunion there with my family.
The next day Mom prepared a wonderful meal for us!

She and I in the kitchen... a place we both love to be :) 

The next day we picked up our rental RV. We rented an RV from rvshare.com
and drove it to our campsite. 

On the roads of beautiful Texas hill country! 

Set up at our campsite.  We were going to camp with family for Thanksgiving. 

The next day... it was time to par-tee! Yes! My husband's mom will turn 80 this year,
and we celebrated this milestone with her and the rest of the family. 

What a milestone this is! And how happy we were
to be there to help her celebrate :) 

We enjoyed the evenings around a campfire with the family, special times! 

Campfire chili... the best there is! 

Breakfast on the grill, cooked outside... I brought my homemade sourdough bread to share, and everyone enjoyed it with our meals. 

My husband's oldest brother loves to cook, and here he is
fixing us some fried potatoes and onions. 

Campfire food always tastes the best!

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal outside.
The turkey was roasted in a large roasting pan, 
and we all cooked the sides and desserts in our campers.
It was delicious! 

One day we went to visit Fredericksburg, Texas. Such a beautiful town! 

The Christmas Tree in the town square. 

Soon it was time to pack up, and return the RV. We spent the next night with my sister. She and her husband had an amazing display of lights that they had put up! 

I can't imagine how many hours it took for my brother-in-law to make this winter wonderland scene come to life!

My sister and I  :) Nothing like sister time! 

My sister and I with their precious children. How we loved the light experience! 

Goodbyes are always hard. Got this picture with the girls before they left for school. 

We traveled to visit the hill country of Texas, and what a beautiful Fall day it was!
Yes, it is still really Fall in Texas :) Well, we technically still are in the season of "Fall" everywhere I suppose, but it does still feel like it in Texas, ha! 

We watched this blue heron fishing. This was the second time on our
trip that we enjoyed watching a blue heron! 

Then we made our way to Cooper's BBQ, one of our favorite places to eat. 

Oh the choices! Their meat is smoked outside, and you just tell the server what you want and he cuts it off for you. You bring it inside
and gather up your sides cafeteria-style. 

Enjoying our BBQ... yum! 

Our time in Texas had come to a close, and it was hard
saying our goodbyes to our parents and families. 

Our view of west Texas... for miles and miles! 

North of Albuquerque, the landscape begins to change
and becomes more interesting. 

From the road, we see these natural rock arches. So much to see! 

The setting sun on the mountainous horizon was amazing to see. 

We stopped in a tiny Idaho town to get a meal. I was just expecting a good hamburger, but we saw they offered brisket on the menu, and so we tried it. Oh my! It was amazing! 

If you are ever in New Meadows, Idaho, you would enjoy a meal at The Intersection! We highly recommend them, the food and service was wonderful! 

The Little Snake River follows the highway down the mountainside,
and we stopped at several roadside turnoffs to enjoy the beautiful waterfalls! 

This was the last day of our trip. What a wonderful time we had. 

Spectacular scenery abounded in every direction. 

We stopped at several roadside parks to enjoy the majestic views. 

Late that evening, we arrived home. All the animals were so glad to see us!  

That night, a snowstorm rolled in, and the next morning we took our daily walk in the snow. The dogs couldn't have been happier! 

The girls had been busy while we were gone...
I had lots of eggs that had been gathered for me by my dear neighbor. 

The world is so quiet and still under the blanket of snow.
Winter is a time of rest and peace for us. 

There is such beauty of the snow as it falls, as I watch out my windows, it is so gentle and calming.  It is like we are in a living snowglobe here! 

Truly the sights and excitements of travel thrill our hearts... 
but there is really no place like coming home, and
taking our daily walks and enjoying the beauty around us. 

The golden late afternoon light as it falls onto the trees brings joy to my heart. 
Home... there is no better place to be! 

I hope you enjoyed this little pictorial journey with us as we traveled to Texas. It was a wonderful trip in every way, and we are so thankful for all the memories we made along the way.  Life is truly a beautiful thing when you walk with the Lord, and you realize that each day is a blessing, a joy, and to be thankful for every breath, for every beautiful thing the Lord gifts your eyes and heart with, and to walk with HIM knowing that as you go, He is with you.  We prayed for clear roads before we left, and we had clear roads the entire trip. We felt the presence of the Lord with us, as there were a couple of situations on the roadways that could have turned out differently, but the hand of the Lord kept us safe. 

And now as we are in this most incredible season of all, celebrating the birth of our Lord, I pray that the light of His presence and life in this world come to rest in your hearts and homes this season. May the LIGHT of the world light up your world as we seek to remember the ONE who this season is really all about. May HE receive all the glory, praise, and honor for the greatest gift ever given to mankind... the gift of His coming to earth. How blessed we are that the great GOD in heaven who created the universe that we live in, sought out relationship with each one of us, and the purpose and desire of His heart was to have relationship with us.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you, and may the presence of the Lord be with you in a sweet way throughout the remainder of this season of celebrating our Lord's birth!