OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE PALMS

This year's Thanksgiving celebration was different from the Thanksgivings we've had the past four years in Korea. The most notable difference was that we didn't pay $50 for a turkey. In fact, since we went to my sister's house, we didn't pay anything for a turkey. However,now that I think about it, maybe the turkey cost us more since we drove to Florida to eat it. Oh, well, it was worth it!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with my dad, my sister Loreen, brother-in-law Ron, and nephew Matthew. Ron was the chef and cooked both a delicious breakfast and a table-breaking dinner. We had ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, yams(my favorite!), green beans, rolls, dressing, salad, and gravy. (I might have missed a couple of items.) In the evening, we enjoyed the pumpkin pie that Loreen had baked.

Throughout the day (when we weren't officially eating), we played games, read the newspaper, watched a little football, worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and basically relaxed. Matthew is a pianist and enjoyed playing some duets with Aunt Elizabeth. After dark, some of us rode to Lake Eustis to stroll among the Christmas lights in the park. We needed some sort of exercise after the day's consumption.

We left my sister's on Friday afternoon. On our way back to South Carolina, we stopped in Jacksonville, to visit with Matthew and Monique Smith. They worked with us the past two years in Seoul. It was good to see them again. We also met seveal of their family members.

We arrived home just before 11:00 p.m. We unloaded the car, went into the apartment, and went to bed.

WELCOME, NOVEMBER!

Today we had our annual church picnic. I must confess that it's quite nice to live in a clime where one can have a picnic in November. The day was beautiful with blue skies, bright sunshine, and a high temperature around 70 degrees.

Wannamaker Park is only 3 miles from our apartment. The park has paved trails/bike paths as well as nature paths (i. e. watch out for the tree roots, spider webs, and mud.) Our church reserved a pavilion which was next to a volleyball court, an open field, and a horseshoe pit.

After gathering in the pavilion around noon, we sang a hymn, and then Pastor Wheeler shared a devotion and gave thanks for the food. While most people started serving themselves with the main dishes, I stationed myself at the dessert end of the tables. I do this for the theological reason that the exact moment of the rapture is uncertain; perhaps I should start a "Dessert First" cult. (or maybe not!) From a more practical perspective, I was able to recommend particular desserts to those who were uncertain about their choices. I always like to help!

The church rented a jump castle especially for the children (although I did notice some bigger "kids" in there at times. Several pairs of men played a horseshoes tournament. There were several games of volleyball also. Some of us played bocce ball. Elizabeth tried walking on stilts.

The day was a nice time of fellowship and relaxation.