Thursday, November 25, 2010

November 25: Happy Thanksgiving!






















Heaveno!

Well, First Big Holiday without Bella out of the way!  YAY!  We actually did pretty well!  We did something different than last year.  Last year was our first Thanksgiving dinner as just our family of four.  Man, am I glad we did that since it was the only one we got to experience together just like that.  This year, we went to Ali and Bella's Great Grandparents' house.  We've been there before for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinner, but not in a few years.  It was nice to be back.  Mickie and Morris were great hosts, and we have really enjoyed reconnecting with them since coming back to CA (we stayed with them two weeks ago for the LA film premiere and conference).



The times that hit hard today were simply when I would walk by a picture of Bella.  The picture would literally stop me in my tracks.  At one point, I stopped and started having a conversation out loud with Bella.  I was alone in our bedroom, and felt safe talking out loud, and you know what?  It felt great!  Ang has started journaling to Bella, so in our own ways, each of us is staying connected and in communication with Bella.  That feels so good to do.



Aside from that, mommy made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, and Ali and mommy made meringue cookies for dessert tonight.  I did a little vacuuming and a little song writing, and I hit the trails on my mountain bike for the first time in easily a year!  Man was that fun!  Man am I out of shape!  LOL.  Ali also got a little time on her bike today as well!  I will be either running, biking, or doing leg exercises of some sort at least 6 days a week for the next 3 weeks to prepare for our Christmas trip...





We are meeting my sister Tracy and her entire family (all the way from Spain) at my mom's place outside of Durango Colorado.  I can't wait!  Tracy has two darling sons and a great husband who smokes me at guitar all day long.  We are all going to go skiing together on one day, and that day will check off one of my life's list items... to ski out west.  I grew up in Southwestern CT and the skiing in the east - particularly in CT, MA, and lower NY, is pretty modest to say the least.  Skiing in northern NY, VT and NH is pretty cool, but from what I've heard, it just doesn't compare.  So fun abounds in 4 weeks!  I need to be ready!






















To finish, I know we all reflect on what we are thankful for today, like it's a special occasion.  This is how I pray daily.  My prayer list is a gratitude list, not a request list.  This is what works for me, and it leaves me starting and ending the day present to what is good and right in the world, and has me start and end each and every day in a state of thanksgiving.  It's like I book end my day in gratitude, and that has been a great way to keep my life and the events in it in perspective.





Now, having blurted all that out, I give special thanks to God for granting us the wonder-kids:  Ali and Bella.  What a treat.  I thank GOD for my wife Angelique.  I give thanks for "The Three Fs:"  In no particular order, they are:

Friends
Family
Faith

If you have those, you can celebrate Thanksgiving 365 days a year.

What challenge are you thankful for this year?

God night.




This picture is from the Lone Thanksgiving we spent together at home 1 year ago.

9 comments:

  1. Happy Thanks Giving!.
    We are celebrating it tomorrow night with Tracy who is visiting.
    Love Lolly

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  2. Hi, Ringgolds!

    So glad you all enjoyed your day yesterday. I love good times spent with family and friends...with some yummy food thrown in, of course! Every day should be thanksgiving - as in we should give thanks every day for we have so much to be grateful for. Sadly, we let the stuff of the world get in our way and we tend to lose the big picture of what's really important.

    Yesterday was a holiday "first" without my dad, who left for Heaven in July. Yes, there was a bittersweetness about our celebration, but we talked and laughed about him a lot. "Daddy would have said...." or "PaPaw would have loved this..." That seems to ease the sense of emptiness without him, and it always makes us smile because my dad was a hoot! Now, if we can make it through Christmas.

    I'm enjoying a respite from school as we have a nice break. I'm very thankful for my job, but times away from the stresses of teaching are always welcome!

    The pictures of your pink-clad cyclist are just precious. She's a doll!

    Take care, sweet family. Among the things I am grateful for is "knowing" you guys and being able to share in the story of your lives.

    With affection,

    Susan
    A friend in NC

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  3. The challenge I am thankful for is my job.
    For so many reasons from the big (money) to the small...
    But, I am thankful to be there, to be doing what I do.

    Love the biking pictures! Ali sure can strike a pose!

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  4. Wow. The Thanksgiving picture with Bella got me,

    I am also so grateful for my family. And, I'm grateful for the challenge of having too much work. It's providing for my family, at a time when so many families would love to have this problem, and putting me in a place of really looking at what I want.

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  5. Hi Ringgold Family!

    I am so happy that you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving yesterday. I'm thankful for knowing you all!

    What a great way to spend your Christmas. You all will have a blast. Yes, you better be getting in shape! :-) The pictures of Ali on her bike are so beautiful. She's such a sweet little girl!

    My challenge is being thankful for my schooling! It is so easy, for me anyway, to look at it as something I'd rather not do lol but it really is a blessing! Thanks for this challenge...

    Prayers...
    Megan from WV

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  6. Happy Thanksgiving a day late, Ringgolds! So glad you were able to spend it with family and that you felt loved! Just wanted to say how thankful I am (and am saying this for our whole Team) to have met you all - you're a wonderful family! I know this holiday (and the other ones to follow) will be bittersweet, but I know that sweet Bella will be there in spirit. :)

    Enjoy getting back into shape - and getting ready for your Christmas adventure!

    Love from TX!
    Laura (and Team A)

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  7. LOVE that photo of you and Bella from last year. Glad you guys "did pretty well", I was thinking of you all often yesterday. I'm just challenged, as you know. So can't pinpoint just one from the past year. But I'm thankful that I still have the desire to get to the gym five times a week, and love it. Hope you're not sore today from the ride :)

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  8. Happy Thanksgiving Ringgold Family!! I'm glad to hear you guys had a good time with your family. We had a great day too and this morning I even did Black Friday shopping. Craziness!! It was actually fun though. Getting up at 2am after only 2 hours of sleep wasn't fun and the standing in the cold for an hour outside Target wasn't fun either but, being with my sister in law was great and we got some good stuff.

    I am so thankful for my wonderful family. My great husband and my two beautiful children. I'm thankful for my awesome friends and for everyday I have here on earth to spend with the ones I love.

    Tim I'm proud of you for riding your bike. My husband tries to get me to go on bike rides with him and the kids and man, is it hard! We go around the block ONCE and my legs feel like they are jelly and I am so exhausted for at least an hour. The kids love it though so I try to get my booty out there and ride for them.

    The picture of you and Bella from last years Thanksgiving is priceless. So beautiful. Cherish those precious memories.

    Lots of Love,
    Amber, Craig, Malorie(2 1/2), and Liam(10 mos.)
    The McLaughlin Family
    Moreno Valley, CA

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  9. Hi Tim! I havent been on in a couple of days... I was in DURANGO visiting my parents for Thanksgiving =0) I was actually born and raised in Bayfield... which is right outside of Durango! Small world! When are you guys going? You said your mom lives there? Maybe next time you guys come out, I can meet you! I would love to meet you guys in person! Im glad you guys had a good Thanksgiving!

    All my love,
    Sarah in Colorado

    pinkdori24@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete