U....C.....F!!!!!! Go Knights!

The family on the UCF campus before the game today

OK... so Hubbie has been to every...YES, every UCF Football game this season, except 2...one in Tulsa, Oklahoma and one in Virginia this year. Yes, John and I went to one in Boston and the entire family when to one in Memphis, Tennessee last week (pictures from that when I update you on the trip where we visited 4 states in 10 days and covered just over 2800 miles according to the tripometer). He even went to the one in El Paso...he had a speaking engagement in New Mexico that weekend a few hours away. How convenient!

My husband graduated from UCF and the boy is extremely LOYAL!!! Brands, schools, you name it, he has a loyalty to one. Nike, Oakley, Ping, Duncan Hines...Seriously!
By the way...UCF stands for University of Central Florida. And UCF has not played so well this year for various reasons I would rather not go into right now but that does not take away from the fact that our family is devoted!!!

The kids spelling out the cheer...U...C....F !!!

OK...it was my idea to use my eye liner to decorate their faces.
Dimples didn't want to be left out!! Spunky however only wanted UCF written on her hand.

Training up

I think of those 5 kernels of corn. Was that really all those pilgrims had? And they really thanked God for it. I am amazed. I am in awe...I am utterly ashamed.
At first I think, "My children are so ungrateful." And then I realize I am only seeing a version of myself in them. I have trained them this way...not UP unto the Lord but down into themselves.
I must change myself if I am to see change in them. I must be thankful for HIM and express that HE is all we need. I must seek HIM every moment to do this. Because in and of myself I am utterly selfish.

Thanksgiving is a holiday!

I remember the first time we went to Walmart after Halloween and the Christmas decorations were already up. My children seemed personally offended for Thanksgiving. They said, "Mom, they forgot Thanksgiving." I know that Thanksgiving isn't like Christmas or Easter with Biblicial significance. But if we didn't have a reason to celebrate Thanksgiving maybe we wouldn't be allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter in our country. Sometimes this day is just a day to get together, eat a lot and watch football. It is just the sign that Christmas is on its way.

Thanksgiving was always a great day for eating in my family's home, with all the old favorites, Turkey and dressing, giblet gravy, sweet potatoe casserole (either with brown sugar and pineapple or with brown sugar and marshmallows), mashed potatoes, home made rolls, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, creamed corn, and sometimes even Great Grand-maam's chicken and dumplings. Can you cram any more carbs into one meal...oh well, there are the pies and cakes and mmmmmm....I am getting hungry!

But my Mom always had us do some kind of Thankful activity. You know those ones where it starts out a bit awkward and quiet. Some years she would pass out 5 kernels of corn to each person and we had to say one thing we were thankful for with each kernal. I think one year we passed around a ceramic turkey and had to say something we were thankful for while we held it. Everyone was tempted to just say something easy like family, food, you know the drill. But we almost always ended the round of thanksgiving in sweet happy tears, squeezing hands of those near us. It was always so sweet! And what a prayer of Thanksgiving would follow!

This Thanksgiving, I was reminded of why the first Thanksgiving took place. The kids and I read a book, The First Thanksgiving, while riding from Tennesee to North Carolina. It talked about how the Pilgrims left England because the King had mandated that everyone become a part of the church of England. They escaped to Holland and eventually left for America in September on the Mayflower. They left with over 100 men along with their wives and children. At some point while they were staying on the boat in the winter because it had been too cold to get their homes built in the New World, they were rationed 5 kernels of corn a day. Did you read that right? FIVE KERNELS OF CORN a day. My mom was totally on to something. Hee, hee! The book talked about how even though things were so rough they still sang praises of thanksgiving to the Lord daily and had a weekly day of thanksgiving EVERY Thursday. By the time spring was in full swing the entire group had dwindled down to 47 people!!! I think it said 17 of those were children. And when the Mayflower headed back to England...NONE of those pilgrims even requested to go back. They stayed in this country enduring deaths of family and friends and harsh weather to have religious freedom. Wow!!! Praise God, Squanto taught them how to hunt and gather and grow their own food. Praise God that they took it upon themselves to seek a land and create a government that would support religious freedoms. I think I am going to start a new tradition when I host thanksgiving in my home and pass out 5 kernels of corn.

Blogging

I guess I have sort of fallen off the blogosphere. There just doesn't seem to be time for it lately. BUT my hubbie has taken up blogging. You can check his crazy random thoughts at www.johnrevans.com/blog.
So if you want to laugh or keep up with us you might have to start checking out his blog. I am hoping to get some pics up here at least once a week but other than that I am just not motivated anymore. Besides who needs two bloggers in the same family?

Fall Festivals