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Ten Things of Thankful: Welcome, November!

Though I prefer "falling back" to "springing forward," my body still doesn't seem to know what time it is, so I guess it's OK if I'm posting this on a later day than I normally do. There is no limit to when we can be thankful. 

 1. John and I went to the temple. The temple closest to us is currently closed for deep cleaning, so we took the opportunity to go to the Draper Temple for the first time. I have often admired it from a distance; it's so beautiful up against the mountains. I'm thankful for the peace found in temples. 
Photo: The lighted Draper Temple contrasts with the dark night sky


2. On the evening before Halloween, my yard was filled with teenagers. They were happily, voluntarily, raking leaves. They filled several bags, then moved on to another house on my street. (They even took the bags away when they were done!) I'm thankful for their help. 

 3. On Halloween night, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted with the trick-or-treaters we received. The holiday was as I remembered it from decades ago: polite children dressing up, taking only one candy, saying "thank you" as they left the porch. How refreshing! I feel like Scrooge after he was visited by the ghosts, and I'm thankful to not be so bah-humbug about Halloween.

 4. Thursday evening, the Relief Society had a soup and line dancing activity. Though I didn't choose to line dance, I had a nice time chatting with some of the other women. I'm thankful for opportunities to develop friendships.

 5. Friday night, John and I watched the BYU Women's Volleyball team as they continued their winning streak. They are undefeated in the nation, and usually win their matches in only 3 sets. They did happen to go to 4 sets on Friday, but that just made it that much more exciting. I'm thankful for the chance to watch such great talent. 
Photo: More than 5,000 spectators fill the stands of the field house to watch the BYU Women's Volleyball team. 

 6. We had a little bit of rain last week. I'm thankful for the moisture.

 7. I looked out my kitchen window one night to see a beautiful sunset. I'm thankful for the beauty of the earth.
Photo: A pink, orange, and yellow sunset over mountains in the distance

 8. November has arrived, and with it, what I call the "serious holiday season." John laughed at first, but when I started listing everything that goes into planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas, he understood I was not joking. However, busy as it is, I love this time of year. I'm thankful for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which seem tied together in purpose (and I don't mean in a secular, commercialism sort of way.) 

 9. I did it! I went ziplining! You can find the details here. I'm thankful for my kids and for facing my fears.
10. I'm thankful for John. He makes everything more fun. 
Photo: John and I in our Carl and Ellie Halloween costumes. A bunch of balloons float in the background, and Drexel sits between John and me. 
How did your week go? For what are you thankful?

Comments

  1. Pat BNovember 6, 2018 at 3:23 PM

    Is the Draper Temple the one you see from your home?
    Very cool that you have teens come by to rake leaves the night before Halloween!
    What! You didn't join in with the line dancing? Probably a very good move, considering.
    Love all your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 6, 2018 at 4:32 PM

    Is Draper the Temple that looks (from a certain angle) like a giant watch band? (This virtual world/writing is most curious, to know of places I've only visited on google street view yet have imagined walking down suburban streets to see it (in 'Blog Dominion') and have real life friends who actually are there!
    very cool

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiNovember 6, 2018 at 6:22 PM

      No, I think you are thinking of the Provo Temple (not Provo City Center). Here's a list of temples worldwide: https://www.lds.org/temples/list?lang=eng

      Delete

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