Our Life Lessons: Thanksgiving and Other Happenings

Sweetheart writes:

For Thanksgiving we met Wendy's parents in Steamboat Springs. (Thank you Mom and Dad Locey for making that possible!) Wendy did some research on the town and learned that the United Way every year hosts a community Thanksgiving feast. The community donates cooked turkeys, potatoes, rolls, salads, and desserts.

We decided it would be fun to participate. We showed up about an hour before the food was served and stayed for about 4 hours. We did everything from wrap plastic utensils to serve food. Wendy and the boys helped cut and plate desserts. The table holding the pie was filled to capacity.

It was so warm that we ate our Thanksgiving dinner outside. In the end, 800 people came through the line for Thanksgiving dinner. For a community of 12000 residents, that's a significant number. It was great to be a part of it.

We had a great time visiting with Wendy's parents. Jill brought her recorder and the boys joined her in a concert.

Kirky brought his trumpet as well. Hurricane has had quite a bit of interest in learning how to play the trumpet, and it was a perfect time to try out the trumpet. Hurricane has taken to playing the recorder.

It is a requirement for his music class. He has passed off 10 songs already through at program called Recorder Karate. He loves to play.

He plays in the morning, after school, in the car when he can, and in the evening.

A few weeks ago Wendy and I saw the doctor for our annual visits. We are both deficient in Vitamin D. Every day I now spend 10 minutes in the sunshine. I've also started exercising with Wendy in the mornings at the Gym. We leave before the boys wake up and are back about the time for them to wake up. I hate to swim, but it is good exercise and Wendy loves it. When we're not swimming, we do the elliptical machines. I like the rowing machine. Wendy likes the bicycle machine and tries other machines.

At work I've been learning a new programing language called JavaScript. It has nothing to do with another programming language named Java. JavaScript is the most despicable programming language ever. It does not have clearly defined rules. It is used a lot on web pages.

Wendy and I have been singing in the Choir at church. One of my biggest regrets from High School is not having the courage to learn how to sing. I wish I knew how to read music and hold a tune. I think I'm a baritone, which means I can't always follow the tenor line or the bass line.

On the home front we are finally feeling settled in Parker. Our house still has lots of things we'd like to change, but it is beginning to feel like our home. On Friday evening I spent several hours rewiring the whole house humidifier from 110v to 220v. It works a lot better now. The next task is to install spring loaded dampers on all the bathroom vents to keep the cold air out and the humidity in.

Underfoot has been playing basketball on a league at the local Rec Center. We are very proud of him. He is playing with other boys who have been playing for years and this is his first time. He scored his first basket during his first game. He works hard and we are please to see his enthusiasm.

I've been reading a book about John Browning. He invented a lot of different types of guns in the 1800s and early 1900s. It has been interesting to learn about his life and his experiences.

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