'07 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day this year was spent at Tim's parents in Middlebury. As you can see, the family is growing and we no longer can fit around one - or two - tables. I'm thankful for children who bring back the wonder of the holidays.

Friday, Tim and I got to have a 2-hour long lunch with one of my most best friends - Michelle and her husband Phil. Michelle and I have been friends since IWU days and it's been so wonderful carrying that friendship into our married and carrier lives. I'm thankful for friendships that stand the test of time.

Saturday my Mom wanted to do a "little something different" for Thanksgiving. So instead of the regular sit-down turkey meal... my family and cousins Branson and Alyssa, all went to my sister's Huntington Basketball game (they won by 20!) and then had our Thanksgiving Dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Ft. Wayne. I'm thankful that whether it's turkey and mashed potatoes or a chicken sandwich and fries - what matters the most is sharing it with the people you love the most.

Mandy's Birthday

Well, I guess there really isn't a "Part 2" to that last post... I guess you could say that we spent the rest of the time my brother was home soaking up every minute with him. We ate out, watched lots of football, and even surprised my Mom's first grade class. Nate was her "show and tell" for the day and her first graders finally got to meet "their Marine" that they'd been writing to for months. And now the countdown begins again for my family, to the time we'll see him next (maybe Christmas!)

This last weekend, the whole Bontrager crew loaded up the cars and vans and headed down to Indy. We were all surprising Tim's youngest sister Mandy for her birthday. Tim's mom and dad did the tricky work of getting Mandy to the right restaurant, and when she walked in, we were all there waiting for her.

The sisters - and sister in law