Whew…Now that the holidays are mostly over, I guess we should update you on how we celebrated.
Thanksgiving was really nice actually. Of course we were bummed that we weren't going to our parents' houses to overeat all their delicious food, but we managed to eat enough food to feed a small country nonetheless. I was super surprised at how many Thanksgiving lunch/dinner invitations we got for Thanksgiving! It really made us feel loved that so many were willing to let us join in with their family during the holidays. I started out my day working while Houston went surfing. Yep, I was jealous! After work/surf we decided to hang out at the beach and get some sun before we overindulged in Thanksgiving goodies. It was such a nice and relaxing time for us to reflect on all the things we are so thankful for! We ended up eating
a late lunch LINNER with James' family at a restaurant at The Tavern. It is a super delicious restaurant here on the island. Afterwards we went over to a family's house from church (The Gauthiers) to stretch our stomachs even further. We ended our evening trying to burn off calories with laughter by watching Seinfeld at the Gauthiers. :-)
In the Spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the top ten things we are Thankful for while on Kauai (in no particular order)
1. The Church- as in the body of Christ. We are so blessed to have continued fellowship with people in Florida as well as building new relationships on the island.
2. Work- We are so thankful to have jobs that we enjoy as well as provides our needs and even some wants!
3. Creation- Seriously though, I've said it once before but God really was showing off when he created Kauai! When I think I've seen it all, he puts the ridiculous sunset before us or gives us a spectacular view we haven't seen before!
4. Family- Dang we love our family. We miss family back home but are so grateful for the family we have here too! We are continuously grateful for the love that we feel from you as well as James' family being so willing to take us right just as their own!
5. Technology & Social Media- Yes, we are both thankful for Facebook and Instagram (even if Houston doesn't want to admit it!) We are able to keep in touch with you and see what's going on in your lives …or at least snoop on your page. ;-) The daily texts from some of you are pretty awesome too.
6. Our alarm clock- We are so thankful for the fact that for the most part, the sun gently wakes us up (no, that doesn't mean we sleep in until 9). We have jobs that don't require us to get up before the sun does during this season of our lives and we love it. I can get used to my alarm not blaring in my ear and having to push snooze 50 times!
7. Fruits & veggies- Being able to go outside and pick oranges, lemons, avocados, grapefruit, and starfruit among other things is just plain awesome.
8. Babies- Yeah babies are amazing and they are everywhere and we are very thankful for the new babies in our lives as well as the ones to come!
9. Visitors- It's been so awesome having people fly here to visit us…hmmm maybe it's just the island they want to see ;-) Either way, a little bit of home is always nice!
10. Health- We haven't gotten so much as the sniffles while here! Maybe it's all this fresh air and perfect weather. ;-)
Houston and I were so Happy that Travis and Jonathan were coming to visit, especially so close to the holidays! James Aunt and Uncle were very generous and are letting us stay in one of their homes on the beach for a couple of months while we have visitors! When I say "on the beach" I mean it! We have been loving the fact that the waves sing us a lullaby while we sleep and we can watch the ocean while showering. So Relaxing!
We had a few days with Jonathan before we picked up Travis. As I am sure you all are aware because of Facebook, Courtney and Nora gave me the best gift ever! They surprised me by flying out to hang out with us! The surprise didn't pan out how Houston wanted but it was certainly effective either way! We were at Costco when Houston got a text from Travis that they had landed early. We rushed to the airport and had to do a drive-by pick up. As we were loading up Travis' stuff, Courtney came out holding Nora in her arms! I was so surprised and excited to see them both! Houston, Travis and Jonathan spent their time surfing, jumping off cliff and God knows what else. Court, Nora and I were much more laid back and just hung out and enjoyed our time together. I am just so happy we had that time!! Their visit was definitely a remedy for any homesickness we have had!
The Christmas season really is the most wonderful time of the year in my opinion. I LOVE everything about it. The joyous music, over the top decorations and yes, even the cheesy movies. This year was definitly different than we are used to! We usually spend Christmas Eve with my dad and then spend the night at the Brothers' home. Then we wake up at the butt-crack-of-dawn to open presents before we head over to my moms house for more gifts and tons of yummy food. This year was a bit different. We ate too many cookies and watched Elf on Christmas Eve with Jonathan (after I worked). Christmas morning I worked another holiday while Houston and Jonathan surfed (this sounds like a horrible pattern). After my long shift, we headed home to open gifts and hang out on the beach. We later got ready to have another big dinner at The Tavern with James family (I like this aspect of the pattern!) It was really nice because we had a huge table full of people and conversation that reminded me of all of the melodious chatter at my moms house during the holidays. It's only been 6 months and we feel like James' family is ours too (wait…it's ALREADY been 6 months?!?!) It's been different, but sometimes different is perfect…especially when we know that this is where God wants us!
We have really enjoyed celebrating the holidays as well as a couple of surprising (and not-so-surprising) visitors that have come our way. We can't wait to see Bret and Meghann in a few short days!
We love you and miss you,
Happy Holidays
The Brothers
