The Third Annual Fakesgiving Feast

For those of you who don't know, Fakesgiving is fun-filled, friends-and-family feast which falls on the fourth Sunday of September. As a relatively new holiday, there are still many traditions in the making. However, it always involves good friends, good food, and declarations of what we are all fakesful for. Examples: "I'm fakesful for homework," or, "I'm fakesful I get to wake up at 4:30 am tomorrow," or how about, "I'm fakesful that when I realized I had just enough eggs to make my dessert on Sunday I dropped one on the kitchen floor," etc, etc...

This year, my dear friend Kalli hosted Fakesgiving. She is usually the driving force behind the holiday, mostly because she is the best hostess and the best cook. However, we all bring a little something and simply enjoy each other's company. With all the myriad ways there are to keep in contact with friends these days, it's amazing how seldom I actually do. It's been quite a while since I last saw my Mountainwood buddies so it was fun to catch up on what's new and to remember good times and old jokes. It's funny to think about all the things that have happened since the first Fakesgiving, and what perhaps will happen before the fourth. I guess all holidays are like that-- milemarkers in life that make us look back to see where we've been and to happily anticipate what's coming.

So, three cheers for Fakesgiving! May we all be thankful for it.

The Fatherland and my Mother's Land

Ever since I got home from my mission to Germany at the end of 2006, I've been wanting to go back. Turns out Lance has felt the same way, too. So this year, Lance and I decided to save up our money and go for it, before life gets too complicated. Fortunately, we also got to go to Austria in the same trip and spend some quality time with Mom, Dad, Laynie, and my cute Omi at her home in Graz. Here are a few highlight pictures from our trip:How we felt when we got there

My cute Omi

Graz

Visiting the salt mines in Salzburg

Die Ruine Goesting above Omi's house

The Freilicht Museum in Stuebingen

Vienna

Dortmund!!

Schloss Nordkirchen

The good old Mission home in Hamburg

Flensburg

Dresden

Waiting for some good eats in Munich

Schloss Lindenhof

The famous Neuschwanstein Castle

Can't wait to go back!