Thanksgiving Weekend

Ok, so I guess I should post something here about Thanksgiving weekend. Can I just say, "Chick-flick overload!!!" With Matt in Utah and Sean on his mish, I was simply out-numbered. For you sympathizers...here's what I was subjected to:

1) A full day of Pride and Prejudice...the A&E 6-hour version!!!
2) Twilight movie...TWICE!!! (I actually fell asleep during the second sitting)
3) An incredibly difficult puzzle resulting in hours and hours of the girls sitting around the dining table while I sat on the couch reading...
4) WICKED!!! Of all things...I was nominated to read the book "Wicked" so that when we go to NYC for Christmas and IF we can get tickets to the Broadway show (I have yet to find any available during the Christmas week), at least one of us will know what is going on in the story! (For the record, I don't recommend this book to anyone...the author is quite disturbed...so let's just say I'm "taking one for the team"!)

In the girls' defense, I did finally demand that we go to the James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace" Thursday night. It was a non-stop adrenaline rush...so it did help to balance out the manly side of me... :)

So...yeah, I really missed the boys this year. I especially missed going to the park and playing football with the cousins in the annual "Bud Bowl". But I have to admit that the quiet weekend was very much appreciated with all of the traveling I have been doing over the past 3 months...it was hard to go back to work and will be even harder to start traveling again next week.

I do have to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am for my family. We have had a ton of fun over the span of 25 years, and I really look forward to creating more amazing memories! My amazing wife is my very best friend, and I count each one of my kids as best friends too. Each one of them are a blessing in my life.

I am also grateful for the ability to work, even though it has taken me out of town 2-3 weeks per month over the past 3 months and will continue to do so for the next 2 months (at least), including a trip to China the second week of January. I can't deny that we have been truly blessed with the ability to continue working and making a decent living during these tough economic times. I know there are many out there who are struggling for various reasons during this Holiday season, and I pray that their burdens will be lifted and that they will find joy in the Season of Hope and Giving through celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We are especially blessed to have our amazing missionary, Elder Sean P. Beckstead, preparing himself to leave the MTC for the Philippines on Dec. 19. His testimony has already magnified beyond our belief, and he is anxious and excited to get out to the mission field and preach the Gospel. We are thrilled for him and can't wait to live his experiences through his emails and letters. He is missed, but the thought of him finding the immense joy in serving the Lord eases our minds.

I am truly blessed and grateful for wonderful friends and family. Without their love and support, I would cease to exist.

-Brad