The festivities just continued throughout the week! Tuesday night the Horkavys invited us over to help them trim their tree and decorate for Christmas.

It was fantastic! We listened to Nat King Cole sing carols while the ornaments were hung, garlands arranged, lights strung, and the toy train assembled.

Afterward we feasted on breakfast–one of my favorite meals for supper!

Jen and Ryan surprised us with Christmas gifts. For Stephen, they gave a Colts long-sleeved tee, and for me, a vanilla candle and a coffee mug that plugs in to stay warm in the car.

They are so thoughtful to give such meaningful gifts. I’ve been especially enjoying my candle since I had to get rid of all my candles before moving to the hot desert. I was afraid they’d melt on the way!

Wednesday we attended Crossroad’s annual Pie & Praise Thanksgiving service at a church member’s home. We witnessed our first baptismal service at CBC. A little girl was baptized in the family’s hot tub.

I’ve never seen a more beautiful baptistery! We sang hymns while I strummed my autoharp.

Then we enjoyed the feast of holiday ham, homemade tamales (ground corn dough, chilis, meat, and olives in a cornhusk for those of you like me who have never seen a tamale), mashed potatoes, pie and more pie!

Thanksgiving Day we spent with friends, stuffing our poor little stomachs and enjoying football and Wii tennis. God is good all of the time, but we are more mindful of His simple gifts this Thanksgiving.