Full of Thanksgiving

We’re celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States this week — so we’re thinking a bunch about what we’re thankful for.

And that revolves around family!

I’m extremely grateful for my family — both my immediate family and extended family.

They bring joy to my life.

That’s not to say we don’t have struggles, disagreements, and very stressful times. But overall, that packed roller coaster ride of situations and emotions bring richness to my life that I highly value.

Our kids may not still be little tikes doing their video reviews. But the fun of being together takes on a new dimension every year.

And this year we welcomed a new member to our family!!

Our daughter Brooklyn, the one that has done the most video reviews of our bunch, got married in August!

Give a warm welcome to Morgan!

We know you may not have picked Morgan out in the first photo in this post because he fits right in with the brothers. (The hint is that he’s sitting next to Brooklyn and on the same team for Decrypto.) So here’s a better photo of the happy newlyweds.

As with everyone around the world, we’ve had to adjust a lot this year. Many of our grand plans have been cancelled and/or curtailed throughout the year.

When our area started shuttering in the spring due to COVID, we laid a family member to rest. As such, we empathize with those who have lost loved ones during these times of isolation. And our hearts go out to those feeling isolated emotionally.

We love that we can interact with people via video technologies. Yet, we still greatly miss close social interactions with neighbors, friends, and family.

We know we’ll get back to those face-to-face group interactions eventually. We’re looking forward to them with great anticipation.

But not all has been lost nor is everything doom and gloom. We’ve also seen and experienced much good this year.

We’ve spent more time outdoors and in the mountains.

We’ve had more quiet evening hours without the chaotic rush.

We’ve welcomed a newborn nephew.

And we’ve witnessed and received caring outreach.

So while 2020 has been a bit of a bummer year in a number of ways, we’ve still had great things to be grateful for and celebrate. And we’ll go on celebrating.

We hope you can too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, and be sure to get in some fun game-playing time with your family too!