thanksgivings past

reminiscing about thanksgivings past this morning as the snow falls over our sleepy house. it's good to be here. and by here i mean here, at this point in our lives. so many things have changed over the years, evolving to this very moment. this perfect moment in time.

recalling one of our first thanksgivings spent together in duluth, eating mama mia's pizza in my third floor apartment overlooking the lake. we sat on the floor with the box feeling only slightly homesick together. later that evening we went dancing at the raddison hotel downtown. we were the youngest couple there by at least 30 years. we laughed as we left there at midnight, trying not to slip on the ice as we made our way home tipsy and in love.

the following year, still in love, we were busy planning our wedding. thanksgiving day was spent with the new baby Charlie and in six short weeks we were married.

then, having survived a year on the farm, the death of matt's dad, and some small and some slightly larger marital bumps in the road, we took off for Europe to reflect on the last year. we spent thanksgiving day in st. ives england. on the cornwall coast. we ate this amazing turnip soup with garlic bread for lunch and then spent the afternoon on the beach soaking in the sun and watching school kids surf. no one there knew that it was american thanksgiving day. and that was just fine.

fast forward a year. we're in st. paul. living on portland and howell. pulling shots for pumpkin pie and eggnog lattes at starbucks.

now, for the fourth year in a row, we are here. in our very first (an hopefully last) home. and we're not alone either. baby avery sure has a way of making everyday more full.

and finally, today. brings the birth of another babe. melina jane bell. a new life comes in. and everything changes again. the world is shifted. our lives are spun off axis, then back into alignment. each year better than the one before.

we have much to be thankful for...