A beautiful Sunday afternoon finds us in Indiana, visiting Rissa’s sister in good ol’ Anderson. We’ve been here since Thursday and my the time has really flown by! It is just so great seeing the lil’ kiddos again – one would swear they grow each time we see them (though it may be just weeks apart). The lil’ one has expanded her lexicon, and grown just geometrically cuter! She loves her uncle Tim and aunt Rissa and is the apple of our eyes.

Anderson, a town that saw its heyday in the early part of the twentieth century, is a quiet, sleepy town with friendly people and a very laid back feel to the place. The town gained fame towards the end of the nineteenth century when natural gas was found here. Industries moved in and the town bloomed. In 1912 however, the natural gas reserves were exhausted and the industries relocated elsewhere. (Information courtesy Anderson, IN public plaques)

We went trick or treating on Friday with our lil’ kids dressed as the Colts (the local Football team). By the time we were done, their buckets runneth over, full of candy. Lil Ella was just the cutest, unwilling to let go of the booty – although she’d squeal if she saw us digging into their candy as we sit this afternoon watching TV. Saturday saw us at the local Nazarene church at a charity event dinner – an all you can eat Chicken and Fish Fry. A packed place – quite a good turnout indeed. It was so entertaining to behold Sam and Jen greet nearly every parish member by name. It made me cognizant of the fact that a close parish can serve to be such a great support group. Good stuff – stuff I’ve basically just heard and/or read about.

This evening we are having an early Thanksgiving dinner – my first turkey Thanksgiving dinner with the family. We had a brief preview last night, and the verdict – delicious! There’s just so much to be thankful for this year – Thanksgiving with my new family. It is an honor to be a part of our close-knit group.