December 2nd–was a lot

We celebrated my birthday a day early because 12/2/23 had a LOT going on.

We started our day early, with Tabitha, John and I heading up to One Life Institute in Marietta, SC.  Tabitha has applied and has been accepted to their Gap Year Program for 2024-2025.  We had a lot of fun seeing the campus with our favorite tour guide Daniel showing us most of the highlights.   I should have taken some photos, but we were on the move a lot.  It is pretty clear to us all that this was where God was pointing Tabitha for her first year out of college and she is super excited.

We finished there around 11:30AM and we booked it home where I quickly changed clothes, grabbed Johanna and headed to pick up much of her AHG squad to head to Charlotte to the Operation Christmas Child processing plant.   We filled the big van and headed into our 2 hour drive in the rain.

 

 

We spent almost 5 hour inspecting boxes.  It was exhausting.

 

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We made it home after midnight.

SC vs SC

We celebrated the Big Chickens and the Giant Paw Print (annual Palmetto Bowl) with our dear friends and neighbors again this year.

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The paw prints won – boo.
But we had a blast with some of our favorite people.

Thanksgiving 2023

The girls did some homework today so that they wouldn’t get behind. 

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It was just the seven of us.  Two days of cooking for 15 minutes of eating, and 45 minutes of clean up.  Sounds about right.

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Festival of Trees –

It was our third year to head to the Hyatt downtown to help decorate for the Festival of Trees with AHG.

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It was Johanna’s squad again, and it is more than double in size from last year.

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Afterwards we did our annual visit to Kilwin’s Ice Cream.  It costs more than Culvers… but it is special.

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It was a wee bit chilly, but otherwise a gorgeous night. 

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I love living in a place where I am not afraid to be downtown at night. 

She’s plucky!

Johanna and I NEEDED to be somewhere.
Tab finished her work and wanted the car, which was in the parking lot at Hobby Lobby where Marie was working.  The plan was I would drop Tabitha there for the vehicle so she could go do things.

But TRafFiC!

And it would have taken me 10-12 minutes that I did NOT have to get through the intersection, into the parking lot, out of the parking lot, and through the intersection AGAIN.

So – I half-joked, “Could you just hop out and walk the rest of the way?  We are going to be late as it is.”

And she did. 

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