Gratituesday: Ahhhh, Family

This is my first Gratituesday post. Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers (where I am linked)! Gratituesday posts focus on showing how God is working in our lives. Feel free to write your own post on your blog and link it here.

I have been so blessed to see and spend time with many family members that I don't typically get to see this summer. We started the summer with my sister, April, coming home for 2 weeks. I love having her stay with us so we can talk, laugh, cook, and learn more about God together. It is always so sad when she has to leave. She is like my twin, but not :) I'm so blessed to have her in my life. Isn't she adorable? We even got to have pedis together at a local organic salon and enjoy dinner at The Green Room with my daughter and one of her friends. If I only ever ate out at this restaurant, I would be perfectly happy!

Then we had our annual family reunion for my mom's maternal side. It was the 75th year, which meant a professional picture would be taken (by my Uncle Denny, always nice to have a photographer in the family, he also took our wedding pictures). Unfortunately the attendance has been significantly less and less each year, and last year I don't know if we even topped 30 people (when I was a child we had well over 100). Well this year we had over 60 people! Here's everyone (minus Denny who was setting the camera timer- this is not one of his prof pics):

Then (yes, it gets even better), we were able to fly to Florida to visit family that I have only ever seen once in my life, and that was over 9 years ago! It was a wonderful time all around (minus getting sick over the side of the deep sea fishing boat). I even was able to see a cousin from Georgia that happened to be visiting at the end of our trip. What a wonderful time for my husband and kids to spend time together and relax as well as see extended family. This was probably the most relaxing time I've had in a LONG time. Getting away from home was definitely needed, and being on the beach helps, too :) Want to know how my eating went? Keep an eye on here later this week, as I'll be guest blogging on Say What You Need to Say (another gratitude moment, I've always wanted to guest blog for someone!).

Here are some of the small moments of gratitude from the FL trip:

* The beauty of God's creation

* Seeing various wildlife such as hermit crabs (the picture of the holes were made by them), sting rays, various fish during our deep sea excursion, other fish at the beach, small clams that were so colorful and cute and some kind of funny sea slug, the lizards (the one pictured was rescued from a spider web) and sea turtle nests

* Beautiful weather with rain only once.

* Taking naps without worrying about the million things that need done.

* Collecting sea shells.

* But best of all, visiting with these wonderful people!

 All week I felt like God's blessings were just being poured on us in so many ways. I am so grateful for this opportunity and having been able to see everyone! Let's not let another 9 years go by!