Though this Thanksgiving was spent many miles away from my Texas home, there were certainly a lot of similarities. Since I didn't have the opportunity to hang out with E and the kids before the traditional extended family gathering, I decided to punish myself with a 10K run starting at 6 a.m. About 100 people from the base came out for the "fun run," and despite the wind and the cool weather, it was quite enjoyable. I ran it in 46:52, which was pretty reasonable for 6.2 miles for me. The real reason I ran it, of course, was to minimize the guilt for being lazy the rest of the day. It was technically a work day, but I had moved my clinic to earlier in the week and didn't have any OR cases, and the Nebraska surgeon was on call.
Starting off the morning in the cool, crisp air, watching the sun rise certainly served to focus me on the incredible creation God has fashioned. Though I'm away from my precious family, I am still in the middle of God's hands. Even in this desert land, the Lord provides. Jesus said: "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14-15
The Thanksgiving meal was wonderful. The food preparation folks did a marvelous job at creating an excellent meal for all of us. As the pictures show, they really went all out.
 |
| As you can see, quite an extensive menu. The Desert menu was just as long! I have no idea why I have that look on my face. |
 |
| What Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a giant butter turkey sculpture? |
If you look closely at the uniform, there are two stars under the apron strap. This is a 2-star general serving my turkey. Ya, I'm a big deal.
 |
| I know the only vegetable you can see in this picture is corn that I mixed with my mashed potatoes, but there's also a sprig of parsley there under the bread. |
The cowboy's game didn't start until about Midnight local time, so I didn't stay up for that. But I did manage to get a good post-turkey nap in.
Thanks for all the thoughtful e-mails. It's great to see notes from people back home. Keep them coming!
wow, your food looks pretty good!!! i want that twisted roll the guy across from you has! and of course i would be wishing for the crust from your french bread! :)
ReplyDeleteyou'd be proud of your girls eating stuffing! a first! and your boy... par for the course. "chicken" covered in ketsup and his tears :).
i love you:)