I Am Thankful For...

With the holiday coming up, I have been thinking of things in my life that I am truly thankful for. Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for this year, in no particular order. Hard to list everything, I find things everyday that I am thankful for.

my husband Chris
living in Colorado
close relationship with my parents
wonderful girlfriends
anytime spent with family
Grandma Youngs
my great "new" family (Chris' family)
my brother
a beautiful house
a fun puppy
my happy marriage
life lessons I learned from Grandmother Allen and Granddad Youngs
long lost friends I have reconnected with
having a job
spending time in June with family I don't often see

November

There is not a whole lot going on at our house in November. Chris and I both celebrated birthdays, however, no milestones and both on workdays. Getting older is no fun!

Unfortunately, my birthday was on election night, so we went out to try to avoid all the election TV, but ended up at a sports bar that had every TV on the election news. The weekend after, we went to Comedy Works and saw John Caparillo perform, which was a blast, as always. Christopher's birthday was last Friday, and after work we went to the Air Force hockey game with his parents to see the Falcons beat up on Sacred Heart, and went out to dinner.

For Thanksgiving we are headed to Kearney, Nebraska to spend the long weekend with Chris' family. It will be a fun time!

Here are some pictures from November...

Hanging out at home

Uber and Chris... you can see how tall Uber is getting!

Uber's cousin, Lucy Youngs

They played for a few hours at my parents
house and were absolutely exhausted.
Uber is no longer the littler dog.

Chillin' on the deck while we hang Christmas lights

Happy Thanksgiving....

Fall in Colorado

Fall is a beautiful time in Colorado, with the cooler weather (not so cool this year), and the great colors in the trees. This has to be my favorite time of year! Here are some photos of the pretty colors and of course the always-growing puppy...

Goodbye Granddad

Sadly, a month ago today, we lost my granddad, Bill Youngs, to a battle with cancer. It has been a tough year for my family and me, having lost two beloved grandparents in a matter of months. I am comforted to know that Granddad is in Heaven and at peace and in no pain. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer just months before he died. Luckily, my grandma was able to spend everyday with him until he passed. He left us peacefully, with my dad, and his brother Tim by his side.

The most beautiful thing happened on the day of his funeral though. As my family and I walked behind the hearse from the church to the cemetery, a bald eagle soared low over us, and then circled around the church for awhile. If you didn't know my granddad, he had a passion for birds of all kinds and carved amazing wood carvings of the birds he admired. This bald eagle was definitely Granddad's way of letting us know he was safe and happy. I have lived in the area by that church for 20 years and never have I seen a bald eagle! They don't usually hang out in the city.

We were blessed to have a beautiful funeral, full of laughs, smiles and tears. It was an amazing Colorado day spent with friends and family and giving Granddad a beautiful farewell. I miss him terribly. He lead a great life, he was a great dad, husband, granddad and friend, someone I will forever look up to.

Here are some great photos of him over the past few years and the family he helped build.





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It was a tough day, but after the funeral we spent the day enjoying the company of family and remembering Granddad. Weather in the 70s is rare for Colorado in late October.