Thanksgiving festivities

I planted a winter garden. It's a bit experimental, as I'm not sure if they're getting enough direct sunlight. But in the 5 days since taking this photo, dozens of little sprouts have emerged!

Thanksgiving day potluck at church. So much good food!

Some of us stayed for most of the afternoon to play games.

And in the Service Adventure household, the game-playing continued after we got home!

Also lots of laughter.

All Colorado state parks were offering free admission on Black Friday, so our Black Friday morning consisted of hiking in Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

It was a gorgeous day for it.

One of my personal projects from the week before involved getting these signs printed to distribute to Colorado folks. The design originated in Harrisonburg, VA, and since then, it's been spreading quickly across the country -- especially since the election.

On Friday, my order of signs arrived!

On Saturday we put ours up in the yard, and on Sunday, I began delivering them to friends who requested one.

Also on Saturday, Marle discovered the wealth of Christmas decorations in our closet. She became very excited, and within hours, our house was much more festive.

Hoping that all of you had a restful and joyful Thanksgiving!

Weekend Adventuring: Boulder, CO

Daniel and I had lived in Colorado for nearly a year and 4 months without visiting Boulder. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we finally made it there for a day trip. On the way, though, we stopped in Golden (a little town west of Denver) to meet up with two of Daniel's high school friends for brunch.

Golden, from the little I saw of it, is a mountain town full of Wild West charm. Super cute.

After that we headed up to Boulder, about 45 minutes away, and went straight to the Celestial Seasonings factory. All Celestial Seasonings tea is blended and packaged in Boulder, and they give free tours of the building, which is a dream come true for tea lovers like myself.

Upon walking in the door, you're given your ticket to the tour -- a packet of tea -- and a little mug for sampling teas while you're waiting. Like I said, a dream come true.

Everything was decorated for Christmas already.

Tea bar for sampling.

There was also lots of information about the company's history and process, as well as art to look at. For each Celestial Seasonings tea blend, they commission an artist to create a painting that captures the essence of that particular blend. That painting then becomes the art on the front of the box.

I had to sneakily take a picture in the bathroom, because Boulder is incredible.

We weren't allowed to take pictures on the tour, but if you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it!

Next we headed to Pearl Street Mall to walk around downtown Boulder. Sorry about the weird lighting, but I love the mountain view.

We walked past Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a building that was originally built and painted in Tajikistan, but was transported to Boulder in 1990.

After exploring lots of the little shops on the mall, our final stop was at Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant for dinner.

It was great to finally see one of the places we've been wanting to visit for a long time! Consider this your reminder to schedule that trip you've been meaning to take.

Surviving.

Today was a difficult day, and this week has been a difficult week. I suspect most of you feel the same.

Last night I slept fitfully, awareness of the current situation flooding my mind before I fully awoke each time. I crawled out of bed before anyone else was awake and made tea. A dear friend called. We talked, cried, and were silent together. I sat on our back porch steps and watched the steam from my breath dissipate.

There's a lot to unpack about absorbing this news, and I'm not going to unpack it here right now. Instead, I want to share this excellent poem, and along with it, a strong recommendation that each of you spend some time alone in nature this week. My hour of hiking in Red Rock Canyon this morning did wonders for my spirit.

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Today, we mourn.
Tomorrow, we get to work.