Sarah and I take our new waterproof gopro camera out for a swim with Lewis, and we decide to take it slow…

(The music’s from the ol’ dot deluxe and garageband for ipad)

WildDog, Sarah, and I are off on a big road trip in a small car to points west of Dallas. Who knows what hidden treasures we’ll find?

Track our travels in pictures and an interactive map here!

We celebrated Thanksgiving simply, in a tiny, pinewood cabin. Sarah made food, because she is awesome. We were surrounded by what makes us happy. Things like: mountains, trees, warm fires, books, our crazy pup, and each other.

It was the perfect backdrop for gratitude.  Simplicity distilled our thanks.

Away from the conveniences of the city. Away from flickering screens and battery powered devices that chirp, buzz, blink, and click. Away from all those things, my mind was refreshed with the insight that I wasn’t really thankful for blessings. I am thankful because of blessings.

Remove all that makes my life easy, fun, and productive and I still have just as much cause for gratitude. Why?  Because I experience just as much grace from the One who gives.

Plus, Sarah and Lewis got in lots of nature walks.

Click the pic for  an interactive panorama of the cabin:

And here are some photos….

There’s just one problem with blogs. They’re famously difficult to wrap.Dozens of Sarah’s friends and family pitched in to help create a special blog for Sarah’s birthday. Each person described “why I love Sarah” then posted their response here.

I wish everyone who contributed could have seen Sarah’s reaction as she read each message during dinner at her favorite restaurant from an iPad. She was surprised and encouraged. And that’s about all you can hope for.

High fives all around!

So, here’s how to wrap a blog, in pictures.

Learning so big, you need a wide angle to fit it all in.

That’s exactly what Sarah worked on this weekend for the kids at church. It was amazing to watch her transform this drab grey room divider into a colorful display. Oh…and by the way? The entire thing can be folded and rolled away for storage.

High five, Wildwoman!

Click here to watch in HD on vimeo…

It was a rather expensive party.

Here are some photos of Sarah encouraging to keep his partying to puppy-approved items.

Let’s just say Lewis has good “taste.”

If he wasn’t so popular with the ladyfolk, I’d probably send him to the pound. As it is, we’ll probably keep him around for another month.

Three years ago yesterday, I tricked Sarah into thinking I was marriage material. Thirty-six months later, I still have her hoodwinked We celebrated this happy deception with gifts of leather…and by teaching Sarah how to swing a golf club.

Happy anniversary, love! May the years we’re together be higher than our score at Top Golf!

By the end, they were understandably embarrassed . Photos on the flip side….