Thanksgiving Day 2020

Thanksgiving is Papa Kay's very favorite holiday.  It may be mine as well.  I was so touched by the beautiful messages of gratitude flooding social media this past season.  This heart-warming remembrance of our blessings was a welcome contrast to the rancor and vitriol of election season.  Indeed, we have so very many reasons to be grateful.  At the moment, I'm thankful for clean sheets and a roof over my head.  A couple days ago, I found myself at City Creek shopping center.  My first visit in months, it was strange to find the place empty instead of teeming with holiday shoppers.  It wasn't until I was driving home that I finally saw a crowd.  With tears in my eyes, I realized that all these people were waiting outside the food bank.  Yes, we have so much for which to be grateful.

As thankful as I am for all of our physical blessings, I am even more grateful for the gift of family.  This Thanksgiving was supposed to be an epic Andrus get-together, with the Wilhoits flying into Salt Lake from Washington and the grandparents driving in from Nebraska.  In the end, we ultimately decided to cancel our family gathering out of love for one another.  With coronavirus case counts surging yet again, we made the socially responsible choice to stay distanced.  As much as we wanted to see each other, it just wasn't worth the risk.  We made this hard choice out of love for our neighbors and the community as well.  We desperately need to slow the spread, even if it requires personal sacrifice.

A bit bummed about not getting to spend Thanksgiving with family, we decided to keep the Airbnb we had reserved in Moab.  If we couldn't gather as a big group, at least our small group could gather in a beautiful place.  After arriving late Wednesday night, we slept in on Thanksgiving morning, then enjoyed a delicious breakfast of popeye pancakes.

Next up, adventure!  Because.

Our plan was for Jason, Brooklyn, and Talia to travel through Grandstaff Canyon and rappel down Medieval Chamber and Morning Glory Arch.  Meanwhile, Eli, Annika, and Eli would drive around and hike up to meet them at the bottom of Morning Glory.  The drop off spot was in Sand Flat Recreation Area.  Brooklyn gets to practice driving in the most scenic places!  It was fun to reminisce biking the slickrock trail here eight years ago.

Canyoneers on the horizon.

Once we were sure they'd made it to the right trail, we parted ways.

Annika, Eli, and I drove all the way back through Moab to the turnoff by the Colorado river, then hiked 2+ miles to the bottom of Morning Glory arch.  I was worried that we might miss them given all the travel time, so we really hustled.  Still, Annika insisted that we pause to photograph her heart-shaped cactus.  I think she regretted this choice later when she ended up with cactus spines in her gloves and sweater.

The trail is so fun, meandering near the creek and crossing over a dozen times.

At last, we made it to the arch!  No rappellers in sight though, so we had plenty of time to relax.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn, Talia, and Eli were having a grand time up top.  Their discs travel to exotic places.

Pretty certain this bridging was Jason's idea.

Beautiful landscape!

Beautiful family.

Brooklyn gets ready for her descent down the Medieval Chamber.

Three cheers for Brooklyn and to Jason for getting the gear set up safely.

Morning Glory Arch is just a short walk from the Medieval Chamber.  Here are Brooklyn and Talia carefully venturing out top.  (They assure me that it's much wider than it looks.)

This is what it looked like from my angle at the bottom.

Back above, Brooklyn was thrilled to send her frisbee sailing off the arch.  Eli was equally delighted to retrieve it.

Love my cuties.  And yes, I know that biking helmets are not the same as climbing helmets.  However, they seem far better than nothing, and there are only so many helmets one house can hold.

We knew our group must be getting close when our rope and our bag appeared.

Talia was the first descend Morning Glory.

Well-done, Reddi Wip!

Next up was our BMW.  Go Buttermilk!

Last but not least, Daddy Jason.  Cutest backside around.

With everyone safely down, we counted our blessings.  Our puppy Annika loved playing fetch and wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

Back at the condo, it was time to fix Thanksgiving dinner.  Our bird cooked low and slow, but the moist meat was worth the wait.

Cheers and happy thanksgiving!

For family, friends, and food we will always be grateful.  May next year bring us safely together!